Gabby Petito’s family sues Brian Laundrie’s parents [Video]

• The parents of Gabby Petito had filed a lawsuit against the parents of Brian Laundrie.
• The Petitos claimed that Laundrie confessed to his crime before returning home alone, but they concealed his confession while the search for Gabby was ongoing.
• The lawsuit, which claims that the Laundries “acted with malice or great indifference,” seeks damages of at least $30,000.

Gabby Petito’s parents have filed a lawsuit against Brian Laundrie’s parents, claiming that they knew of their son’s crime when he returned home alone from their cross-country road trip.

The lawsuit was filed in Sarasota County Circuit Court on Thursday.

The Petitos claimed that Laundrie had told his parents on Aug. 22 that he had killed her, and that Christopher and Roberta Laundrie concealed their son’s confession to the murder while the search for Gabby Petito was ongoing.

The lawsuit claims that the Laundries “acted with malice or great indifference to the rights of (Gabby’s parents) Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt.” They described the Laundries’ conduct as “shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.”

They also claimed that the Laundries made “arrangements” to help their son “leave the country,” but offered no evidence.

The Petito family’s lawsuit seeks damages of at least $30,000.

Petito, 22, went on a cross-country road trip with 23-year-old fiancé Laundrie in July. Laundrie returned to his parents’ Florida home on September 1 without Petito. Petito’s parents, who said they last spoke to her on Aug. 25, reported her missing on Sept. 11.

Petito’s body was later discovered on September 19 in a Wyoming national park. Laundrie was then reported missing since Sept. 14, when he told his parents he was going for a hike in Florida’s Carlton Reserve.

According to the FBI’s investigation, Laundrie, who was previously reported for domestic violence, had strangled Petito.

Laundrie continued to send text messages from Petito’s cellphone to pretend that she was still alive. He also used one of her credit cards.

Laundrie admitted to killing Petito before he shot and killed himself in the Carlton Reserve swamp.

Steven Bertolino, an attorney for the Laundries, declared that his clients “had no obligation to speak to law enforcement or any third party including the Petito family.” He added that the Petitos’ claims are “baseless under the law.”

The Petitos said that they maintained “a cordial relationship” with the Laundries until her disappearance.

Petito, who “had hopes of becoming a travel influencer,” had regular contact with her parents and posted frequently on social media, which had a regular following.

Source: CBS News