"Gabby Petito urged Brian Laundrie to cease calling her derogatory names before their journey began."
"Hey Brian, remember how much I care for you. Writing this with love, just please stop crying and stop calling me bad names since we're a team and I'm with you all the way," wrote Petito in a letter, discovered as part of the FBI's investigation into the case. "I've always got your back."
"You being in pain is killing me," Petito writes further. "I'm not trying to be negative, but I'm frustrated I can't do more."
The date of the letter is unknown, but Petito mentions making plans for a van they would use on their later trip, which ended in September of 2021 with her disappearance. Her body was found in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest over a week after being reported missing, having been dead for three to four weeks.
Laundrie, who had returned home without Petito, disappeared into a Florida nature reserve, leading to a weeklong search. His remains were also discovered with some personal items, including a notebook where he reportedly confessed to killing Petito. Medical experts concluded he died by suicide.
The letter to Laundrie is one of the many pages of documents released by the FBI on their website as a result of Freedom of Information Act requests. While many documents are redacted, they show the FBI's attempts to trace the couple's movements around Petito's disappearance on September 11, 2021. These records include witness interviews and descriptions of surveillance footage.
Also included are numerous photos of items recovered from the scene of a September 20, 2021, search warrant, including Petito's letter to Laundrie. The place where the warrant was executed is redacted, hinting at an investigation originating from North Port, Florida.
Steven Bertolino, an attorney representing Laundries' parents, spoke with CNN about the letter, saying the relationship between Petito and Laundrie had its ups and downs.
"There were both good and bad moments," he said, explaining the stress these events had on his clients. "There are always two sides to every story, but only one has been presented."
Petito's family attorney, James W. McConkie, commented on the letter when their lawsuit against the Moab Police Department was filed, saying it was an attempt "to honor Gabby's legacy by demanding accountability and working toward systemic changes to protect victims of domestic abuse and violence and prevent such tragedies in the future."
The lawsuit alleges the officers should have recognized Petito as a victim of abuse due to her injuries and their admissions. The city of Moab, however, has maintained the officers acted "with kindness, respect, and empathy" toward Petito and aren't responsible for her death.
No context is given for Petito's letter, and there's no clear reason for their arguments at the time of its writing. However, it hints at the tensions in their relationship that would eventually come to public light during their travels, such as the incident in Moab, Utah.
Police body camera footage from the event shows Petito and Laundrie talking to law enforcement after a witness claimed to see Laundrie hit Petito. Amidst it all, the couple admitted to having a fight in which Petito struck Laundrie first. The officers allowed them to spend the night apart, unaware of the tragic future events.
Since then, there's been a lawsuit filed against the Moab Police Department by the Petito family, claiming officers failed to properly handle the situation. The city has defended itself by stating, "On Aug. 12, no one could have predicted the tragedy that would occur weeks later and hundreds of miles away, and the City of Moab will ardently defend against this lawsuit."
Read also:
"Gabby and I, as a team, were planning our future trips in the van."
"Despite the challenges we faced, Petito assured Laundrie that she always stood by him, being 'with you all the way'."
