Christopher and Roberta Laundrie denied being told by their son that he killed Petito, though Roberta Laundrie said the thought “probably went through my mind.”Petito’s family reported the 22-year-old missing on September 11, 2021, 10 days after Brian Laundrie returned to his parents’ home in North Port, Florida.
He vanished soon after, igniting a weekslong manhunt that ended with the discovery of his remains in a Florida nature reserve.
The latest lawsuit names Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and their attorney, Steven Bertolino, as defendants, claiming the trio’s actions during the search for Petito caused her parents severe emotional distress.
Nichole Schmidt, mother of Gabby Petito, speaks alongside, from left, Tara Petito, Petito's stepmother; Joseph Petito, her father; Richard Stafford, the family's attorney; and Jim Schmidt, her stepfather; during a news conference in September 2021 in Bohemia, New York.
Their statements were not intended to cause emotional distress but to “express” their “sincere wishes,” they argue.
Persons:
Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie, Petito, Petito’s, Wyoming’s, Roberta Laundrie, “, ”, ’, Brian Laundrie’s, Christopher, Steven Bertolino, Joseph Petito, Nichole Schmidt, Tara Petito, Petito's, Richard Stafford, Jim Schmidt, John Minchillo, Miss Petito, Bertolino “, CNN’s Jean Casarez, Elizabeth Wolfe
Organizations:
CNN, Wednesday’s, Bertolino, Miss, ”
Locations:
Wyoming’s Bridger, Teton, Forest, North Port , Florida, Florida, Bohemia , New York