Found Deceased WY - Gabby Petito, Grand Teton National Park #87

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Love Never Fails said:
I believe she wrote it with knowledge he killed Gabby or was intending to. Either way, her words are very sick. Maybe LE felt sorry for RL as a lot of posters here do. I just see her for someone who was cold and cruel about Gabby, dead or alive, and very cruel to her parents because RL knew what her son had done. And a mother who genuinely loved her son won’t cover up murder for him. She would stand by him and encourage him to do the right thing.
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Honestly, now that the entire letter has been made public and I've read it, it seems like a complete nothing-burger to me. I agree some of the passages are "overwrought" but that doesn't make me think they involve an offer of a crime coverup. The passages the P's attorney has been paraphrasing in his in press conferences certainly don't strike me as serious offers to cover up to a known crime, much less to cover up Gabby's murder specifically. (And I don't think anyone has ever suggested BL has planned well in advance to kill GP.)

To me, the letter reads simply as a letter from a mother who loves her son and who is likely struggling with his separation from her as an adult. That likely is how she felt prior to the couple's trip. They'd already gotten engaged and supposedly put off marriage (although Rose D said GP still fully intended to marry BL.) I expect RL thought there was a good chance they'd marry while traveling. Some would say since BL was around 23 when the couple left for their last trip, his independence was overdue. And that may be true although in the US, an awful lot of adult sons in their early 20s still live at home with mom and dad. And most people marry for the first time later than their early 20s. But if the letter was a serious offer to help bury GP, how could that possibly have worked timewise? How did the letter get to BL in WY in time if he left very quickly after killing her? Or did RL give it to him once he came back to FL yet it was still supposed to be a serious offer to help bury a body left exposed in WY? And why write him a letter at all to make a crime coverup offer? None of that makes any sense. Regardless, we're both entitled to our opinions.

JMO
 
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Two things make me think RL is lying about when she wrote the letter:
  1. Why would she have noted "Burn After Reading" on it if this was written before the trip? I've certainly written my share of embarrassing notes to people over the years, but I never would have added a message about burning them. No one aside from me and the recipient would ever care what I wrote. Certainly no one would care what a mom wrote her son. A burn notice only makes sense if there was concern over would happened if the letter fell into the wrong hands or if it was published.
  2. The letter was found in BL's backpack when they discovered his body. It seems unlikely that BL really carried the letter with him all through his road trip across the country, held onto it even after killing Gabby and fleeing back to Florida. And then took it with him to the Everglades when he planned on committing suicide. It seems more probable that this was something his mother handed to him shortly before they parted for the last time.

NCWatcher said:
But if the letter was a serious offer to help bury GP, how could that possibly have worked timewise? How did the letter get to BL in WY in time if he left very quickly after killing her? Or did RL give it to him once he came back to FL yet it was still supposed to be a serious offer to help bury a body left exposed in WY? And why write him a letter at all to make a crime coverup offer?
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I don't think the Petito's are seriously alleging that RL was physically going to go to Wyoming and bury Gabby's body. But rather the wording and the desperation that's evident in the letter shows that RL knew that Gabby was dead and made misleading statements to the press which inflicted emotional distress on Gabby's parents.
 
Sundog said:
Just catching up here. Who made the letter public, the Petito's? If so, that is so sad, that they are still wanting to try this case in the public, trying to "shame" the Laundrie parents, IMO.
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It was actually the Laundrie's who made the letter public:

patch.com

Roberta Laundrie 'Burn After Reading' Letter Released To Gabby Petito's Family

READ the Letter. Brian Laundrie's mom offered him a shovel and garbage bags in undated letter. She says its been taken out of context.
patch.com patch.com

In a statement to Patch, Reilly said Roberta Laundrie "has issued a self-serving statement and released the “Burn After Reading” letter after Judge Danielle Brewer yesterday denied her Motion for a Protective Order to preclude a release of the letter to the Petito family."

Reilly says that the letter was not released to the press by his office.

Of course, they probably did so because they assumed the Petito's would, and they wanted to get there first.
 
Gabby’s family will never get the accountability and justice that she and they deserve, because BL is dead. If RL caused them unnecessary emotional distress, and I believe she did, they have a right to take that to court.

I’m not going to compare the deaths of Gabby and BL because that isn’t fair to Gabby or her family.
 
kkdj said:
When was this written? And why did she say to burn after reading? Was it because of when it was written, like after Gabby's murder or before? Or was it because mother and son were having problems? Imo she wanted the letter burnt because she didn't want someone else to see it. She sounds desperate to me.
That date could mean a lot!
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The parties dispute when it was written -- Petito's believe it followed GP's death. RL alleges she wrote the letter around May 2021 when the couple left Florida for NY.

According to the affidavit, while unsure of the exact date she wrote the letter to her son, Roberta claims to have written the letter to her son around the end of May 2021.

“Although I do not know the exact date I wrote the letter,” the document states. “I do know that I wrote it and gave it to Brian before Brian and Gabby left Florida for New York which was on June 2, 2021.”

In an attempt to have the letter excluded from the discovery process, Roberta tries to make the case that the letter and the murder are unrelated.

Brian Laundrie's mother speaks out about burn letter: 'I did not want to embarrass Brian' 3-7-2023
 
ch_13 said:
Two things make me think RL is lying about when she wrote the letter:
  1. Why would she have noted "Burn After Reading" on it if this was written before the trip? I've certainly written my share of embarrassing notes to people over the years, but I never would have added a message about burning them. No one aside from me and the recipient would ever care what I wrote. Certainly no one would care what a mom wrote her son. A burn notice only makes sense if there was concern over would happened if the letter fell into the wrong hands or if it was published.
  2. The letter was found in BL's backpack when they discovered his body. It seems unlikely that BL really carried the letter with him all through his road trip across the country, held onto it even after killing Gabby and fleeing back to Florida. And then took it with him to the Everglades when he planned on committing suicide. It seems more probable that this was something his mother handed to him shortly before they parted for the last time.


I don't think the Petito's are seriously alleging that RL was physically going to go to Wyoming and bury Gabby's body. But rather the wording and the desperation that's evident in the letter shows that RL knew that Gabby was dead and made misleading statements to the press which inflicted emotional distress on Gabby's parents.
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A number of scenarios are possible regarding the writing of the letter by BL's mother, including the possibility that BL was suicidal and Roberta knew it was about his relationship with Gabby, but that she didn't know any of the details, or the extent of the situation. Her letter sounds like a desperate plea to convey to her son that she loved him, and would go on doing so no matter what. If she truly believed he was suicidal, this letter could be trying to show him that her love knew no bounds as she tried desperately to reach him. I think most parents in such a desperate situation could write a letter like that, and it is very sad, IMO, that it has become public. My heart goes out to the Laundrie and the Petito parents, who both lost a child in this tragic situation, that none of them are responsible for.
 
RSBM

ch_13 said:
Why would she have noted "Burn After Reading" on it if this was written before the trip?
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RL says it's a reference to a book that she gave him, called Burn after Writing.

ch_13 said:
The letter was found in BL's backpack when they discovered his body.
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It's disputed where it was found. Bertolino says the FBI had obtained it before Brian's body was found.

ch_13 said:
It was actually the Laundrie's who made the letter public:
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The Laundries only "released" the letter to the plaintiffs as the judge ordered. The Petitos released it to the press.
 
Smelly Squirrel said:
The Laundries only "released" the letter to the plaintiffs as the judge ordered. The Petitos released it to the press.
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No, this isn't true. There's no question that the Laundrie's released the letter. Maybe they only did that to forestall the Petito's doing it, and so they could include a statement with their side of the story. But nevertheless they were the first. I posted one article above.

Here's another one:

www.abcactionnews.com

Gabby Petito’s parents get ‘burn after reading’ letter from Brian Laundrie’s parents in civil lawsuit

Gabby Petito’s parents now have a copy of a letter Brian Laundrie’s mother wrote to her son, which included references to getting a shovel and burying a body.
www.abcactionnews.com www.abcactionnews.com

The article notes: "Luka released the following statement from Roberta Laundrie, along with scans of the letter."
 
ch_13 said:
Two things make me think RL is lying about when she wrote the letter:
  1. Why would she have noted "Burn After Reading" on it if this was written before the trip? I've certainly written my share of embarrassing notes to people over the years, but I never would have added a message about burning them. No one aside from me and the recipient would ever care what I wrote. Certainly no one would care what a mom wrote her son. A burn notice only makes sense if there was concern over would happened if the letter fell into the wrong hands or if it was published.
  2. The letter was found in BL's backpack when they discovered his body. It seems unlikely that BL really carried the letter with him all through his road trip across the country, held onto it even after killing Gabby and fleeing back to Florida. And then took it with him to the Everglades when he planned on committing suicide. It seems more probable that this was something his mother handed to him shortly before they parted for the last time.


I don't think the Petito's are seriously alleging that RL was physically going to go to Wyoming and bury Gabby's body. But rather the wording and the desperation that's evident in the letter shows that RL knew that Gabby was dead and made misleading statements to the press which inflicted emotional distress on Gabby's parents.
Click to expand...
1. I think RL has explained the "burn after reading" as a kind of inside joke. That makes sense to me. And it makes a lot more sense than thinking she'd put an offer to criminally conspire in writing and then write on the envelope "burn after reading" to protect herself and her son!

In #2 above you seem to be saying RL gave the letter to BL when he was living in the house-- why not just say that stuff to him rather than writing a burn after reading letter? RL and BL were observed to go bike riding, for example. They went to buy a phone too. Safer to say conspiracy stuff than to write it.

2. You seem to be suggesting RL gave the letter to BL shortly before Sept 14, the date he went to the swamp. If she really knew he'd killed GP on Aug 27, then why write these things about helping to bury a body nearly 3 weeks after death? Ugh. While you say the P's aren't saying the letter was a serious offer of help to bury GP, that it just means she'd lie for BL (but they certainly claimed that it was an offer to help bury earlier) why would RL write in "coded language" if she thought it was a private letter and she expected the letter to be burned?

3. Remember, for a long time the P's attorney claimed on the record the letter was found in the van. Here's a link from June 2022. Brian Laundrie's mom 'offered to assist him,' Petito lawyer says

The van was impounded on Sept 11. It seems very unlikely authorities would remove the letter and give it to RL. It also seems very unlikely LE would allow RL to remove items from the van. So how did she get the letter to give to BL before he went hiking? (And when did she give it to him the first time for it to be in the van?) Remember the same attorney also claimed after the letter was removed from the van the letter was found in the house when the search warrant was executed on Sept 20 days after BL left the house. Was the attorney not telling the truth in his repeated claims about the letter being in the van? Or in his claim that it was found in the house? I guess he wasn't telling the truth & I have to wonder why.

BL having the letter with him when he left to commit suicide makes it more likely to me it was a letter that pre-dated GP's death and is exactly what it looks like-- a mother's letter of love to her son. I wouldn't have said some things she said in the letter but I wouldn't say lots of things GP's parents have said either. And that's immaterial just as RL's specific words are.

JMO
 
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NCWatcher said:
1. I think RL has explained the "burn after reading" as a kind of inside joke. That makes sense to me. And it makes a lot more sense than thinking she'd put an offer to criminally conspire in writing and then write on the envelope "burn after reading" to protect herself and her son!
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I don't think she's making a serious offer to criminally conspire. I think she's speaking in grandiose language and trying to tell her son she'd do anything for him. But personally I just find the "inside joke" stuff hard to believe. It just feels like something you write at a time of desperation, not something you'd give someone prior to going on vacation.

Maybe if the Laurie's have some other evidence of the joke. Like BL told someone outside the family that children's book was meaningful to him or something.

NCWatcher said:
In #2 above you seem to be saying RL gave the letter to BL when he was living in the house-- why not just say that stuff to him rather than writing a burn after reading letter?
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People write letters all the time because they find it easier to write out their feelings rather than say something in conversation. In any case, she clearly handed the letter to him at some point as there's no stamp on the envelope. So, she always had the opportunity to speak with him rather than write him a letter, but clearly chose not to.

NCWatcher said:
2. You seem to be suggesting RL gave the letter to BL shortly before Sept 14, the date he went to the swamp. If she really knew he'd killed GP on Aug 27, then why write these things about helping to bury a body nearly 3 weeks after death? Ugh. While you say the P's aren't saying the letter was a serious offer of help to bury GP, that it just means she'd lie for BL (but they certainly claimed that it was an offer to help bury earlier) why would RL write in "coded language" if she thought it was a private letter and she expected the letter to be burned?
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Once again, I don't think she was seriously offering to bury a body any more than she would have ever busted him out of prison with a saw in a cake. Nor do I think she was using 'coded language'.

NCWatcher said:
3. Remember, for a long time the P's attorney claimed on the record the letter was found in the van. Here's a link from June 2022. Brian Laundrie's mom 'offered to assist him,' Petito lawyer says
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It would be interesting if the letter was found in the van rather than with BL's body. It's something that I hope will be explained at trial.
 
ch_13 said:
I don't think she's making a serious offer to criminally conspire. I think she's speaking in grandiose language and trying to tell her son she'd do anything for him. But personally I just find the "inside joke" stuff hard to believe. It just feels like something you write at a time of desperation, not something you'd give someone prior to going on vacation.

Maybe if the Laurie's have some other evidence of the joke. Like BL told someone outside the family that children's book was meaningful to him or something.


People write letters all the time because they find it easier to write out their feelings rather than say something in conversation. In any case, she clearly handed the letter to him at some point as there's no stamp on the envelope. So, she always had the opportunity to speak with him rather than write him a letter, but clearly chose not to.


Once again, I don't think she was seriously offering to bury a body any more than she would have ever busted him out of prison with a saw in a cake. Nor do I think she was using 'coded language'.


It would be interesting if the letter was found in the van rather than with BL's body. It's something that I hope will be explained at trial.
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If it's not coded language for her willingness to do anything for BL, what is it? I'm not buying it's code, but I also don't think the letter was intended to convey to him her willingness to try to cover up a crime.

People do write letters all the time rather than speak openly of emotional feelings. But the claim is that this letter was written after BL told his parents he killed GP. Discomfort with emotions would hardly be paramount!

You seem to be saying (as perhaps the P's are now) that RL was trying to convey how far she'd go to help him-- hence the coded language. (Earlier the P's claim through their attorney was that she was actually offering to help bury GP.) And now it's suddenly reported the letter was found in BL's backpack although it does not seem to be listed in the various reports of his belongings at the time his remains were found. I agree we don't really know if that's true. But none of that matters if the letter really was written in late May. (And with BL & GP living together in the house writing a private letter to BL is something a mom might easily do.) Where it was found matters only if we have to fashion a story about how BL got the letter if it was written after GP was dead.

It's hard for me to see it both ways--- 1. That RL really meant burn after reading. She wanted the letter destroyed after BL read it because she worried what people would think if they read it 2. That RL was desperate for BL to know she'd cover for him but despite her desperation she couldn't say that to him. So she had to write about him going to the moon.
JMO

To me, the simplest explanation is that the letter was written earlier. But we'll see.
JMO
 
ch_13 said:
No, this isn't true. There's no question that the Laundrie's released the letter. Maybe they only did that to forestall the Petito's doing it, and so they could include a statement with their side of the story. But nevertheless they were the first. I posted one article above.

Here's another one:

www.abcactionnews.com

Gabby Petito’s parents get ‘burn after reading’ letter from Brian Laundrie’s parents in civil lawsuit

Gabby Petito’s parents now have a copy of a letter Brian Laundrie’s mother wrote to her son, which included references to getting a shovel and burying a body.
www.abcactionnews.com www.abcactionnews.com

The article notes: "Luka released the following statement from Roberta Laundrie, along with scans of the letter."
Click to expand...

Okay, so they did release it too, but the Petitos also released it yesterday. Of course, it's not like the Petitos weren't going to release it. They're the ones who first made the existence of the letter public at all.
 
www.nbcnews.com

Brian Laundrie's mother offered him a shovel in ‘burn after reading’ note

The letter was released to Gabby Petito’s parents after a Florida judge denied a request from Laundrie’s parents to withhold it.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com
Brian Laundrie’s mother offered him a shovel and garbage bags if he needed to dispose of a body, according to a letter enclosed in an envelope that said “burn after reading,” court filings reveal.

The letter was released to Gabby Petito’s parents Wednesday after a Florida judge denied a request from Laundrie’s parents to withhold it, as the two families head to a civil trial next year.

In March 2022, Petito's family sued Laundrie's parents and the Laundries' former attorney for emotional distress in connection with her death.

Petito, an aspiring social media influencer, vanished on a cross-country trip with Laundrie, her fiancé, in the summer of 2021. The search dominated headlines for weeks...
 
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