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

[ch_13]

Obstinacy to what end?

The English have a word for it -

bloody-mindedness: the behavior of someone who is very determined and refuses to give up, to change their mind, or to do what others want them to do.

I've met people like that and they can be very difficult to deal with. Any suggestion you make is immediately rejected or ignored. In fact, they'll go out of their way to do the opposite just to show you up. Reading about some of BL's behaviors--like his insistence on hiking without shoes regardless of weather or trail condition--reminded me of the bloody-minded people I know.

 

[megs1477]

JMOO, the letter was almost certainly written prior to events, but that doesn’t really matter…what is important is the message, ‘I will do anything I can to protect you.’ This can reinforce the claims that she knew the truth and took steps to mislead, etc. It is circumstantial, but says a lot for her credibility.
Also, this is one of the more disturbing things I have read. I get the impression of an overly attached mother. When I was about their age, I dated someone with a similar relationship with their mother. Some would call them a “mama’s boy.” Looking back, it was a horrible relationship and he treated me poorly. The majority of the problems were interference from mom. She would fill his head with questions and doubts whenever we seemed happy. No one was good enough for him because they were taking him away from her. This caused him a constant internal struggle between what he wanted and pleasing his mother. He has had multiple DV arrests at this point in his life. Very sad.

 

[ch_13]

For what it's worth, this is the affidavit about the letter that RL submitted to the court:

---

1. I, Roberta Laundrie, am a defendant in the above-styled cause and I do hereby swear or affirm that:
2. I fully understand the meaning of all of the terms of this affidavit.
3. I wrote the letter requested by Plaintiffs’ Second Request for Production
4. I wrote the letter to my son, Brian Laundrie, on or about the end of May 2021. Although I do not know the exact date I wrote the letter, 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. (Brian and Gabby went from Florida to New York before they went out West.)
5. The purpose of the letter was to reach out to Brian while he and I were experiencing a difficult period in our relationship. Brian and I always had a very open and communicative relationship and in the months prior to the trip, our relationship had become strained. Brian and I shared a love of stories and some of the language in the letter was using similar phrases to describe the depth of a mother’s love. The two books that come to mind are The Runaway Bunny and Little Bear. In addition, Gabby had given Brian a book called Burn After Writing which contains printed questions to which the reader responds by writing their answers on the page. The back of the book instructs the reader to create a secret book and then destroy by “burn after writing.” The bottom of the back cover says: “Write. Burn. Repeat.” Brian, Gabby and I often joked about this book and the importance of being able to express yourself. If you were embarrassed or simply did not want anyone to know your thoughts or feelings then the book offered the perfect solution by telling you to burn it. This is where my message to Brian came from and I wrote on the cover of the letter for Brian to “Burn After Reading.” In short, I was trying to connect with Brian and repair our relationship as he was planning to leave home – and I had hoped this letter would remind him how much I loved him.
6. There were some other phrases that I used in the letter which are not found in the books I shared with Brian as a child. However, these phrases were common enough in our circle of friends and family to describe who you could turn to in the most troubling times of your life. While I used words that seem to have a connection with Brian’s actions and his taking of Gabby’s life, I never would have fathomed the events that unfolded months later between Brian and Gabby would reflect the words in my letter. The words in the letter could never have been a comment on that tragic situation as they were written so many months before. My words to Brian were meant to convey my love and support for my son through a light-hearted and quirky reminder that my love for him was not diminished and could not be shaken by the miles of separation we would soon be faced with.
7. Although a few of the words in the letter are being quoted by others as having a connection to this case, all of the words taken together and in the context of the reason the letter was written show that there is no connection. In addition, there has been some speculation that this letter was in Brian’s possession or in his backpack when he died – insinuating that I gave it to him as he left my home on September 13, 2021 – but that is not true because the FBI had the letter in their possession and questioned members of my family about it prior to October 20, 2021, when my husband and I found Brian’s remains in the reserve.
8. I repeat that the letter I wrote to Brian before he left with Gabby for their fateful trip was nothing more than a private communication between myself and my son and I never expected anyone else would read it. In some way, I did not want anyone else to read it as I know it is not the type of letter a mother writes to her adult son and I did not want to embarrass Brian. That is why I wrote “Burn After Reading” on the envelope and I knew that Brian would know what that meant. I am now appreciative that he actually kept it.

---

I had started to write an analysis dissecting the affidavit, but on second thought I'm going to just let it stand on its own and allow everyone to judge the document's veracity themselves.

 

[heartandsoul]

I believe it goes further. I believe she had an idea he might get violent while he and Abby were gone and he would kill her.

What must Abby’s life had been like living in that household?

I agree with you, I’m just treading carefully in my posts. I don’t think it overly matters when the letter was written for this specific lawsuit. RL had good reason to suspect Gabby had been killed by BL and did not convey that to Gabbys family - IMO.

 

[NCWatcher]

I agree with you, I’m just treading carefully in my posts. I don’t think it overly matters when the letter was written for this specific lawsuit. RL had good reason to suspect Gabby had been killed by BL and did not convey that to Gabbys family - IMO.

BBM

I don't think the Pepitos are claiming the Laundries "had good reason to suspect..." I think they are claiming the L's knew BL had killed her. Mere suspicion doesn't figure into their claims against the L's although I agree suspicion may represent exactly what was going on at the time, especially by the end of the first week of Sept. It's believable to me BL first claimed he and GP had had an ugly breakup and the parents believed that. Depending on what BL told them (if anything) about taking the van and accessing the bank acct, they could have been worried about legal issues (without any suspicion GP had been physically hurt much less killed.)
JMO

 

[arielilane]

The van life couple who uploaded a video of Gabby Petito’s van on YouTube says “the amazing community of social media came together and found Gabby.” More on “48 Hours,” tonight at 10/9c. https://cbsn.ws/3WC3Vox

https://twitter.com/x/status/1662466187823837184

The disappearance and death of Gabby Petito sparked a national outcry. The story was far from over. What questions still lingered about her death? Watch “48Hours,” tonight at 10/9c — only on @CBS or stream on @paramountplus. https://cbsn.ws/45Ayak0
https://twitter.com/48hours/status/1662443536686497793/photo/1

https://twitter.com/x/status/1662443536686497793

In the late summer of 2021, Gabby Petito’s story spread quickly across social media and throughout the media. Go inside her disappearance and heartbreaking case, Saturday at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+: https://cbsn.ws/3BZu2MO

https://twitter.com/x/status/1662194397406953472

Edited: to include more from 48 Hours on Twitter

 

[Steelhead]

I believe RL when she says the letter was written prior to Gabby’s death. Based on that though, it’s almost as if RL was inadvertently giving BL permission to kill Gabby! Creepy indeed. I think it also helps prove that RL probably knew Gabby was dead. I probably would’ve told my mom too if I just received a letter from her like that!

 

[Melisende10]

I believe RL when she says the letter was written prior to Gabby’s death. Based on that though, it’s almost as if RL was inadvertently giving BL permission to kill Gabby! Creepy indeed. I think it also helps prove that RL probably knew Gabby was dead. I probably would’ve told my mom too if I just received a letter from her like that!

It makes me wonder if he had discussed something like that with his mother before. Maybe jokingly. I believe Brian took the trip with the intention of killing Gabby. I don't think it was just a fight that went too far where he didn't mean to kill her, but killed her by accident. But I don't necessarily think his parents knew that. They may have known there was domestic violence in their relationship.

No matter when the letter was written or for what reason, the language in it is strange. Almost seems like a letter a lover would write about undying love for someone. If I didn't know the relationship, I would assume it was some bonnie and clyde type love letter.

 

[Warwick7]

OMGosh, Warwick7, this was great!
The Petito family attorney even addresses when Roberta and Christopher Laundrie must have had knowledge of Gabby's murder.
At about minute 8:30, he shares the following info (not verbatim):
FBI suspects Gabby was murdered on Aug 27, 2021. The next day there were a significant number of calls exchanged between Brian and his parents. The day after that, the 29th of Aug, there were significant number of calls exchanged between Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and Attorney Bertolino. Brian returned on Sep 1st in Gabby's van alone. Based on that circumstantial evidence he feels it's clear that they all knew that she was deceased at the time that Bertolino made his statement on December 14th.
Have we had all this info before and I just missed it? Has this already been discussed?

There's another interview with Rilley and Brian Enton. It's even better!!! More info.

 

[Warwick7]

I believe RL when she says the letter was written prior to Gabby’s death. Based on that though, it’s almost as if RL was inadvertently giving BL permission to kill Gabby! Creepy indeed. I think it also helps prove that RL probably knew Gabby was dead. I probably would’ve told my mom too if I just received a letter from her like that!

I wish I could like this comment 10 times!!

 

[housewife]

BL strikes me as the sort of person who would do the opposite of what you tell him just out of sheer obstinacy.

RSBM

I agree. Brian admits to the Moab police that he was prescribed medication for anxiety, but he chooses not to take it. I wish we could verify if he had an official diagnosis, or what the medication and dosage were.

Choosing not to take medicine you are prescribed is pretty obstinate.

 

[housewife]

RSBM

I agree. Brian admits to the Moab police that he was prescribed medication for anxiety, but he chooses not to take it. I wish we could verify if he had an official diagnosis, or what the medication and dosage were.

Choosing not to take medicine you are prescribed is pretty obstinate.

Also, stealing your girlfriend's ID to prevent her from being social is pretty obstinate, too. And retaliatory.
An adult who is unable to compromise or be flexible ("let things go"), and responds with anger or violence towards the ones they love is the definition of stubborn. It's their way or the highway.

 

[heartandsoul]

BBM

I don't think the Pepitos are claiming the Laundries "had good reason to suspect..." I think they are claiming the L's knew BL had killed her. Mere suspicion doesn't figure into their claims against the L's although I agree suspicion may represent exactly what was going on at the time, especially by the end of the first week of Sept. It's believable to me BL first claimed he and GP had had an ugly breakup and the parents believed that. Depending on what BL told them (if anything) about taking the van and accessing the bank acct, they could have been worried about legal issues (without any suspicion GP had been physically hurt much less killed.)
JMO

I would agree with them, but since we’ll likely never know exactly when they knew what they know, I’m being careful with my wording.

 

[NCWatcher]

I would agree with them, but since we’ll likely never know exactly when they knew what they know, I’m being careful with my wording.

OK. But the P's Amended Complaint filed in April 2022 does make exact statements about when BL killed GP and when he told his parents he had killed her, etc. Available here through General Public Access ClerkNet 3.0

These statements do often start with "It is believed, and therefore averred..." But if the P's had been claiming they thought the L's should have merely suspected their son killed their daughter and should have acted on that suspicion, I'm not sure the lawsuit would have survived this long. Of course, once the case gets to court proof for statements made in the Complaint will be required.
JMO

 

[passionflower]

The letter is VERY ODD JMOO. Laundries acted odd from the beginning of sons homecoming without Gabby. An interview with them would be quite interesting. We only heard from his sister when he was missing. I missed it if parents talked.

 

[Laura456]

It makes me wonder if he had discussed something like that with his mother before. Maybe jokingly. I believe Brian took the trip with the intention of killing Gabby. I don't think it was just a fight that went too far where he didn't mean to kill her, but killed her by accident. But I don't necessarily think his parents knew that. They may have known there was domestic violence in their relationship.

No matter when the letter was written or for what reason, the language in it is strange. Almost seems like a letter a lover would write about undying love for someone. If I didn't know the relationship, I would assume it was some bonnie and clyde type love letter.

I didn't get the vibe that it was pre planned, more rage episode that got way out of control. Maybe his mom knew about these episodes and didn't get him help?

 

[lowes123]

From everything I have read over the past years, it seems like Gabby and Brian were in a very serious relationship. No one suspected domestic violence, not even her mom, based upon past media articles.There was an article written where her mom was stunned after the MOAB stop, she had never seen any signs. The stop was an hour, and honestly, I thought it was very thorough, and they didn’t want to arrest them. To me, it was a young couple who were in tight quarters over several months. <modsnip: not victim friendly towards family> The letter from Brian’s mom is a stretch. She loved her son and most likely wrote this before he left on the trip, that was still her baby and she wanted to let him know she was there for him, she basically adulted stuff from Runaway Bunny and Brown Bear. As much as I was upset about them not saying anything from their house, I get it now. Their lawyer said to keep their mouth shut, and they did. Yes, we would have loved them to speak, but I do believe they listened to counsel. I also think that what happened isn’t as far away as Brian wrote, it may not be the whole truth, but I don’t think the relationship was as toxic as it has been made.

 

[heartandsoul]

OK. But the P's Amended Complaint filed in April 2022 does make exact statements about when BL killed GP and when he told his parents he had killed her, etc. Available here through General Public Access ClerkNet 3.0

These statements do often start with "It is believed, and therefore averred..." But if the P's had been claiming they thought the L's should have merely suspected their son killed their daughter and should have acted on that suspicion, I'm not sure the lawsuit would have survived this long. Of course, once the case gets to court proof for statements made in the Complaint will be required.
JMO

I think there’s two things going on here.

1. The lawsuit for emotional distress
2. Our own feelings and opinions on the case

The P family are going to do whatever they can to get some sort of justice for their daughter. They’ll use the wording they need to use to get there. I don’t think “it’s about the money” for them, I think it’s about accountability and justice. This is the best way they see forward for doing that.

On a personal level, and I will admit to being a little rusty on this case, I lean towards the L family having more responsibility towards Gabby’s well being than they clearly think they did, and I do judge their following actions as a result - but that part is purely my own opinion and irrelevant to the lawsuit.

Apologies for not making that clear

 

[steeltowngirl]

I’ve read that the letter was found in BL’s backpack, near his remains. It was also found earlier by the FBI in a box in a closet in the L’s home.

If the letter was written months before, that would mean BL either stored it in the closet prior to the trip out West, or carried it with him in the van on the trip and returned it to the closet when he returned alone.

Or - did he retrieve the letter during this return to Florida? “The attorney said Laundrie flew home on August 17 and returned to Utah on August 23, four days before Petito was last seen.”

However it went down, it’s very puzzling to me that RL filed a motion for a protective order of an “innocent” letter.

Even more troubling is why BL took the “innocent” letter in his backpack with him to the Carlton Reserve.

Brian Laundrie flew to parents' home in Florida during trip with Gabby Petito, returning 4 days before her disappearance

Laundrie flew back to Florida shortly after he and Petito were stopped by police over a domestic dispute and returned to Utah a few days later.

www.cbsnews.com

Judge rules Brian Laundrie's family lawyer can be named in civil lawsuit

A Sarasota County judge ruled on Tuesday that the Laundrie's family attorney, Steven Bertolino, can be added to the civil lawsuit against Brian's parents.

www.abcactionnews.com

 

[Sundog]

However it went down, it’s very puzzling to me that RL filed a motion for a protective order of an “innocent” letter.

Even more troubling is why BL took the “innocent” letter in his backpack with him to the Carlton Reserve.

<snipped for focus>

I am not surprised that RL filed a protective order for the letter. It was very personal and the social media backlash has been incredibly vicious toward her as a mother.

I am not surprised, either, that BL may have taken the letter with him to teh Carlton Reserve in his backpack. If he had decided to take his life, he may have wanted the most precious things he could take with him at that time, maybe to read again in his last momements of life. Especially if he was really close to his mom.