Gabby Petito‘s mom, Nichole Schmidt, revealed on The Squeeze podcast that she doubts the official story of what happened to Brian Laundrie, the man who confessed in writing to killing Schmidt’s daughter, Gabby Petito, Laundrie’s girlfriend, in 2021.
According to Florida authorities, Laundrie died by suicide at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park near his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, after Petito’s body was found at Bridger–Teton National Forest in Wyoming.
In a written confession, he said he killed Petito in an act of mercy when she injured herself on a hike amid their cross-country trip as aspiring influencers. A few weeks earlier, Petito’s parents reported their daughter missing, and the case captured headlines worldwide.
“I don’t think he killed himself”
But, speaking with The Squeeze hosts Tay Lautner and Taylor Lautner, Petito’s mom, Schmidt, said she thinks Laundrie didn’t die by suicide.
Instead, she said, “I don’t think he killed himself. I think either his father did or she did,” Schmit added, referring to Laundrie’s parents, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie, whose strange behaviors have long raised suspicion among those who’ve followed the case. “I have no problem saying that, that’s just my opinion,” Schmidt added.
Schmidt continued, “The whole thing has been strange from day one – and it’s all around those parents.” When asked why Laundrie’s parent may have killed their son, Schmidt said it would be “better than going to jail or facing what you did.” And because of the so-called “burn after reading letter,” Roberta wrote her son, in which Roberta wrote she’d hide a body for her son, the speculation that either Roberta or Christopher, or possibly both, were involved in their son’s death seemed plausible.
Schmidt said, “If you read the stuff [Laundrie] wrote in his notebook, [he] kind of made up excuses,” for how and why Petito died, and why he killed her.
She added, “He didn’t want to take responsibility for it, so why then would he take his own life, you know, it was almost like he was a coward. It’s just a gut feeling that I have, and I mean I just, I can’t even believe that they’re just walking around like nothing happened.”
Laundrie’s room was empty, Schmidt said
Schmidt also told the hosts she recently learned a detail about the Laundrie family during the investigation that, in her view, affirms Roberta and Christopher have not told the truth.
In 2021, Laundrie returned home to Florida while Petito was still missing with the van the couple had traveled in on their #vanlife journey. Schmidt told the Lautners, ” … [T]he second that detective told me that Brian was home with the van, I knew in my gut that she was gone.”
Schmidt said someone who had been inside the Laundrie family home at that time said, “When Brian was missing – and I would say he was hiding, he wasn’t missing, but he was actually dead – but his room was completely gutted and renovated, none of his things were there anymore. It was gone.”
She added, “So that very same week Gabby was missing and cops were going to their house to try to get, I guess a scent [for] their dogs to look for Brian, all his things were gone. The room was completely empty. Just gone.”
Schmidt’s suspicions aside, Brian’s remains were found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office in Sarasota, Florida.
The autopsy report noted that a rusty revolver with two live rounds and one spent round was discovered at the scene, and a suicide note was also recovered, along with his written confession, “I ended her life,” referring to Gabby’s death. So, at this point, there’s no reason to doubt that’s the case.
Published: Apr 22, 2025 12:12 pm