- American Murder: Gabby Petito is now streaming on Netflix
- It chronicles the disappearance and death of a Van Life vlogger
- The parents of her partner Brian Laundrie have spoken out about the show
American Murder: Gabby Petito is now streaming on Netflix and the show has got people talking, including the parents of her fiancé Brian Laundrie.
Petito and Laundry were Van Life vloggers who chronicled their travels across America in their van on YouTube.
The pair embarked on what was planned to be a four-month trip across the states in July 2021. However, Petito disappeared in late August, partway through the trip.
Read more: What is the Gabby Petito bill and the 12 questions?
While social media speculation raged, Petito’s fiancé Laundrie became a primary person of interest. After returning from Wyoming to his parents’ home in Florida, he refused to discuss Petito before disappearing in Florida’s rural Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in mid-September.
A manhunt ensued and not long afterwards, Petito’s murdered body was found in Wyoming’s Bridger–Teton National Forest, a place where the couple had recently visited.
Soon after that discovery, Laundrie’s body was found at the same Environmental Park where he had disappeared. It was later deemed that Laundrie had murdered Petito before taking his own life.
Read more: The real-life story of the Gabby Petito documentary
New Netflix documentary American Murder: Gabby Petito unpacks this story with insight from key witnesses, family members and the officers responsible for piecing the chronology of events together.
However, not everyone agrees with its version of events, particularly Laundrie’s parents. Here’s how they’ve responded to the show so far.
Brian Laundrie parents: What have they said about the Gabby Petito doc?
Laundrie’s parents Roberta and Christopher form a specific focus of Netflix’s new three-part docuseries. Much of the attention on them is focused on their apparent reluctance to respond to text messages from Petito’s family while they were enquiring about her whereabouts.
Speaking to The US Sun, an attorney for Laundrie’s parents said in a statement that they believed the show “contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact.”
Released by attorney Steven Bertolino, the statement read “One perspective depicted as the ‘truth’ as seen through their lens. Similar to Republicans and Democrats fighting it out lately.”
“Let the parents of both Gabby and Brian mourn them in peace”
“Each side believes their perspective is correct. Hard to see through the lens of the other with all the noise and distrust.
“To be clear though, there were no contradictions by my clients Chris and Roberta Laundrie.
“The documentary contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact – perhaps deliberate to capture their ‘truth’, perhaps due to simple error.
“We all know Brian took Gabby’s life and Brian then took his own as well.”
The statement concluded by saying, “let the parents of both Gabby and Brian mourn them in peace.”
Despite mentioning inaccuracies, Bertolino did not clarify what these were in reference to.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you or someone you know has experienced relationship abuse, information and resources are available at _wannatalkaboutit.com.
