The parents of Gabby Petito, the young woman who was presumably slain by her fiance, Brian Laundrie, are suing the latter’s parents for allegedly hindering the search for their then-missing daughter, NBC News reported.
Petito’s parents, Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito, filed the suit Thursday in Sarasota County, Fla., which is where Brian Laundrie’s parents, Roberta and Christopher Laundrie, reside.
The outlet reports that Schmidt and Joseph Petito did not name a dollar amount for their potential damages in the lawsuit, but did state that it would exceed $30,000.
Gabby Petito was found dead on Sept. 19, 2021. Her death, which was later ruled as a homicide, was caused by manual strangulation three weeks prior to her body being discovered.
The lawsuit alleges that Brian Laundrie’s parents had full knowledge of their son’s murder of Gabby before they made a statement on Sept. 14 supporting the search for Gabby, NBC reports.
“Despite the fact that Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt implored Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie to tell them if their daughter was alive, and if she was not, where her remains were located, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie refused to respond to either Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, or law enforcement,” Petito and Schmidt’s lawyer, Patrick Reilly, wrote.
“It is believed … that on or about August 28, 2021, Brian Laundrie advised his parents, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie, that he had murdered Gabrielle Petito,” reads the lawsuit, according to NBC.
It is also alleged in the suit that Brian Laundrie’s parents intentionally hid Gabby’s location while the search was ongoing and were “making arrangements for [Brian Laundrie] to leave the country.”
Brian Laundrie was discovered dead in Florida, about one month following the discovery of Petito’s body. Laundrie was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and notes claiming responsibility for Gabby’s murder, NBC reports.
The Laundries’ lawyer, Steve Bertolino, is denying the allegations that Brian’s parents had knowledge of Gabby’s location during the search.
“As I have maintained over the last several months, the Laundries have not publicly commented at my direction, which is their right under the law,” Bertolino said in a statement responding to the suit, according to NBC.