Gabby Petito’ family files civil lawsuit against Brian Laundrie's parents, claims they knew of her killing

A civil lawsuit has been filed by the family of Gabby Petito against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie. In it, the complainants have alleged that they knew their son, Brian Laundrie, murdered Gabby Petito and were trying to help him flee the country.  

Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt have also alleged Brian Laundrie told his parents about killing Gabby Petito around August 28.  

"While Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt were desperately searching for information concerning their daughter, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie were keeping the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie secret, and it is believed were making arrangements for him to leave the country," the suit alleged.  

Although a coroner earlier said Gabby Petito's cause of death was manual strangulation, the lawsuit listed blunt force injuries to her head and neck along with manual strangulation as the cause of her death.  

On August 27, Schmidt's had last communication with her daughter, the suit said. As per it, on August 30, Brian, who was pretending to be Gabby, sent a text message to Schmidt that there was no service in Yosemite Park. The family thinks this was done to make them believe Gabby Petito was still alive.   

"Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie knew of the mental suffering and anguish of Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, and knew that they could alleviate, at least in part, such mental suffering and anguish by disclosing what they knew about the well-being and the location of the remains of Gabrielle Petito, yet they repeatedly refused to do so," the suit said.   

"In doing so, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie acted with malice or great indifference to the rights of Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt," it continued.   

Gabby Petito's parents are asking for a judge to compensate them for "pain and suffering, mental anguish, inconvenience, and the loss of the capacity for enjoyment of life experienced in the past and in the future."