In July 2021, Gabby Petito left New York with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, for the road trip of a lifetime. But when the genial 22-year-old didn’t return, the ensuing investigation soon revealed the getaway had turned deadly.
The shocking murder of Petito received a new examination with American Murder: Gabby Petito, a three-part Netflix documentary. Released on Monday, the series includes text messages, video footage, and personal journals from Petito, as well as new interviews with members of her family.
Although mostly focused on the pair’s tragic cross-country journey that grabbed the country’s attention, American Murder also explores Petito and Laundrie’s relationship. Seemingly idyllic to their social media followers, clues pointed to something much more turbulent.
Who were Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie?
Before their disappearances made global headlines, Petito and Laundrie appeared to be typical high school sweethearts. The couple met while attending Bayport-Blue Point High School on New York’s Long Island. Per The Independent, social media posts showed that Petito and Laundrie began dating in March 2019 and were engaged just over a year later in July 2020. Laundrie convinced Petito to move to Florida, where his family lived.
Petito was an aspiring social media influencer. According to 20/20, she was part of the growing van life movement, in which nomadic travelers document their life on the road. She and Laundrie bought a Ford Transit van that they repurposed for a four-month, cross-country road trip from New York to Oregon starting in July 2021.
However, people close to 23-year-old Laundrie and Petito described a cyclical tension within their relationship. “One minute, they’d be all over each other, the next minute, he’d be like, ‘We’re fighting.’ They always had some drama,” Ben Matula, a friend of Laundrie, told People. “There was always something below the surface where things weren’t 100 percent wonderful.” This became more evident when their road trip soon turned into a frantic manhunt.
Petito’s disappearance became national news
Departing New York on July 2, 2021, Petito and Laundrie shared updates of their journey to Instagram and YouTube channel Nomadic Statik. Petito’s mother and stepfather, Nichole and Jim Schmidt, talked to her over FaceTime in late August, learning the couple had reached Utah and were traveling to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
This would be the last time they spoke directly to Petito. On September 1, Laundrie returned to his home in North Port, Florida, without her. Ten days later, Petito’s family reported her missing.
Petito’s disappearance quickly gained nationwide media attention and set off a frantic search. Laundrie became a person of interest in the case after failing to cooperate with police. “The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation. The answers will eventually come out,” North Port police Chief Todd Garrison said on September 16.
Meanwhile, Laundrie’s relationship with Petito came under intense scrutiny. Amid the search for Petito, the Moab City Police Department in Utah released body cam footage of a traffic stop involving the couple on August 12, just weeks before Petito’s reported disappearance. The video showed Petito crying as she spoke about an argument the pair had that morning, which had turned physical, according to a witness. However, officers didn’t file any charges and recommended Petito and Laundrie spend the night apart.
American Murder marks the first time the footage is shown in full, according to Netflix’s Tudum.
Petito’s body was found 10 days later
After a week of searching, police found Petito’s remains on September 19 near the border of Grand Teton National Park. An autopsy confirmed strangulation as the cause of death, and the case was ruled a homicide.
Search efforts focused on Laundrie, who had also disappeared after returning to Florida. While not charged with anything in relation to Petito’s death, he was wanted for intent to defraud after withdrawing more than $1,000 through the “unauthorized use” of a Capital One Bank card.
Petito’s family members expressed their grief and anger during an appearance on Dr. Phil. Her father, Joseph Petito, claimed they made multiple attempts to contact Brian’s parents, Roberta and Christopher Laundrie, after Gabby’s disappearance but never received a reply. “Anyone that lived in that house is a coward, and they don’t know how to stand up for their actions,” he said.
A memorial service for Gabby was held on September 26 in Holbrook, New York. But the case was far from over.
Laundrie admitted to killing Petito in writing
On October 20, the FBI found Laundrie’s remains in the Carlton Reserve in North Port, Florida, along with a backpack and other items. Authorities determined he died by suicide.
According to investigators, Laundrie confessed to killing Petito in a notebook found at the scene. He wrote she was in pain after injuring herself in a fall in Wyoming. “I ended her life. I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock,” he wrote, also apologizing to his family.
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors, call or text 988 to get help from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Court documents later showed Laundrie called his parents on August 29 and told them to hire a lawyer. A note from his mother marked “burn after reading” was also found inside his backpack. “You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you. If you’re in jail, I will bake a cake with a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags,” Roberta wrote.
Despite suspicions from Petito’s family that the Laundries had knowledge of Gabby’s killing, Roberta and Christopher were never charged criminally in the case.
Petito’s family has filed multiple lawsuits
Following Gabby’s murder, her parents, Nichole Schmidt and Jim Petito, pursued recompense in court.
A judge awarded $3 million to Schmidt, the administrator of Gabby’s estate, as part of a wrongful death lawsuit against the estate of Brian Laundrie in November 2022. “The Petito family lost their daughter, and they were also denied the opportunity to confront her killer,” Patrick Reilly, attorney for Petito’s parents, told CNN. “No amount of money is sufficient to compensate the Petito family for the loss of their daughter, Gabby, at the hands of Brian Laundrie.”
Then, in February 2024, Schmidt and Petito reached an undisclosed settlement in a separate civil lawsuit against Laundrie’s mother and father.
In addition to litigation against the Laundrie family, Nichole and Jim filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Moab in 2022 that alleged police didn’t do enough to protect Gabby during the traffic stop on August 12, 2021. The complaint accused officers of missing signs of domestic violence. A judge dismissed the suit, which sought $50 million in damages, in November 2024. Attorneys for Petito’s parents have said they plan to appeal the ruling.
Gabby’s mother says she’ll never have closure
Despite court victories, Schmidt is no closer to resolving her grief over Gabby’s absence. “Year three [after her death] hit me the hardest so far for some reason, and I know there’s never going to be closure,” she told People in October 2024. “I think what hits me is it’s been three years now since the last time I heard her voice or seen her, and that’s really hard.”
While she says she’ll never feel closure, Petito’s mother is focused on continuing her daughter’s legacy. “We’re never going to feel like we have justice,” Schmidt said. “There’s just nothing we can do to make us feel better, but what we can do is continue on with her legacy.” Petito’s parents and their spouses have found a special way of doing just that. The four created the Gabby Petito Foundation, which works to “address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons and to provide aid to organizations that assist survivors of domestic violence through education, awareness, and prevention strategies.”
According to the foundation’s website, members of Gabby’s family participated in American Murder to spark conversations and change that might prevent similar tragedies.
Watch American Murder: Gabby Petito on Netflix
All three episodes of American Murder: Gabby Petito are now streaming on Netflix.
Other American Murder titles have previously featured the high-profile cases of Laci Peterson—whose husband Scott was convicted of her December 2002 murder—and the disappearance of Shanann Watts and her children.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
