The Netflix documentary series "American Murder: Gabby Petito" leads viewers to wonder if Brian Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, are responsible for the 2021 murder of van life vlogger Gabby Petito.

A sequel to the American Murder series, the four-part docuseries details the eminent manner in which the murder of Gabby Petito by boyfriend Brian Laundrie occurred.

After the FBI became involved, Laundrie disappeared for a while before committing suicide. The documentary carefully lays out the timeline of events, peppered with interviews from people close to Gabby, in an effort to analyze the situation further.

The documentary spends a considerable amount of time examining the evolution of Brian's parents' behavior. According to FBI agent Kyle, Brian spoke to his mother, Roberta, for 55 minutes on August 28, a day after Gabby was last in contact with any of her family. Before long, his father, Christopher, reached out to a lawyer.

This act has caused a lot of speculation that they could have helped Brian escape from the police.

Abigail Jordyn (@AbigailJordynnn) and others have called for them to be charged, wondering why they aren't already facing charges. Most users were incredulous at the parents' seeming disinterest in assisting the investigation, even going so far as to say that their actions may have prevented Gabby from being found.

Allison (@booksandquills2) tweeted, "It boggles my mind that Brian's parents were never charged?!"Another social media user @HereForGood12 called them "psychos" that should go to prison, an opinion that many had expressed after learning about the case.

Criminal liability is, however, difficult to prove. Crime and Justice attorney Ben Michael of M & A Criminal Defense Attorneys explained to Dexerto that the Laundries did not technically commit a crime.

"There is a possibility they could face charges at some point, but I find it highly unlikely," Michael told the outlet. "They were never charged initially because there wasn't sufficient evidence tying them to Petito's death."

In another significant moment, the documentary reveals a letter Roberta wrote to Brian, saying, "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." While this content is troubling, establishing its relevance to Gabby's case has not been straightforward.

"The date of the letter couldn't be proven," Michael explained. "Their lawyers argued it was written before Gabby's death and unrelated, lacking evidence to prove otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt."

Christopher and Roberta Laundrie were not criminally charged, but they were hit with two civil lawsuits by Gabby's parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt.

The initial lawsuit from 2022 claimed they caused emotional distress because they allegedly knew Gabby was dead but continued to express hope that she would be found publicly.

A second wrongful death suit was filed against the Laundrie estate, a suit that saw Gabby's family awarded $3 million.

In February 2024, the suit for emotional distress was settled under seal.

Where are Brian Laundries' Parents Now?

The Laundries are still in Northport, Florida, as of June 2024. They remain reportedly private people even though they are forced under the public eye and media microscope.

Netflix said it contacted Laundries to comment on the documentary before airing it, but they declined to do so via lawyers.

At CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville, Nichole said that she forgives Brian but not Roberta, calling her "pure evil."

"American Murder: Gabby Petito" now streams on Netflix.

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Brian Laundrie