- The parents of the late
Gabby Petito have filed an amendedlawsuit againstBrian Laundrie 's parents. - They claim that Laundrie's parents knew the whereabouts of Petito's body but still went on vacation.
The mother and father of Gabby Petito claimed that Brian Laundrie's parents went on a trip with their son knowing where the body of their daughter was located, according to a new lawsuit.
Attorneys for Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, Gabby's parents, filed an amended lawsuit on Friday, making revisions after Judge Hunter W. Carroll noted a "perceived procedural deficiency" in their initial complaint filed in March, local NBC affiliate WFLA reported earlier this month.
Last summer, Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie had been documenting their cross-country road trip on social media when Laundrie returned to their home in North Port, Florida, without his fiancée on September 1. Following an FBI manhunt for the missing 22-year-old, her body was found at a Wyoming campsite on September 19. A medical examiner ruled strangulation as her cause of death in October.
Joe Petito and Schmidt accused Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, of being aware that their daughter had been killed but keeping the information to themselves.
In the amended suit, Joe Petito and Schmidt claimed that Chris and Roberta Laundrie went on a vacation with their son to Fort DeSoto park in September 2021, following Brian Laundrie's return home without Gabby Petito.
"While Gabrielle Petito's family was suffering, the Laundrie family went on vacation to Fort DeSoto Park on September 6-7, 2021," the suit says, per a WFLA report. "They went on vacation knowing that Laundrie had murdered Gabrielle Petito, it is believed that they knew where her body was located, and further knew that Gabrielle Petito's parents were attempting to locate her."
In mid-September, Brian Laundrie went missing for two weeks before his remains were found in a Florida nature preserve in October. Brian Laundrie's death was ruled a suicide by a medical examiner. He was the FBI's sole suspect in Gabby Petito's death.
In a statement to Insider, Steve Bertolino, an attorney representing the Laundries, said, despite the changes, they are "still confident the court will dismiss the action."
"The allegations in the amended complaint may now conform to proper pleadings but they do not give rise to liability under the law," Bertolino said.
In the initial suit, Joe Petito and Schmidt did not mention the vacation but claimed that Brian Laundrie's parents were aware of Gabby Petito's death and the location of her body.
The Petitos' accusation that the Laundries knew of the location of Gabby Petito's body while leaving on a trip was just one of several amendments to the initial suit. They also added a section saying it was "beyond outrageous" that the Laundries said they hoped law enforcement would find Gabby Petito's body while knowing their son killed her.
In their initial suit, Joe Petito and Schmidt said the Laundries could have prevented "the mental suffering and anguish" they were put through if they had revealed the information they allegedly knew about their daughter. Petito's parents further established the clause in their amended complaint.
"Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie further knew that they could prevent such additional mental suffering and anguish of Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt by disclosing what they knew about the well-being and location of the remains of Gabrielle Petito, yet they repeatedly refused to do so," the amended suit reads. "In doing so, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie acted with malice or great indifference to the rights of Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt."
The civil case is set for a trial by jury on August 14, 2023, at the South County Courthouse in Sarasota County, Florida. Gabby Petito's family is seeking damages of more than $30,000.
Attorneys for Joe Petito and Schmidt did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.