Brian Laundrie’s parents admit they worried about Gabby Petito after son said she was ‘gone’ days after murder

Brian Laundrie’s parents admitted they were worried about Gabby Petito’s well-being after their son called them days after the murder to tell them she was “gone.”

Christopher and Roberta Laundrie told a court in a deposition hearing that they worried about their son’s girlfriend after he had “frantically” called them.

“He [Brian] was not calm and he got very excited and told me things had – you know, ‘Gabby’s gone’ and he got very frantic. Everything was frantic and quick,” Christopher recalled.

“He was very panicked and he said he didn’t know what to do. He said, you know, ‘Can you help me?’ you know, and he might need a lawyer.”

When asked what he thought Brian had meant by saying the 22-year-old was “gone,” the father said he had “no idea what he meant.”

Petito was killed by Brian in August 2021.

Christopher — who, alongside his wife, is being sued by Petito’s parents — said Brian would not reveal the reason he thought he needed an attorney, just begged his father to help him during the five-minute “scattered” phone call.

The day prior, Brian had spoken with Roberta on two occasions for a total of 17 minutes, but the mother said she was not informed by her son that Petito was “gone.”

She testified that she didn’t know what her son could have meant by the phrase, but said from the tone of her husband’s voice she knew it was “something serious.”

Roberta also disagreed with her husband about how frantic Brian was in the days after the murder, saying she thought he only sounded “upset” and “didn’t sound like himself.”

“I knew something was wrong,” she said.

The Petito family lawyer, Patrick Reilly, consistently questioned the parents on why they didn’t assume “gone” meant that the young woman was dead, but both brushed off any accusation, saying that Brian had asked them to contact a lawyer, so they did, hiring Steve Bertolino.

They had sent Bertolino a $25,000 retainer to find a Wyoming-based law firm for their son.

“If she just left and walked away, do you think he would have needed an attorney for that?” Reilly questioned Christopher.

Days later, Brian would show up at their door with Petito’s van and Christopher described his son like a “kid who came home in trouble.”

“Let’s connect the dots,” Reilly questioned the father. “He told you Gabby was gone. He’s frantic, and he’s upset. He’s like a kid that came home, and he was in trouble. Did that lead you to believe he murdered Gabby?”

“No,” he replied, but later insisted he was “worried about Gabby.”

Both also testified that they did not know about the domestic dispute between Brian and Petito until it was reported in the news.

Bertolino has requested a summary judge in the case the Petito family launched. If successful, it would avoid trial and allow the judge to make a ruling.

If it is denied, the trial is expected to begin on May 13. The Laundries are expected back in court on Feb. 21.