Brian Laundrie (confession)
Brian Laundrie's remains were found in Carlton Reserve, Florida with a notebook confession. He admitted to killing Gabby Petito and wrote that he thought he was 'ending her life mercifully.'
On October 20, 2021, Brian Laundrie's skeletal remains were found in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, adjacent to Carlton Reserve in North Port, Florida. He had been dead for approximately five weeks.
The FBI recovered a dry bag containing a notebook in which Laundrie confessed to killing Gabby Petito. He wrote that he 'ended her life' and claimed he did so because he thought she was in pain after she fell and hit her head on a rock.
Laundrie's cause of death was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The FBI officially closed the case on January 21, 2022.
The notebook also contained complaints about a fight at a restaurant, morning routines, and expressions of love for his family. It did not express remorse for Gabby's death.
Curated starting points for verifying and researching this case. Direct references are checked; search links are provided as further-reading aids. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information — see a case correction? Email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Have Information About This Case?
Cold cases are solved when someone comes forward. Even a detail that seems minor can matter. If you have any information about this case, contact law enforcement through one of these channels:
- FBI Tips (tips.fbi.gov) — submit a tip online to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- FBI Tip Line: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
- The local police department or sheriff's office in Florida, or the state bureau of investigation
Tips can usually be submitted anonymously. To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.