Netflix has once again got into the world of true crime with its latest docuseries, American Murder: Gabby Petito. This three-part series sheds light on the tragic case of Gabby Petito. She was a 22-year-old aspiring van-life influencer who set off on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. What began as an adventure soon spiraled into a nightmare, culminating in her tragic and mysterious death.
The show, released on February 17, takes the viewers through the timeline that led up to Petito’s disappearance and the eventual discovery of what remained of her. This docuseries shows insights from her family, friends, and investigators who worked on the case.
However, one of the biggest revelations comes from Brian Laundrie’s own confession which was found in a notebook near his body after he took his own life. This confession, though controversial, offers a chilling look into the final moments of Petito’s life. It further reveals three major details about the murder.
3. Gabby Petito was injured according to Brian Laundrie
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie’s road trip seemed like the perfect adventure—at least, that’s what their social media posts suggested. But behind the curated pictures and videos, a much darker story was unfolding.
In 2021, Petito vanished while traveling with Laundrie, sparking a nationwide search. Weeks later, her remains were found in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. The investigation took an even more disturbing turn when a handwritten confession by Laundrie surfaced, revealing his version of what happened.
In the Netflix docuseries, one of the most shocking revelations came from Laundrie’s handwritten confession. According to his note, Petito had been injured, though he never explained exactly how. He claimed she was in excruciating pain and implied that he was trying to help her.
In his notebook, he had written (via E! Online),
Rushing back to our car, trying to cross the streams. I hear a splash and a scream. I can barely see. When I pulled Gabby out of the water, she couldn’t tell me what hurt.
But the evidence told a much different story. The autopsy revealed that Petito had suffered blunt-force trauma to her head and neck and had been strangled weeks before her body was discovered. What Laundrie described as an accident was, in reality, a brutal act of violence.
2. Gabby Petito begged her fiancé to end her life
In his confession, Laundrie wrote that Petito was in excruciating pain after sustaining an injury. According to him, she was unable to communicate what exactly hurt, but her suffering was evident. He claimed that as he carried her, she continuously groaned in pain and, at one point, pleaded with him to end it all.
Laundrie wrote that he believed he was acting out of mercy when he decided to take her life. He wrote that Petito was “begging for an end to her pain” and so he thought “it was merciful” to end her life. However, he also admitted that he immediately regretted his actions. The emotional turmoil he described in his note painted a picture of someone who was panicked and in shock, but ultimately, his actions could not be justified.
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Despite his claims of wanting to help Petito, forensic evidence contradicted his version of events. The official cause of death was manual strangulation, which indicates a prolonged and violent act, rather than an impulsive decision made in distress. Experts and investigators have pointed out that his confession does not align with the medical findings, leaving many questions unanswered.
1. Brian Laundrie could not go on anymore without Gabby Petito
After Gabby Petito’s disappearance, Laundrie himself went missing, leading to a nationwide manhunt. A month later, his body was found in a Florida nature reserve. Authorities confirmed that he had died by suicide, and near his remains, they discovered a notebook containing his confession. He wrote,
From the moment I decided to take her pain away. I knew I couldn’t go on without her.
In the letter, Laundrie expressed deep remorse and stated that he could not continue living without Petito. He revealed that he had ended his life near a creek, hoping that nature would take its course. In his letter, Laundrie had written (via E! Online),
I have killed myself by this creek in the hopes that the animals will tear me apart.
His words painted a grim picture of his emotional state in his final days, though they also left behind a trail of contradictions and unanswered questions.
Petito’s stepfather, Jim Schmidt, commented on the conflicting narratives, stating that the only people who truly knew what happened were now both gone. Schmidt said in the series,
We knew at that point we weren’t ever going to get remotely close to answers we were hoping for because the only two people that truly knew what happened are now both gone.
The official investigation, however, concluded that Laundrie’s version of events did not align with the autopsy findings. Law enforcement maintained that the sole cause of Petito’s death was strangulation, and no evidence supported Laundrie’s claim that he was acting out of mercy.
While Brian Laundrie’s confession attempted to provide an explanation, it only deepened the mystery surrounding Gabby Petito’s death. The inconsistencies between his account and the forensic evidence suggest that there may be more to the story than what was written in his notebook.
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