FBI Documents Reveal Gabby Petito’s Plea for Brian Laundrie to Stop Calling Her Names Before 2021 Tragedy

Gabby Petito once implored Brian Laundrie to stop calling her names, according to a letter she wrote that was recently released in a collection of FBI documents. This letter indicates underlying tensions between the couple before their 2021 road trip, which ended with Laundrie killing his 22-year-old fiancée.”Brian, you know how much I love you. So (and I’m writing this with love) just please stop crying and stop calling me names because we’re a team and I’m here with you,” Petito wrote in the undated letter. “I’m always going to have your back.”“You in pain is killing me,” Petito added. “I’m not trying to be negative but I’m frustrated there’s not more I can do.”While the exact date of the letter is unknown, Petito mentions their plans to work on the van they used for the trip that culminated in her disappearance. Petito was found more than a week after being reported missing, strangled in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest. The coroner estimated she had been dead for three to four weeks before being discovered.By the time her body was found, Laundrie had returned alone to his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, and then disappeared into a nature reserve. A weekslong manhunt ended with the discovery of his remains and a notebook in which the FBI said he admitted to killing Petito. Laundrie’s death was ruled a suicide.Petito’s letter is part of 366 pages of FBI documents released through a Freedom of Information Act request. These documents include records of the FBI’s efforts to trace the couple’s movements, witness interviews, and surveillance footage from various locations across the U.S.The documents also contain photographs of items recovered after a search warrant was executed on September 20, 2021, including Petito’s letter. The address where the warrant was executed is redacted, but it is linked to the investigation in North Port.Steven Bertolino, an attorney for Laundrie’s parents, commented on the letter, saying, “This is a tragedy that has affected two families,” and highlighting the “lopsidedness” that has taken a toll on his clients. He emphasized that there are always two sides to every story.CNN has reached out to an attorney for Petito’s parents for comment.The context of Petito’s letter is unclear, but it foreshadows the relationship strains that became evident during their trip. Notably, two weeks before Petito’s death, Moab, Utah police officers intervened after a witness reported seeing Laundrie hit Petito. Body camera footage showed Petito and Laundrie admitting to a fight, with Petito saying she struck Laundrie first. The officers allowed them to leave after they agreed to spend the night apart.This incident is central to a lawsuit by Petito’s parents against the Moab Police Department. The lawsuit claims the officers improperly identified Petito as the “primary” aggressor, failing to recognize her as a victim of domestic abuse. “The purpose of this lawsuit is to honor Gabby’s legacy by demanding accountability and working toward systemic changes to protect victims of domestic abuse and violence and prevent such tragedies in the future,” stated James W. McConkie, an attorney for Petito’s parents.The city of Moab has defended its officers, asserting they acted with “kindness, respect, and empathy” and are not responsible for Petito’s death. They argued that no one could have predicted the tragic events that occurred weeks later.”The attorneys for the Petito family seem to suggest that somehow our officers could see into the future based on this single interaction. In truth, on Aug. 12, no one could have predicted the tragedy that would occur weeks later and hundreds of miles away,” the city stated.