The disturbing story of Gabby Petito, the 22-year-old woman whose disappearance became a national news story in 2021, is explored in a “48 Hours” episode scheduled for Saturday, May 27, on CBS. The hour, which originally aired on Sept. 17, 2022, is reported by “48 Hours” and CBS News national correspondent Jericka Duncan.
(“Gabby Petito: The Untold Story,” airs at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 27, on CBS. No cable or antenna? “48 Hours” can be streamed on Fubo, which offers a free trial; DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial; and Paramount Plus, which also offers a free trial.)
“Gabby Petito: The Untold Story,” as the hour is called, focuses on the last days of Petito’s life, and looks at warning signs that weren’t recognized. Petito had been on a road trip across the country with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. Petito posted images of their “van life” on social media, and the couple were, according to reports, heading for a visit to Oregon.
After widespread press speculation, Petito’s body was found on Sept. 19, 2021, in Wyoming. A coroner ruled that Petito had died by “manual strangulation.”
Laundrie was considered a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance, after he drove back to his parents’ home in Florida, without Petito. Laundrie’s body was found in a nature preserve near his parents’ Florida home on Oct. 20, 2021. A coroner ruled that Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to the FBI, Laundrie had claimed responsibility for Petito’s death in a notebook that was found after Laundrie died.
According to recent reports, Petito’s parents won a victory in court after a judge ruled that a letter Brian Laundrie’s mother wrote to her son could be admitted into evidence in the emotional distress suit the Petitos have filed against the Laundries. The letter, recovered from Brian Laundrie’s backpack upon the discovery of his remains in October 2021, said “burn after reading,” as CNN reports.
As CBS New York reports, the letter written by Roberta Laundriewas found in Brian Laundrie’s backpack. “You are my boy. Nothing can make me stop loving you,” Roberta Laundrie wrote. “If you’re in jail, I will bake a cake with a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags.”
As the CBS New York story reports, “The Petito’s attorneys say the letter proves Roberta Laundrie knew her son killed Petito and offered to help cover it up. But lawyers for the Laundries say the letter was undated and does not refer to Petito’s death.”
— Kristi Turnquist
503-221-8227; kturnquist@oregonian.com; @Kristiturnquist
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