Letter By Brian Laundrie's Mom About Shovel Released To Petito Family

VENICE, FL — A letter written by Roberta Laundrie to her son, Brian, that mentions supplying him with a shovel and garbage bags, as well as “baking a cake with a shiv in it,” was released Wednesday to the family of Gabby Petito by order of a Sarasota County judge.

The letter is at the center of a civil lawsuit filed against Chris and Roberta Laundrie by Petito’s parents in Sarasota County. They’re suing the Laundries, as well as their attorney, Steven Bertolino, for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The lawsuit claims the three knew that Brian Laundrie killed Gabby near a Wyoming campsite in August 2021 while a national search for her was underway.

The van-life couple lived with the Laundries in North Port, Florida, before embarking on their ill-fated trip in the summer of 2021. After killing Petito in Wyoming, Brian Laundrie later took his own life, shooting himself in the head at a Sarasota County park.

Her body was found in September of that year, while Laundrie’s remains were found in October.

“As we all know the letter references burying a body, bringing a shovel and burying a body,” Petito familyattorney Patrick J. Reilly said in court Wednesday, according to CNN. “Those are criminal acts, by the way, that Roberta Laundrie has said she would commit.”

In the handwritten letter, which is written on a card with a black stencil of a bird and features the words, "Remember," she tells her son to remember that they will always love each other and nothing would ever divide them, according to the letter.

"If you’re in jail, I will bake a cake with a file in it," she wrote. "If you need to dispose of a body, I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags. If you fly to the moon, I will be watching the skies for your re-entry. If you say you hate my guts, I’ll get new guts.”

The undated letter was in an envelope with the words, “Brian Christopher Laundrie" and "burn after reading," written on the outside, according to the outlet. It was inside the backpack of Brian Laundrie when his remains were located in the swamp where he is believed to have shot himself in the head.

It does not mention Petito or provide any clues as to when it could have been written.

Related Stories:

• 'Burn After Reading' Letter Explained By Laundrie's Mother: Court
• 'Burn After Reading': Petito Attorney Wants Letter From Laundrie's Mom
• Petito's Bruised Face Shown In Selfie Taken Before Death
• Laundrie Lawyer Can Be Added To Petito Lawsuit, FL Judge Says: Report
• Brian Laundrie Confessed To Killing Petito In Notebook: FBI

The 23-year-old Petito, a Blue Point native, and her fiancé, Laundrie, began traveling in her van across the country in the summer of 2021 when she lost contact with her family. Her mother, Nichole Schmidt, reported her missing Sept. 11, 2021.

Laundrie returned in her van to his parents' house in Florida, where they had been living. Multiple law enforcement agencies across the country undertook a massive investigation into her disappearance, while Laundrie refused to speak with them.

Laundrie later drove to a Florida swamp, where he shot himself. He left his confession in his notebook, claiming he strangled her out of mercy after she fell into a ravine.

Petito's remains were found Sept. 19, 2021.

Laundrie’s parents had pushed back against handing over the undated letter, which had the phrase “burn after reading” written on the envelope, filing for a protective order so they wouldn’t have to turn it over to a judge. Roberta Laundrie claimed the letter was an inside joke between her, her son and Gabby Petito and had nothing to do with his fiancée’s death.

Reilly previously said the letter could be a key part of the Petito family’s lawsuit against the Laundries.

“If the jury were to find that the letter was written after Gabrielle Petito’s murder, it is further proof that the Laundries and Bertolino were aware that she was deceased at the time the statements in question were issued,” the attorney wrote in his response to the Laundrie’s request for a protective order.

He continued, “If it was not written at a time when Roberta Laundrie knew that her son had murdered Gabrielle Petito, it is at best an odd letter for a mother to write to a son, and Roberta Laundrie’s explanation for writing it is frankly unbelievable. It is within the province of the jury to decide whether Roberta Laundrie is credible in her assertion as to when the letter was written, and to determine the relationship, if any, to Gabrielle Petito’s death.”

The letter was released to the Petito family as part of the discovery process in the lawsuit they brought against the Laundries.

In a statement from Roberta Laundrie, she says that it was written to her son prior to his trip with Petito, and noted that she previously submitted an affidavit to the court swearing to that effect "for very limited purposes but that is not the whole story."

"Attorney Reilly is trying to further sensationalize this tragedy to bolster his case by taking unrelated comments out of context," he said.

Reilly said Roberta Laundrie "has issued a self-serving statement and released the “Burn After Reading” letter after Judge Danielle Brewer yesterday denied her Motion for a Protective Order to preclude a release of the letter to the Petito family."

Reilly says that the letter was not released to the press by his office.

"It is interesting that she would do this now, given that she has resisted providing it for the last five to six months, she asked for a protective order, asked for a confidentiality agreement in the afternoon of May 24, and then released it later that day," he said.

Reilly goes on to say that Bertolino also released Brian Laundrie’s confession on behalf of the family last summer within an hour after it was provided to him by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"We appreciate Judge Brewer’s ruling in which she recognized the importance of the 'Burn After Reading' letter as a potential source of evidence to be used at trial against the Laundries," he said.

"The letter is undated, and while Roberta Laundrie has suggested it was written before Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito left on their trip, a reasonable inference is that it was written after Gabby Petito was murdered, and is evidence that the Laundries and Bertolino were aware of Gabby's demise when the statement at issue was released on Sept. 14, 2021."

"We look forward to having a jury determine when the letter was written at the time of trial," he said.

Patch Editor Peggy Hoey contributed reporting from Long Island.