Gabby Petito Murder: Brian Laundrie's Confession Note Released
The chilling confession from Brian Laundrie regarding his decision to murder his fiance Gabby Petitio has been made public for the first time since her disappearance and subsequent death. FOX News obtained the network found near Laundrie after his body was discovered from him drying by suicide amid the investigation into Peptito's death. In the eight-page confession, Laundrie tells all, and it appears he was also not in the best mental state at the time he wrote the letter. "I ended her life," reads the note. The FBI retrieved the note from the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on Oct. 20, 2021. "I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock." According to, he killed Petito after he claimed Petito injured herself when she fell in Wyoming on their cross-country trip. He also wrote: "From the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn't go on without her."
His intention to take his own life was also made clear in the note, as he mentions himself in past tense in some portions. "Please do not make life harder for my family," the note states. "They lost a son and a daughter. The most wonderful girl in the world. Gabby I'm sorry." Earlier in the note, he apologizes: "I am sorry to my family. This is a shock to them as well [as] a terrible greif (sic)."
The search for Laundrie was intense leading up to the discovery. FOX News Digital followed Laundrie's parents to the park on the morning of Oct. 20, 2021. There, his parents met a North Port detective and a member of the FBI and traveled into the swamp for a look at where they believed their Laundrie had disappeared to weeks earlier. Searched prior for Laundrie were hindered by floodwaters until that point.
Laundrie's father Christopher stumbled across a dry bag that later turned out to belong to Brian. The notebook containing the confession was also found.
Amid Petito's disappearance, Brian returned without her to his parents' home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1. While Petitio was missing, investigators say he sent fake text messages from Petito's phone in an attempt to cover up the crime and stole her debit card. Petito's parents have since sued Brian's parents.