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Fox News
Fox News
15 Feb 2023


The letter, which is in the possession of the Laundries, allegedly contains an offer from Roberta Laundrie to lend her son a shovel. The Laundries, through their legal team, have maintained that it was written prior to July 1, 2021, the start of the date range for discovery documents Petito-Schmidt family attorney Pat Reilly had previously requested.

After the court advised a revised discovery request, the new filing seeks the letter specifically, but the judge has not yet ordered its release.

LAUNDRIE ATTORNEY FILES NEW MOTION TO DISMISS LAWSUIT FROM GABBY PETITO'S PARENTS

Brian Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, are seen outside their home in Sarasota County, Florida on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Brian being found dead in a Florida swamp. Chris is carrying Panera Bread bags while Roberta carries a Radio Flyer jigsaw puzzle. Roberta wears a crocheted blanket over her shoulders.

Brian Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, are seen outside their home in Sarasota County, Florida on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Brian being found dead in a Florida swamp. Chris is carrying Panera Bread bags while Roberta carries a Radio Flyer jigsaw puzzle. Roberta wears a crocheted blanket over her shoulders. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

GABBY PETITO UPDATE: NEWLY RELEASED HIGH-RES PHOTO SHOWS INJURIES FROM UTAH DOMESTIC CALL

"Mr. Reilly will send us a specific discovery request for the letter," Matt Luka, the Laundries' attorney, told Fox News Digital Wednesday. "Then, we will have the opportunity to object."

Reilly has said that the contents of the letter indicate it was written after Petito's slaying in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. 

Luka said the judge will likely hold a hearing on the matter.

Gabby Petito in an undated photograph.

Gabby Petito in an undated photograph. (North Port Police)

The FBI released the note in June 2022 to Steve Bertolino, the longtime Laundrie family attorney who is now also part of the lawsuit.

Investigators released several other items to Bertolino at the time, including Brian Laundrie’s handwritten confession, found near his remains at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park 10 minutes from his parents’ North Port home on Oct. 20, 2021.

Read the Plaintiff's Second Request for Production (Mobile users go here)

Both Bertolino and Reilly at the time told Fox News Digital that there were other documents handed over.

Those included what Reilly described as a letter titled "burn after reading."

Brian Laundrie as seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab Police Department in Utah.

Brian Laundrie as seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab Police Department in Utah. (Moab PD)

"I don't feel comfortable summarizing the letter," he told Fox News Digital at the time. "The content is very specific and best read when available. If my belief as to the time it was written is accurate, it shows that at least Roberta Laundrie knew of Gabby's murder before Gabby's body was located. The rest of the notebook contained letters to his family."

Roberta's letter was undated, he added, but "the content of the letter seems to indicate that it was written after Gabby’s death."

GABBY PETITO AND BRIAN LAUNDRIE: BOMBSHELL VIDEO EMERGES SHOWING HOURS BEFORE MURDER

Chris and Roberta Laundrie in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on the morning police discovered their son's skeletal remains.

Chris and Roberta Laundrie in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on the morning police discovered their son's skeletal remains. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

Bertolino has maintained that the letter was written long before the murder, and prior to being named in the lawsuit, said Reilly was attempting to "further sensationalize" the case and "taking unrelated comments out of context."

Reilly did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. 

Chris and Roberta Laundrie have not been charged with a crime in connection with Petito’s death.

Michael Ruiz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports