Latest news with #CrimeCon2024
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Gabby Petito's Mom Shares Bombshell 'Information' About Brian Laundrie's Parents' Alleged Attempt To Protect Him
Gabby Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, has made new claims about her late daughter's killer, Brian Laundrie, and his family. During a podcast appearance, Schmidt said that Brian's room was completely renovated while Gabby was presumed missing by the police. Gabby Petito's mother has since accused Roberta Laundrie of lacking remorse and being the "mastermind" behind shielding her son, Brian Laundrie. In an appearance on Taylor Lautner and his wife Tay's podcast, "The Squeeze," Gabby Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, made a startling revelation while recounting the events surrounding her daughter's disappearance. Sharing "new information" she had only just learned, Schmidt claimed that someone who had been inside the Laundrie family home while Brian Laundrie was reportedly "missing" claimed that his bedroom had been entirely cleared out and renovated. "I actually just found out some new information a few days ago," she said, per the New York Post. "There was — I actually don't know their name, which is better — that was at the house when Brian was missing and — I would say he was hiding, he wasn't missing, but he was actually dead — but his room was completely gutted and renovated. None of his things were there anymore. It was gone." Schmidt added: "Cops were going to their house to try to get, I guess, a scent from their dogs to look for Brian, all his things were gone. The room was completely empty, just gone." According to Schmidt, the unidentified person expressed serious concern about Roberta Laundrie's behavior, describing her as visibly unwell. "They said that there's something wrong with that mother, she's clearly not mentally well, and I'm like that's just add it to the list because I didn't even know about that," she recalled. Schmidt also expressed her ongoing frustration, saying she often feels helpless when thinking about ways to hold the Laundries accountable. She shared that it drives her "absolutely insane" when she tries to think of any way to make them "pay for what they did." "There is really nothing I can do," Schmidt noted. Despite the pain of her daughter's passing, Schmidt shared a powerful message of healing while speaking at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville. Standing before the audience, she said, "I speak for myself here when I say, Brian, I forgive you." Schmidt continued, "I needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness, and I refuse to let your despicable act define the rest of my life." Even though she forgave Brian, Schmidt didn't hold back when addressing his mother, Roberta. She accused her of being the driving force behind a calculated effort to shield her son after Petito's death. "Roberta, and I call you out individually because you are evidently the mastermind that shattered your family and mine with your evil ways, I see no empathy in your eyes," Schmidt said. "No remorse in your heart and no willingness to take responsibility for your actions." Schmidt and her family have long believed the Laundries knew Brian had killed Petito and actively helped him avoid facing consequences. According to court depositions, both Roberta and Chris Laundrie admitted they became concerned about Gabby's well-being after Brian called home acting strangely in the days following the murder. Brian eventually returned alone to Florida, driving the van he and Gabby had traveled in. Her remains were later discovered in Wyoming, where he had left her behind. According to the Daily Mail, Roberta wrote a letter to her son Brian, seemingly offering to help him "bury a body." The undated note, labeled "burn after reading," was discovered in Brian's backpack after his remains were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. He died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after confessing to Petito's murder in a notebook found alongside his remains. Attorney Patrick Reilly, who represented the Petito family, revealed in court that the letter was in FBI custody and contained chilling language indicating Roberta's willingness to help her son evade prison. She allegedly wrote that she would "bring a shovel" and assist in hiding a body. Although Roberta claims the letter was written before Gabby and Brian left on their trip, Petito's family said the content left them "sick to their stomach." Gabby's parents have since taken steps to prevent the white camper van she traveled in with Laundrie from becoming a morbid collector's item. Speaking to NewsNation, they shared that they decided to have the van destroyed, with her father, Joe Petito, stating, "We crushed the van. We didn't want the van to be out there and someone owning the van and then saying, 'Here's the van that Gabby was…' So, we had it crushed." Despite this, he and Gabby's stepmother, Tara Petito, retained the gasoline cap and a sticker from the Great Smoky Mountains as personal mementos. Meanwhile, Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, shared that she has forgiven Laundrie for her daughter's death, stating, "I have forgiven Brian, and I know that's what Gabby would have wanted, and I'm moving forward so that I can help other people." She added, "I don't think everyone has to forgive. They can when they're ready, or they might never be ready. But for me personally, I needed to forgive to let that anger go."
New York Post
22-04-2025
- New York Post
Gabby Petito's mom claims Brian Laundrie's room was ‘gutted' soon after he went missing: ‘All his things were gone'
The parents of murderer Brian Laundrie allegedly 'gutted and renovated' their son's room while he was missing, as Gabby Petito's loved ones were still searching for the missing 22-year-old, her mother claimed. Nichole Schmidt sat down with Taylor Lautner and his wife, Tay, on their podcast, The Squeeze, this week to discuss her daughter's story, and said she recently came across the stunning claim against the Laundries. 'I actually just found out some new information a few days ago,' Schmidt claimed. Advertisement 4 Nichole Schmidt sat down with Taylor Lautner and his wife, Tay, on their podcast, The Squeeze, this week to discuss her daughter's story. Youtube / The Squeeze 'There was — I actually don't know their name, which is better — that was at the house when Brian was missing and — I would say he was hiding, he wasn't missing, but he was actually dead — but his room was completely gutted and renovated. None of his things were there anymore. It was gone.' She claimed that the week her daughter was missing, 'cops were going to their house to try to get, I guess, a scent from their dogs to look for Brian, all his things were gone.' Advertisement 'The room was completely empty, just gone,' Schmidt said. The unidentified individual, who claimed to have been in the house during that time, told Schmidt that it was obvious something was 'wrong' with Laundrie's mother, Roberta. 'They said that there's something wrong with that mother she's clearly not mentally well, and I'm like that's just add it to the list because I didn't even know about that,' she said. Schmidt said it drives her 'absolutely insane' when she tries to think of any way to make them 'pay for what they did.' Advertisement 4 An Instagram story video shows the inside of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's camper van. Instagram 'There is really nothing I can do,' she said. Roberta Laundrie is suspected of helping her son sneak away while law enforcement zeroed in on him as a key suspect in Gabby Petito's murder in 2021. His parents also refused to cooperate with authorities and give any information about their son's whereabouts. Advertisement Schmidt took the stage at CrimeCon 2024 in Nashville, Tenn., in June and said she forgave her daughter's killer for what he did. 4 Roberta Laundrie is suspected of helping her son sneak away while law enforcement zeroed in on him as a key suspect in Gabby Petito's murder in 2021. William Farrington 'I speak for myself here when I say Brian, I forgive you,' she said. 'I needed to release myself from the chains of anger and bitterness, and I refuse to let your despicable act define the rest of my life.' However, as for Roberta, she believed she had 'no remorse in your heart.' 'As for you, Roberta, and I call you out individually because you are evidently the mastermind that shattered your family and mine with your evil ways, I see no empathy in your eyes,' Schmidt said. 'No remorse in your heart and no willingness to take responsibility for your actions.' 4 Petito's body was discovered in Grand Teton National Park on Sept. 19, 2021, with investigators ruling her cause of death as strangulation. Gabby Petito Instagram Advertisement Petito's family believes the Laundries were aware their son had murdered their daughter and allegedly tried to hide the sinister act while helping him evade justice after he had returned home by himself from a trip the two had been on. Both of Laundrie's parents acknowledged in depositions that they had concerns about Petito's welfare after their son seemed erratic in phone calls shortly after her murder. Laundrie drove to his Florida home from Wyoming, where he abandoned Petito's remains. Advertisement After returning home, he went camping with his parents, sister, and her children as the Petitos' loved ones struggled to piece together what happened and where she was. The 22-year-old's body was discovered in Grand Teton National Park on Sept. 19, 2021, with investigators ruling her cause of death as strangulation. Laundrie, 23, subsequently killed himself, and his remains were discovered in a Florida nature park alongside his backpack and notebook with a confession about killing Petito.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gabby Petito's Mom Shares Red Flags in Brian Laundrie Relationship
Originally appeared on E! Online Gabby Petito was 'off' during her relationship with Brian Laundrie, according to her mom. Nichole Schmidt looked back on the heartbreaking events that led to the 22-year-old's murder three years ago, saying that she did notice a shift in Gabby's behavior before she was found dead at Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest. "People always ask me, 'Did you know what was going on? Did you see any red flags?'' Nichole shared in E! News' exclusive first look at her interview on the CONNECT with Jonathan Mark podcast, premiering Jan. 28. 'And what I tell people now is, 'I didn't know it at the time. I thought she was just stressed out.'' According to Nichole, her daughter's attitude and mood was 'bipolar, almost' during her road trip with Brian across the United States. 'It was just anger and aggression,' she recounted. 'She would call me up crying.' During Gabby's final days, Nichole said the van life influencer 'wasn't herself.' More from E! Online Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Reveals Ex Kody Brown Spent "Lots" of Their Family Money Dorit Kemsley's Ugly Divorce Goes From Bad to Worse in Shocking RHOBH Mid-Season Trailer Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell Reveals Where She Stands With Daughter Carly's Adoptive Parents 'She was off,' the matriarch explained, 'and that is a red flag.' By sharing her experience, Nichole hopes to help others avoid another tragedy. Her advice for those who suspect a loved one may be in a domestic violence situation: 'Don't necessarily look at the abuser or who might be an abuser.' 'Look at the actions and the mood of the person that you think, 'Something's wrong,'' she continued. 'If you gut is telling you that, start asking questions.' Gabby's remains were discovered on Sept. 19, 2021, two weeks after her boyfriend Brian arrived back from their road trip alone at his parents' Florida home. Following an autopsy, her cause of death was determined as homicide by blunt force trauma and strangulation. Remains belonging to Brian—who disappeared shortly after Nichole reported her daughter missing—were found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida on Oct. 20, 2021. In a nearby journal discovered by investigators, he had confessed in writing to killing Gabby. "I ended her life," Brian wrote, according to the FBI. "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." The 23-year-old's autopsy confirmed that he had died by suicide. Since Gabby's death, her mom has continued her fight against the scourge of domestic violence. "We have to prevent this from happening to other people," Nichole said at a CrimeCon 2024 panel. "It keeps us strong. Gabby works through us. We can't not do it. We have to move forward and change the world together." For more on Gabby's case, click here. Nichole's full interview will be available on the Jan. 28 episode of PodcastOne's CONNECT with Jonathan Mark. For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline ( or call 1-800-799-7233.
