Brian Laundrie's Parents Have Requested His Notebook — And May Know The Contents Soon
Brian Laundrie's notebook may contain answers.
YouTube The tragic death of Gabby Petito and the ensuing manhunt for Brian Laundrie has resurfaced as the families from both parties seek to move on.
Following the death of their son, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie have discovered that along with Brian’s remains, there were things he left behind in the swampy marshlands of the Carlton Reserve in Florida — and his bank account.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie filed a petition to claim Brian’s assets following his death.
The hunt for Brian lasted all too long following Petito's disappearance in September 2021.
Brian reportedly ran away from home on September 13th, right before Florida's Carlton Reserve became flooded with rains and high tides which caused several pools and lakes in the park that made it difficult for the North Port Police Department to find him.
It wasn’t until late October 2021 that Brian's were able to find articles that belonged to their son, including a notebook that he left behind, though at the time the Laundries' lawyer Steve Bertolino said its contents "may not be salvageable."
Not long after, police found his remains, and Brian was pronounced dead.
However, the things he left behind still remained, and now his parents want them back.
Court documents reveal that Brian had died intestate, meaning that he didn’t leave behind a will that he could have written in that notebook of his, but what the notebook did contain was information about the sum he had saved up in his bank account — some $20,000.
According to court records obtained by Radar, Chris and Roberta filed a petition in Sarasota County court on December 8th to become the administrators of his estate — thus taking control over his possessions.
The records also contained his death certificate along with information about his bank accounts and properties.
The Laundries also requested ownership of Brian's notebook.
While the actual contents are unknown and unlikely to be released to the public, many wonder if the contents will answer any of the lingering questions surrounding Petito's death.
As the notebook is part of his estate, once Brian's parents legally become administrators of his assets, the notebook will belong to them.
Gabby Petito's parents also filed a claim to retrieve her daughter’s belongings from the Laundrie household.
According to the filing, "The claim is contingent or unliquidated because it is unknown if the decedent's final photos, videos and words are contained in the property."
While the exact amounts of the claim are unknown, it's been reported that Brian stole $1,000 of Petito’s money in order to get himself home from the Grand Teton area where Brian and Petito were last seen in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping area.
Bertolino assures that these court filings and requests are all “a formality.”
He has said that “arrangements will be made so that the personal belongings of Gabby Petito that are currently located at the home of Chris and Roberta Laundrie will be given to Gabby’s family without a contest.”
The Petitos are not interested in Brian's notebook.
When the notebook was found, Gabby's dad Joe told TMZ that he was not interested in its contents, saying that "he is never going to get closure from the notebook — even if cops can recover any info from it — and it's not going to help him get over losing a child."
At the time, Joe said he would prefer "the focus to be on how to avoid another tragic incident like his daughter's."
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.