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Gabby Petito told her ex she was scared to leave Brian Laundrie but wanted to, just before murder: new doc
Days before her murder in the Wyoming wilderness, Gabby Petito told her ex-boyfriend she was planning to leave Brian Laundrie but was afraid of how he might react, the ex revealed in a new docuseries, which is the first project on the case involving her friends and family.
“American Murder: Gabby Petito,” on Netflix unveils previously unseen text messages from Petito, Laundrie and other figures central to the case, including the killer’s mother, Roberta. It also includes new interviews with her parents and stepparents, as well as revelations from her former boyfriend, Jackson, and other close friends.
Filmmakers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro, who are both directors and executive producers on the project, said they felt a heavy responsibility to handle her story with care, in an interview with Fox News Digital shortly before its release.
GABBY PETITO URGED BRIAN LAUNDRIE TO ‘STOP CRYING’ IN LVOE LETTER TO HER KILLER RELEASED BY FBI
While their social media told one story, there was a dark side beneath the cross-country road trip of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie, pictured here in “American Murder: Gabby Petito.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
“It’s really important to make sure that we have the people that were directly involved in it being part of the doc,” Gasparro said. “The family is at the start of this.”
Petito’s parents had seen their prior work and agreed to have them make the docuseries after meeting in person. The family turned over her journals, artwork – and text messages that revealed a dark layer beneath the relationship between Petito and Laundrie in the lead-up to and during their cross-country road trip.
“Looking at her text messages with Brian for the first time, knowing that he had murdered her was haunting because it was like the manipulation… was very subtle,” Nason said. “And I think that we’re hoping that this series can show the subtlety of intimate partner abuse, especially among young people.”
Against that backdrop, an exclusive new interview with Petito’s prior boyfriend, Jackson, reveals she wanted to escape and was afraid of what might happen if she left Laundrie.
GABBY PETITO’S MOM FORGIVES KILLER BRIAN LAUNDRIE, CALLS OUT ‘EVIL’ ROBERTA: ‘YOU DESERVE TO BE FORGOTTEN’
“She wasn’t sure of what he would do, or what he could do,” he told Nason and Gasparro.
Jackson, Gabby Petito’s ex-boyfriend from before Brian Laundrie, pictured on the set of “American Murder: Gabby Petito.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
Days after the couple narrowly avoided arrest in a public domestic violence incident in Moab, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2021, Laundrie flew home to Florida and left Petito in Salt Lake City.
While alone, Petito contacted her ex, the docuseries reveals. She confided in him that she wanted to leave Laundrie but was scared of how he might react.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE ARGUED IN WYOMING RESTAURANT HOURS BEFORE GABBY PETITO VANISHED: EYEWITNESSES
By Aug. 27, 2021, Laundrie had returned to the road trip and the couple arrived in Jackson, Wyoming. Petito again texted her ex-boyfriend, saying the town’s name reminded her of him.
A view from the entrance of Bridger-Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sept. 19, 2021, shortly after Gabby Petito’s remains were recovered nearby in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Ground. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
That same day, witnesses told Fox News Digital they saw the couple at the Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant, and Laundrie was arguing with female staff. While some experts have speculated the confrontation was a catalyst for Laundrie’s rage just hours before Petito’s murder, the couple’s text messages shed new light on what happened inside.
“Ask for the check and tell her that the smell made me sick… idk the chicken wasn’t right. I actually don’t feel good… gonna be a min,” Petito wrote to Laundrie.
“Okay. I got the check, should I wait for you, should I get a to go box?” he replied.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE’S PARENTS ADMIT BEING WORRIED ABOUT GABBY PETITO’S WELL-BEING WHEN HE CALLED DAYS AFTER MURDER
“I don’t want to pay for food that made me sick.”
Witnesses told Fox News Digital they believed Laundrie was arguing with staff about money and said he left and returned four times.
Gabby Petito poses for an Instagram photo in Bryce Canyon National Park. (Family of Gabby Petito)
Petito was last seen alive later that afternoon on surveillance video at a nearby Whole Foods.
She tried to call her ex, the docuseries revealed, but he said he was at work and couldn’t pick up.
In one of her last known messages, she told her mom, Nichole Schmidt, that she might do better on her quest to become a van-life video blogger without Laundrie dragging her down, and that he had agreed to camp out in the woods that night as she slept in the van.
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“American Murder: Gabby Petito” began streaming on Netflix Monday. It includes additional details, videos and photographs that had previously only been known to her family and the FBI, as well as the text messages between Petito and her killer directly. It also includes video exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital from the morning Laundrie’s remains and waterproof bag were discovered in the Florida park where he took his own life.
Separately, Fox News Digital has obtained what the FBI said is its final disclosure of Laundrie-related material – and the documents reveal another unnamed witness to the Moab domestic assault just two weeks before Petito’s murder.
Brian Laundrie as seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab Police Department in Utah. (Moab Police Department)
BRIAN LAUNDRIE HIRED WYOMING LAWYER WHO DEFENDED BIN LADEN BODYGUARD IN GUANTANAMO
The unnamed man told an FBI agent he saw the couple in Moab on Aug. 12, 2021, while driving his family on a trip from Denver, Colorado, to Las Vegas, Nevada. He passed a white Ford Transit van and thought he saw a man inside slap a woman. He was so concerned that he pulled a U-turn and parked across the street to keep an eye on things.
The male in the van “‘acted like a lunatic,’ sporadically opening and slamming doors and pacing around the van. He seemed to be pleading with the female and at one point may have tried to hug the female, but was pushed back by her. The male ultimately pushed the female’s legs into the passenger side of the van, closed her door, and entered the driver’s side,” according to FBI records. The witness then said both of them started crying.
Read the FBI’s notes from previously unknown Moab witness
He said he thought about intervening or calling 911 but eventually decided not to. He had called 911 earlier the same day after a near collision on the road into town. He said he contacted the FBI in September after he and his daughter saw news coverage of Petito’s disappearance.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said she had not previously known about this witness and would be interested in speaking with him.
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“[I] wish we could get a hold of this person,” she told Fox News Digital. “I would love to ask questions.”
By virtue of the widespread attention it received, Gabby Petito’s story has already helped saved lives, according to people who have contacted her parents and told them they were inspired to escape abusive relationships. At one point in the series, her friend Rose says she left a relationship of her own.
“This is how the foundation is helping,” Gasparro said. “They’ve become a resource for people like this.”
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)
Following Petito’s murder, her parents started the Gabby Petito Foundation to advocate for domestic violence victims and missing persons. They have also lobbied for new laws to protect victims in at least three states, as well as in Washington, D.C.
They are currently asking for the public’s help solving another woman’s suspicious disappearance out of Redding, California.
Nikki McCain, 39, was last seen on May 17, 2024, driving a gray Chevy Avalanche, according to the Redding Police Department. The vehicle, bearing California plate DP154UT, was recovered more than a week later in Tehama County, but McCain’s whereabouts remain unknown.
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Nikki McCain vanished in Redding, California, on May 17, 2024. Gabby Petito’s family is urging anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward. (Redding Police Department)
Her husband had been accused of felony domestic abuse, false imprisonment and criminal threats months earlier, court records show. That case was dismissed in July because the missing victim was unable to testify.
“A lot of the time, you can’t charge a guy if there’s no body,” Petito’s father, Joe Petito, told Fox News Digital. “That’s what we went through with Brian. They couldn’t charge him because Gabby wasn’t found.”
By the time she was, he had slipped away and killed himself, leaving behind a confession and suicide note in a waterproof bag, as first reported by Fox News Digital.
“This is something that should be shouted from the rooftop: Help that family find her safe and sound, or bring whoever’s responsible to justice, one of the two,” Petito said. “The fact that there’s prior domestic violence does raise some red flags, but we don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office has announced a $30,000 reward for information that helps them locate McCain.
Anyone with information is asked to call 530-245-6135 or email the major crimes unit at MCU@shastacounty.gov.
A press conference is held by Gabby Petito’s family in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 3, 2022. (Fox News Digital)
“We’ve gotta let the authorities do their due diligence and see where it leads them, but any information anyone has, please come forward,” Petito said.
Fox News’ Stephanie Nolasco and Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 (SAFE).
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Family member of American killed by Cuban forces in boat shootout says he was on ‘diabolical’ mission
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The brother of an American citizen killed in a brazen boat clash with Cuban forces says his sibling was consumed by an “obsessive and diabolical” push to free the island and that “no one knew” what he was planning.
American citizen Michel Ortega Casanova, who worked as a truck driver, was one of 10 passengers on a Florida-registered boat that allegedly opened fire on Cuban soldiers in an attempt to infiltrate the island.
A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by Fox News noted the boat’s owner reported it stolen Wednesday after hearing about the Cuba shootout on the news.
The owner, who did not speak English, told deputies his 24-foot vessel went missing, and he suspected an employee named Hector — who had two young daughters in Cuba — may have taken it.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed an incident involving Cuban forces and a speedboat Wednesday before returning to Washington, D.C., after meetings with Caribbean Community leaders at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters)
Ortega Casanova, who lived in the U.S. for more than two decades, was one of four killed in the attempt. He is survived by his wife, mother, brother, two sisters, daughter and unborn grandchild.
Six other passengers, all Cubans living in the U.S., were injured. It is unclear if Hector was on board.
Ortega Casanova’s brother, Misael, told The Associated Press Wednesday that his brother had an “obsessive and diabolical” pursuit for Cuba’s freedom.
“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand [the great suffering],” Misael said.
He said “no one knew” about his brother’s plans to infiltrate the island, noting their mother is “devastated.”
“They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives,” Misael said.
While Ortega Casanova’s family did not recognize any of the other passengers, Misael said, “maybe [the attempt] will justify that some day Cuba will be free.”
CUBA IS APPROACHING ITS BERLIN WALL MOMENT — AMERICA MUST HELP THEM BREAK THROUGH
Cuban Coast Guard forces reported an exchange of gunfire with a U.S.-registered speedboat Wednesday. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
He refrained from labeling the group heroes, describing the idea as “ignorance.”
Cuban officials said many of the boat passengers, who were intercepted roughly a mile northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s north coast, had a known history of criminal and violent activity.
Passengers Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez were wanted by Cuban authorities for their involvement in the “promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions carried out in the national territory or in other countries, in connection with acts of terrorism,” according to the government.
Cuban politician Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla posted to X after the incident, claiming a “rigorous investigation” is being conducted to clarify the facts.
CUBA IDENTIFIES 32 MILITARY PERSONNEL KILLED IN US OPERATION AGAINST MADURO REGIME IN VENEZUELA
“Cuba has had to face numerous terrorist and aggressive infiltrations originating from #EEUU since 1959, at a high cost in lives, injuries, and material damage,” Rodriguez Parrilla wrote in a post. “The defense of Cuba’s coasts, of the national territory, and of national security is an ineludible duty.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is working to determine whether the passengers were American citizens or permanent residents.
U.S. officials said at least two of the people on the bat were U.S. citizens, and another was on a U.S. K-1 visa — which is granted to fiancées of U.S. citizens for 90 days.
“We have various different elements of the U.S. government that are trying to identify elements of the story that may not be provided to us now,” Rubio told reporters in Basseterre, St. Kitts.
“Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time.”
Cuban officials said the vessel’s passengers were intercepted off the country’s northern coast. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto)
RUSSIA WARNS AGAINST ‘PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS’ AROUND CUBA AFTER 4 KILLED ONBOARD US-REGISTERED SPEEDBOAT
Rubio said the U.S. will verify the facts independently, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.
Vice President JD Vance said he was briefed on the incident, and the White House is monitoring the situation.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be,” Vance said.
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Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said prosecutors will work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation.
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” Uthmeier wrote in a social media post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A North Carolina woman whose disappearance in 2001 triggered a 24-year search is now facing criminal charges from the year she vanished.
Michele Hundley Smith, now 63, was located Feb. 20 at an undisclosed location within North Carolina after detectives received new information about her case, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said.
Smith was 38 when her husband reported that she left their Eden home Dec. 9, 2001, to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia, and never returned. Her vehicle was never found.
An extensive investigation followed, and, despite years of investigative work, her whereabouts remained unknown until last week.
The 63-year-old woman posted $2,000 bond on a failure to appear charge related to a DWI from the month before she vanished for 24 years. (Robeson County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities said Smith told investigators she left on her own accord and referenced “domestic issues.”
Sheriff Sam Page told Fox News Digital the sheriff’s office had no prior record of domestic incidents at the home. No criminal charges are expected in her disappearance. However, following her identification, investigators discovered an outstanding order for arrest dating back to 2001.
A missing persons flyer circulated at the time of Michele Hundely Smith’s disappearance in December 2001. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
MISSING NORTH CAROLINA MOM FOUND ALIVE AFTER 24 YEARS REVEALS WHY SHE LEFT
In a statement, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said that, after consultation with the District Attorney’s Office and further investigation, authorities identified an outstanding order for arrest for Smith for failure to appear.
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The order stemmed from a DWI charge issued by the Eden Police Department Nov. 11, 2001. Smith failed to appear in court Dec. 27, 2001, for that charge, the statement said.
On Feb. 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities. She later posted a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court March 26, 2026.
A missing mom found alive after 23 years reveals she left due to domestic issues. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
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On Thursday, the New York Post reported it had located Smith in a trailer in a rural community near the South Carolina state line. Smith told the outlet she is trying to make amends with her daughter and the family she walked out on decades ago.
“My daughter is forgiving me. We are in contact, so leave me alone,” she told the outlet.
Smith’s neighbors said she had “been here for years and years” and mostly keeps to herself.
“We asked why she didn’t come out of the house much, and she said her husband passed. He passed last year. … She was really sad about it. She said she was depressed and stayed inside,” the neighbor said.
Michele Hundely Smith disappeared after leaving her home in North Carolina to go Christmas shopping in Virginia in December 2001. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
In a 2018 interview on “The Vanished Podcast,” her daughter, Amanda Hundley, said her mother’s marriage was unraveling under the weight of alcohol abuse, infidelity and escalating marital arguments.
Smith had recently lost her job at a veterinary practice after being fired for drinking on the job, Hundley said.
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“My dad didn’t like the fact that my mom hid her drinking. I knew about it, and I was the only one. And I felt, you know, I was young, and I felt obligated not to say anything to betray my mom,” Hundley said on the podcast.
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According to Hundley, her father suspected the drinking but did not fully understand the extent of it until after Smith vanished.
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“He said, ‘Do you know where she kept the bottles at?’ And I showed them we had a little red building outside, and it was full of rum bottles, the empties, the ones that she had already drunk,” recalled Hundley, who was 14 at the time.
The couple’s relationship had also deteriorated. Hundley said both her parents had affairs during the marriage. She described frequent arguments that “got physical a few times.”
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Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’
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An Atlanta-area police department issued a blunt notice to parents after officers claimed a child brought a vodka-based beverage to school — tucked beside Doritos in a packed lunch.
The City of South Fulton Police Department sounded off about the incident in a now-viral Facebook post, warning parents to “CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX.”
“Say Twin… Before you send them babies off to school… CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX. Because why are we getting reports of juice boxes sitting next to… Cutwater margaritas??” the department wrote.
Officials also shared a photo of the alleged lunchbox, containing what appears to be a child’s lunch, Doritos and a Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini.
The police department shared a photo of a Cutwater canned cocktail in a lunchbox. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
“That is NOT Capri Sun. That is NOT Apple Juice. That is a whole ‘Parent had a long night’ starter pack,” the department wrote. “Now little Johnny done pulled up to 3rd period talking about: ‘Who want fruit snacks?’ knowing good and well he got a Lemon Drop Martini in the zipper pocket.”
Cutwater Lemon Drop Martinis, as found in the lunchbox, are 11% ABV ready-to-drink cocktails made with vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and natural flavors.
They come in 12-ounce cans, similar in appearance to a soda can.
The City of South Fulton Police Department issued a statement after the apparent mishap. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
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The department said it understands mornings can be hectic, but issued a stern notice to parents to “TIGHTEN UP.”
“Your child shouldn’t be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID,” authorities wrote. “If it says 12% ABV… it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.”
Officials also provided a “quick parent checklist,” with items including: “Homework,” “Lunch packed,” and “Alcoholic beverages.”
Boxes of Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai and Strawberry Margarita canned cocktails. (Gado/Getty Images)
“Check the lunchbox before the Fulton County Schools Police resource officers gotta do inventory at recess,” the department added.
It is unclear if any parents or students were disciplined in relation to the mix-up.
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Fulton County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The City of South Fulton, Georgia, is a rapidly growing municipality located about 20 minutes from Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
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