Brian Laundrie’s notebook is the handwritten document recovered beside his remains in a Florida wetland in October 2021, in which he confessed to killing his fiancée, Gabby Petito. Eight pages were later released publicly. In them, Laundrie claimed Petito had been badly injured in an accident and that he “ended her life” as a mercy, then wrote that he intended to kill himself by the creek where his body was found. The autopsy findings on Petito, and forensic experts who reviewed the pages, did not support that version of events.
Where the Notebook Was Found
On October 20, 2021, Chris and Roberta Laundrie walked into the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida, to look for their son. Near a trail they came across personal items, including a backpack and a notebook, and called authorities. Investigators and cadaver dogs arrived, and skeletal remains were located a few yards away.1NBC New York. Highly Probable Human Remains Found in Fla. Park Are Brian Laundrie, Attorney Says
The FBI said the notebook, the backpack, and the ground around them had been underwater for weeks because of flooding in the adjacent Carlton Reserve, and only became visible as the water receded.2NBC New York. FBI Holds Briefing After Major Finding at Brian Laundrie Search Site North Port police said the notebook nevertheless appeared “salvageable.”3FOX 13 News. Notebook Found Near Brian Laundrie’s Remains May Be Salvageable, North Port Police Say According to the autopsy report, the notebook was inside a dry bag along with a wooden box and photographs, roughly 250 feet from the main cluster of remains. Investigators also recovered green shorts, slip-on shoes, a white metal ring, a revolver, a separate half-handwritten note, and a hat with a “MOAB Coffee Roasters” logo.4FOX 13 News. Brian Laundrie’s Full Autopsy, Forensic Reports Released by Medical Examiner
What the Notebook Said
Steven Bertolino, the Laundrie family attorney, released the pages publicly on June 24, 2022, after receiving them from the FBI in a previously agreed exchange of personal property. The order of the eight pages is unknown, and portions were noted as illegible or too smudged to read.5KSL TV. Lawyer Releases Pages From Brian Laundrie’s Notebook in Which He Admits to Killing Gabby Petito6CNN. Laundrie Notebook Petito
The Account of Petito’s Death
Laundrie wrote that as the two were rushing back to their vehicle, trying to cross streams before dark, he heard “a splash and a scream.” He said he found Petito in the water, gasping, soaking wet, and cold. He described carrying her toward the car, running out of strength, stopping to build a fire, and lying next to her to keep her warm. He noted a “small bump on her forehead that eventually got larger” and said she complained of pain in her feet and wrist.7WFLA. Read Brian Laundrie’s Notebook Confession, Message to Gabby Petito
He wrote that Petito was “shaking violently,” “lapsing between violent shakes, gasping in pain, begging for an end to her pain,” and that he kept shaking her awake because he feared a concussion. Then the confession: “I don’t know the extent of Gabby’s ingerys (sic) only that she was in extreme pain. I ended her life, 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.”7WFLA. Read Brian Laundrie’s Notebook Confession, Message to Gabby Petito
Messages to Petito and to His Family
Other pages read as direct addresses to Petito. Laundrie recalled laughing on the roof of the van and falling asleep at a crystal geyser, wrote that he loved her “more than anything,” and said he could not bear to look at their photos. He asked that his family not be blamed, called Petito’s death “an unexpected tragedy,” and described her as a daughter to his mother and an aunt to his nephews.7WFLA. Read Brian Laundrie’s Notebook Confession, Message to Gabby Petito
He wrote that he had rushed home to spend what time he could with his family and had considered driving north to let Petito’s relatives kill him, but decided against it so they would not face jail time. He insisted his suicide was “not because of a fear of punishment but rather because I can’t stand to live another day without her.” Near the end: “I have killed myself by this creek in the hopes that animals may tear me apart. That it may make some of her family happy.” The final line, written in a different pen from the text above it, read: “Please pick up all of my things. Gabby hated people who litter.”6CNN. Laundrie Notebook Petito7WFLA. Read Brian Laundrie’s Notebook Confession, Message to Gabby Petito
Why the Confession Does Not Match the Autopsy
Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue ruled Petito’s death a homicide caused by manual strangulation and blunt-force trauma to the head and neck.8ABC News. Wyoming Coroner Set Make Announcement Gabby Petito Autopsy Manual strangulation requires sustained physical force to the neck, which does not fit a story about mercifully ending the suffering of someone hurt in an accidental fall.
Forensic experts publicly challenged Laundrie’s account after the pages were released. Dr. Cyril Wecht, a forensic pathologist, said “violent shaking” is not consistent with severe hypothermia, because significant cold exposure slows the body and shivering actually stops. He also said euthanasia, as Laundrie framed it, “is murder” under the law. Criminal profiler John Kelly and private investigator Jason Jensen called the mercy-killing narrative a “farcical tale” and noted that a person who had truly witnessed an accident would have called 911. Kelly said the head trauma described was more consistent with an intentional injury, given the documented pattern of conflict between the couple. Dr. Michael Baden, another forensic pathologist, observed that a concussion would not be detectable on autopsy, so that specific claim could neither be confirmed nor ruled out from the physical evidence alone.9Fox News. Brian Laundrie’s Gabby Petito Confession: Experts Weigh Admitted Killer’s Claims
How the FBI Handled the Notebook
On January 21, 2022, the FBI’s Denver division issued its final investigative update. Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said “all logical investigative steps have been concluded” and that the investigation “did not identify any other individuals other than Brian Laundrie directly involved in the tragic death of Gabby Petito.” The FBI confirmed that “a review of the notebook revealed written statements by Mr. Laundrie claiming responsibility for Ms. Petito’s death.”10FBI. FBI Denver Provides Final Investigative Update on Gabrielle Petito Case No public information indicates that forensic handwriting analysis or formal authentication of the notebook was conducted, or at least none was disclosed.
In June 2024, the FBI released 366 pages of investigative records to the public, including witness statements, police reports, descriptions of items seized from the Laundrie home, and photos of Laundrie’s personal writings and drawings. Among them was a journal entry dated October 2018 in which Laundrie discussed suicide and a “.357 magnum revolver,” though FBI agents questioned whether the date had been altered.11Court TV. Brian Laundrie’s FBI File: Journal, Drawings, Writings
Laundrie’s own death was ruled a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head by the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office in Sarasota on November 23, 2021. A .38 special revolver was recovered at the scene with one spent round and two live rounds in the cylinder.12WFLA. New Autopsy Report Reveals Grisly Details of Brian Laundrie’s Death
The Notebook in the Civil Cases
The confession fed directly into the civil litigation that followed. In 2022, Petito’s parents sued Brian Laundrie’s estate for wrongful death in Sarasota County, Florida. A judge ordered the estate to pay $3 million in November 2022, though the judgment reportedly remained unpaid as of early 2025 given the estate’s minimal value.13Business Insider. Brian Laundrie Parents Now Gabby Petito Death Lawsuit
A separate suit targeted Chris and Roberta Laundrie and their attorney, Steven Bertolino, for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The Petito family alleged the Laundrie parents knew their son had killed Petito and withheld that information, offering “false hope” while Gabby was missing. In a deposition, Christopher Laundrie said Brian told them “Gabby’s gone” and asked for help finding a lawyer, but never explicitly said he had killed her. Both Laundrie parents acknowledged ignoring calls and messages from the Petito family during the search on their attorney’s advice.14CNN. Brian Laundrie Gabby Petito Parent Depositions The case was settled through mediation in February 2024 on confidential terms.15CBS News. Gabby Petito Parents Settlement Brian Laundrie Parents Civil Trial