READ THE LETTER: Brian Laundrie's Mom Vowed to 'Show Up With Shovel' to 'Dispose of Body' in Chilling 'Burn After Reading' Note
May 25 2023, Published 1:15 p.m. ET
The notorious "burn after reading" letter that Brian Laundrie's mom wrote to him was made public after a court hearing on Wednesday, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been at the center of their son's case since September 2021, when he returned to their Florida home alone, following a backpacking trip across the United States with his fiancée, Gabby Petito.
Gabby's parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, contacted law enforcement upon realizing that Brian returned from the trip without their daughter. Since the search began, critics speculated that the Laundries were allegedly withholding crucial information from Gabby's parents and investigators.
Gabby's remains were located outside of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19, 2021.
Authorities declared Brian a "person of interest" in Gabby's death and a nationwide man-hunt was conducted. Brian's remains were discovered about a month later, on October 21, at a nature preserve near Roberta's home in North Port, Florida.
Brian died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound — and a letter was recovered near his body, in which he confessed, "I ended her life."
Gabby's parents filed a civil lawsuit against the Laundries and alleged that Brian's parents were not only aware of Gabby's death, but helped shield him from accountability.
Gabby's parents pointed to the bizarre letter penned by Roberta to her son, which they claimed proved the lengths Roberta was willing to go for her child.
"If you're in jail I will bake a cake and put a file in it," Roberta wrote in the letter. "If you need to dispose of a body. I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags."
In a statement from her attorney on Roberta's behalf, Brian's mother told Fox News Digital that the letter was being taken out of context and was being used as "sensationalism" for the case.
"The letter to Brian was written prior to Gabby and Brian leaving my home for their trip," Roberta insisted in the statement. "Now that the letter has been shared, I ask that you read it in its entirety, and understand that the letter contains other phrases besides those highlighted by Pat Reilly for sensationalism and to bolster his case."
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Roberta dismissed the unusual examples of delivering a "file" to jail in a baked cake and burying a body as "phrases," as she doubled-down on her position that she wrote the letter to "convey to him how much he meant to me and how much I loved him."
Brian's mother claimed the letter was based on childhood books Little Bear and The Runaway Bunny, as well as a writing prompt journal she gifted Brian and Gabby called Burn After Writing.
"Brian, Gabby and I often joked about this book and the importance of being able to express yourself," Roberta said in the statement. "That is why I wrote ‘Burn After Reading’ on the envelope, and I knew that Brian would know what that meant. I am now appreciative that he actually kept it."
