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TAMPA, Fla. – EXCLUSIVE: The first public view of a confession Brian Laundrie left in a notebook in the Florida swamp where he committed suicide last year reveals his last words.
“I ended her life,” says the note, which the FBI recovered from Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021. “I thought he was merciful, that was what she wanted, but now I see all the mistakes I made. done. I panicked. I was in shock. “
Laundrie wrote that he killed Petito after he claimed he was injured when he fell in Wyoming. She also wrote, “From the moment I decided, I took out her pain, I knew I couldn’t go on without her.”
Lawyers representing the Petito-Schmidt and Laundrie families met Friday at the FBI’s field office in Tampa. Fox News Digital has obtained copies of the notes written by Laundrie before taking his own life.
GABBY PETITO’S PARENTS BRIAN LAUNDRIE’S LAWYER APPEARS IN FLORIDA COURT TO HEAR ABOUT CIVIL PROCEEDINGS
SEE IMAGES OF THE NOTE LEFT BACK:
Patrick Reilly, a lawyer representing Petito’s family, told Fox News Digital outside the FBI building that he could not comment Friday. The family’s co-lawyer, Richard Stafford, did not respond immediately.
“Please don’t make life harder for my family,” the notebook says, “they’ve lost a son and a daughter. The most wonderful girl in the world. Gabby, I’m sorry.”
Earlier in the note, he writes, “I’m sorry for my family. This is also a shock to them [as] a terrible grievance (sic). “
READ A WRITTEN VERSION OF THE NOTE HERE:
Fox News Digital took Laundrie’s parents to the park on the morning of October 20, 2021, when they met a North Port detective and an FBI member and headed to the swamp to see where they thought he was. his son disappeared. weeks before. Extensive searches had been hampered by the waters up to that point.
Christopher Laundrie came across a dry bag that later turned out to belong to his son. A notebook collected by the FBI that morning contained the confession.
The parents of the laundromat discuss their findings with a North Port Police detective shortly after investigators found the partial remains of their son on October 20, 2021. The parents also found a dry bag, depicted in the detective’s right hand, and other objects. (Fox News Digital / Michael Ruiz)
“Today, Petito’s family attorney Patrick Reilly and I met with the FBI in Tampa to resolve and take possession of the personal belongings that belonged to Gabby and Brian,” the family’s attorney said. by Laundrie Steve Bertolino on Fox News Digital on Friday. “As part of this return of the property in FBI custody, they gave me Brian’s notebook and I returned [the] the same with Chris and Roberta Laundrie “.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE FOUND: PARENTS MAY HAVE MISSED DISCOVERING THE REMAINS
The FBI revealed in January that investigators found Brian Laundrie’s confession in the notebook, which had been underwater for about five weeks.
Gabby Petito is believed to have died around 28 August. An FBI-led investigation uncovered his remains in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on 19 September. Investigators said his death was a homicide by manual strangulation and a blunt head injury. and coll.
GABBY PETITO: FBI CLOSES MURDER INVESTIGATION REVEALS BRIAN LAUNDRIE’S NOTEBOOK CONFESSION
Brian Laundrie returned home with his parents in North Port, Florida on Sept. 1, police said, citing a recording of a license plate reader of his van entering the city. According to the FBI, he also sent fake text messages from Petito’s phone to cover up the crime and steal his debit card.
Laundries camped on the beach in Fort De Soto Park, south of St. Petersburg, and said nothing publicly about Petito’s disappearance.
Finally, on September 11, Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, reported his disappearance to police in his hometown of Long Island in New York. They contacted North Port police, who knocked on the laundry door, where they remained silent.
THE MURDER OF GABBY PETITO: TIMELINE OF THE DISAPPEARANCE WITH BRIAN LAUNDRIE
Pinellas County Parks records show that Roberta Laundrie registered at this campsite in Fort De Soto Park on September 6, 2021. (Fox News Digital / Michael Ruiz)
On Sept. 13, Brian Laundrie sneaked into the swamp, despite hidden surveillance cameras installed in his home. It was the last time they saw him alive.
Her father later voluntarily handed over the family’s weapons to the FBI and said there could be a missing person. Investigators found a revolver near the skeletal remains of Brian Laundrie in the swamp.
There was also a bottle of water nearby that probably belonged to Petito and other objects that belonged to the couple.
Left: Brian Laundrie in video from police body camera in Moab, Utah. Right: Attorney Steve Bertolino sits down for an interview with Fox News Digital. (North Port Police / Stephanie Pagones / Fox News Digital)
Bertolino said he shared the content of the note “for the sake of transparency.”
“I will not comment further because there are still pending proceedings in the courts,” he said.
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Audrey Conklin of Fox News contributed to this report.
Michael Ruiz is a journalist for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports