‘Stop calling me names.’ Gabby Petito letter to Brian Laundrie signals tensions prior to road trip.

Dakin Andone and Jean Casarez, CNN

(CNN) — Gabby Petito erstwhile asked Brian Laundrie to extremity calling her names, according to a missive she wrote released successful a postulation of FBI documents, signaling tensions betwixt nan mates anterior to nan 2021 roadworthy travel that would extremity pinch Laundrie sidesplitting his 22-year-old fiancée.

“Brian, you cognize really overmuch I emotion you. So (and I’m penning this pinch love) conscionable please extremity crying and extremity calling maine names because we’re a squad and I’m present pinch you,” Petito wrote successful nan undated letter, included among 366 pages of records from nan FBI’s investigation of nan case. “I’m ever going to person your back.”

“You successful symptom is sidesplitting me,” Petito writes. “I’m not trying to beryllium antagonistic but I’m disappointment there’s not much I tin do.”

While it’s unclear erstwhile nan missive was written, Petito references plans to activity together connected nan van that they would later return connected nan trip, which ended precocious successful nan summertime of 2021 pinch Petito’s disappearance. She was recovered much than a week aft her parents reported her missing, strangled successful Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest. The coroner wished she had been dormant for 3 to 4 weeks earlier being found.

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By that time, Laundrie – who returned to his parents’ North Port, Florida, location without Petito – had vanished into a quality reserve, starring to a weekslong manhunt. His remains were yet recovered alongside a number of his individual items, including a notebook successful which nan FBI said he admitted sidesplitting Petito. A aesculapian examiner wished he died by suicide.

Petito’s missive to Laundrie makes up conscionable 2 of nan hundreds of pages included successful nan FBI documents published connected a website wherever nan agency shares records released successful consequence to Freedom of Information Act requests.

A number of nan documents are redacted, but they outline nan FBI’s efforts to trace nan couple’s movements astir nan clip of Petito’s disappearance reported connected September 11, 2021, recounting interviews pinch witnesses and descriptions of surveillance footage captured astatine state stations and stores crossed nan US.

Also included are scores of photographs of items recovered by authorities aft nan execution of a hunt warrant connected September 20, 2021, including Petito’s missive to Laundrie. The reside wherever nan warrant was executed is redacted, but nan records bespeak they stemmed from an investigation successful North Port.

Asked astir nan letter, Steven Bertolino, an lawyer for Laundrie’s parents, told CNN Tuesday that Petito and Laundrie “both had their moments and had their issues.”

“This is simply a calamity that I’ve said each on that has affected 2 families,” he said, describing a “lopsidedness” that has taken a “toll” connected his clients.

“There are ever 2 sides to each communicative but arsenic of this moment, location has only been 1 broadside put retired location and that’s nan broadside that everybody’s moving with,” Bertolino said.

CNN has reached retired to an lawyer for Petito’s parents for remark connected nan letter.

There is nary discourse for Petito’s letter, and it’s unclear why nan mates was astatine likelihood erstwhile she wrote it. But it appears to foreshadow strains successful nan narration that would spill retired into nan unfastened complete nan people of their trip, possibly astir notably successful Moab, Utah, wherever constabulary assemblage camera footage captured nan brace 2 weeks earlier Petito’s death.

The incident – now astatine nan bosom of a suit by Petito’s parents against nan Moab Police Department – occurred aft a witnesser “saw Brian deed Gabby,” according to an amended title revenge earlier this year.

The footage shows Moab constabulary officers talking to Petito and Laundrie, who admitted having a conflict successful which Petito said she struck her fiancé first. The officers fto nan mates spell aft they agreed to walk nan nighttime apart.

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito | File photo

The suit claims nan officers improperly concluded Petito was nan “primary” aggressor contempt injuries to her face, failing to admit that Petito’s effort to return work for nan altercation was an “obvious” motion she was a unfortunate of home abuse.

“The intent of this suit is to grant Gabby’s bequest by demanding accountability and moving toward systemic changes to protect victims of home maltreatment and unit and forestall specified tragedies successful nan future,” James W. McConkie, an lawyer for Petito’s parents, said successful a connection erstwhile nan suit was first filed.

The metropolis of Moab has antecedently said its officers “acted pinch kindness, respect, and empathy” toward Petito, noting they “are not responsible” for her death.

“The attorneys for nan Petito family look to propose that someway our officers could spot into nan early based connected this azygous interaction. In truth, connected Aug. 12, nary 1 could person predicted nan calamity that would hap weeks later and hundreds of miles away, and nan City of Moab will ardently take sides against this lawsuit,” nan metropolis said.