Huge new development in Gabby Petito murder as her family returns to Florida 4 months after she was strangled to death
GABBY Petito’s family has returned to Florida four months after their daughter was strangled to death. The Petito family were seen checking in through the guard gate at the FBI’s Tampa Field Office on Thursday morning, according to Fox News. Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino confirmed that Gabby’s family were in Tampa after “an agreement in principle […]
GABBY Petito’s family has returned to Florida four months after their daughter was strangled to death.
The Petito family were seen checking in through the guard gate at the FBI’s Tampa Field Office on Thursday morning, according to Fox News.
Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino confirmed that Gabby’s family were in Tampa after “an agreement in principle with respect to the distribution of property between the families” had been reached.
William Galarza, the Laundrie family’s lawyer for their son’s estate battle, told The US Sun that he had no information on the visit.
On December 28, Gabby’s mom filed a claim to get back her murdered daughter’s belongings as part of a petition by Brian Laundrie‘s parents to gain access to his $20,000 estate.
At the time, Bertolino confirmed the family would not contest Nichole Schmidt‘s claim.
“Arrangements will be made, and they will be given to Gabby’s family without contest,” Bertolino told The US Sun at the time.
According to the lawyer, Nichole requested to recover all of 22-year-old Gabby‘s belongings from the Laundrie home in North Port, Florida.
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Court records showed Gabby’s mom filed a statement in Sarasota County regarding Laundrie’s estate battle.
The text of the claim doesn’t refer to specific articles of Gabby’s, so it’s not known which of her belongings may be included in the suit.
“The basis for the claim is possession or control of personal property of Gabby Petito,” the claim reads.
“The amount of the claim is unknown and is both now due and will become due on the release of personal property.
“The claim is contingent or unliquidated because it is unknown if the decedent’s final photos, videos and words are contained in the property.”
On Thursday, Bertolino told Fox that he and the Petito family attorney had “been working together to come to an agreement on the distribution of property to be released from law enforcement.”
He added that he and Stafford had compiled a written agreement “to detail how the property” would be distributed when the time comes.
The Petito family attorney Richard Stafford did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The US Sun.
CHRIS AND ROBERTA LAUNDRIE FILE PETITION
On December 8, Chris and Roberta Laundrie filed a petition to access their son’s estate.
The couple is asking to become administrators of his estate.
The records show they submitted Laundrie’s death certificate in court along with information about his bank accounts and property.
Court records showed Laundrie had $20,000 in his bank account when he died, even though he allegedly spent $1,000 on Gabby’s credit card after her death.
While he was missing or potentially dead, it emerged Laundrie allegedly used an “unauthorized” Capital One debit card “in the District of Wyoming.
He allegedly swiped the Capital One debit card, running up a $1,000 balance, from August 31, four days after Gabby went missing, through September 1.
According to an indictment, he was accused of using the “unauthorized access device” to “obtain anything of value aggregating $1,000 or more,” which was why there was a warrant out for his arrest.
As he didn’t have a will, an expert explained in a previous interview with The US Sun that Chris and Roberta had to go through the courts in a technical but standard procedure in Florida.
Laundrie was never charged or publicly named as a suspect in relation to Petito’s death; however, he was the sole person of interest in the case.
Gabby’s remains were found in a campsite near Wyoming’s Grand Teton Nation Park on September 19.
An autopsy found that she had been strangled to death by a “human force” between three and four weeks earlier.
Laundrie’s skeletal remains were found in Florida’s Carlton Reserve on October 20.
His death was ruled a suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
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