Nichole Schmidt, the mother of late YouTube vlogger Gabby Petito, is making new bombshell claims in the case of her daughter's murder.
During an appearance on The Squeeze podcast hosted by Tay and Talyor Lautner, Schmidt opened up about the murder of her 22-year-old daughter, who went missing while on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie.
?SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox?
Petito's body was found near Grand Teton National Park in September 2021, over a week after Laundrie returned home from the trip with their van. Her death was ruled as homicide by manual strangulation.
Laundrie was found the following month in what appeared to have been death by suicide, and authorities later determined he was responsible for Petito's death.
But Petito's mom believes some parts of the story are still being left out.
While chatting with the Lautner's, Schmidt made the unsettling statement that she doesn't believe Laundrie took his own life.
"I don't think he killed himself," Schmidt claimed. "Either his father did or she [his mother] did."
"I have no problem saying that," Schmidt added of the "straightforward" confession.
However, the snippet from the podcast episode includes a disclaimer about Schmidt's claims, which states: "*Nichole is sharing her personal opinions and experiences, and the views expressed are not statements of fact."
A Florida medical examiner's office also confirmed Laundrie's manner of death as suicide in the official autopsy report.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Squeeze (@thesqueeze)
When asked to expand on her theory, Schmidt said Laundrie's parents may have wanted to spare their son from spending his life in prison or prevent him from "facing" what he did to Petito.
"I think it's very possible that they did something," she said, while adding that the diary entries left behind in a notebook of Laundrie's didn't seem to be written by someone contemplating suicide.
"He didn't want to take responsibility for it," Schmidt insisted, claiming that Laundrie "made excuses" for why he killed Petito. (In his notebook, Laundrie said Petito's death had been "merciful" and was "what she wanted," per WFLA.)
It's important to note that the facts of the case do not support Schmidt's claims about Laundrie's death, and even she admitted her opinions are based on "just a gut feeling" she has about her daughter's murder.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Gabby Petito's Mom Makes Startling Claim About Brian Laundrie's Death )
Also on site :
- Glenview man, woman returning home from night out robbed at gunpoint: Police
- Over 20 feared dead in terror attack targeting tourists in India’s Kashmir
- Where Is 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic Now and Is He Married? Find Out the Latest on the Ex-Zoo Owner