Gabby Petito's parents now have a copy of a "burn after reading" letter written to her fiancé and killer, Brian Laundrie, by his mother, which reportedly included references to getting a shovel and burying a body, CNN reports.

Attorneys for both families argued whether the letter was relevant in an ongoing civil lawsuit filed by Petito's parents against Laundrie's parents, as well as the attorney who had previously represented them, in a Sarasota County, Florida, courtroom on Wednesday (May 24). The undated letter was held inside an envelope that stated "burn after reading" and found inside Laundrie's backpack when authorities located his remains in October 2021.

“As we all know the letter references burying a body bringing a shovel and burying a body,” said Patrick Reilly, who represents the Petito family, in court Wednesday via CNN. “Those are criminal acts, by the way, that Roberta Laundrie has said she would commit.”

Joseph Petito and his ex-wife, Nichole Schmidt, filed the civil lawsuit against Roberta and Chris Laundrie accusing the couple of being aware that Brian murdered Gabby and planned to help him evacuate the country. Witnesses in Utah, where the couple was stopped for an alleged domestic violence incident during their cross-country roadtrip, told police that they saw Laundrie -- believed to have later strangled and bludgeoned Petito to death in the Bridger-Teton National Forest several weeks prior to his own death -- hitting the 22-year-old in public.

Officers made contact with the couple near Arches National Park, but no charges were filed, despite a Utah statute that requires police to make an arrest or issue a citation in relation to potential domestic incidents. The amended lawsuit accused Pratt of willful misconduct, as well as the Moab Police Department of failing to implement a "lethality assessment protocol" in adherence with the state statute.

Petito, who appeared to be visibly shaken while speaking to police, told officers that Laundrie had grabbed her face while gesturing toward her neck, but authorities deemed her to be the aggressor and didn't appear to view Laundrie as a potential suspect at the time, despite witnesses calling 911 alleging that he had hit her in public. On September 30, 2021, police released bodycam footage which showing Petito telling an officer that an argument with Laundrie got physical on August 21, 2021.

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