Brian Laundrie’s parents have made moves to gain control of his estate, including the ample amount of cash stored in his bank account, just weeks after his remains were found.
According to the North Port Sun, Chris and Roberta Laundrie filed a Summary Administration petition with the Sarasota County Circuit Court last Wednesday to ask to become the beneficiaries of their son’s estate. There was a $345 fee to file, and a death certificate was reportedly submitted. This is apparently a step many bereaved parents have to take. Since the 23-year-old didn’t have a will, the couple had to go through the courts in order to get their hands on his assets and liabilities. It’s a common procedure when the assets are valued at less than $75,000.
Shockingly enough, however, the Laundrie’s claimed in the filings that Brian left behind a Bank of America bank account that had $20,000 in his checking and savings account. Damn! For a 23-year-old who didn’t have a job and was touring the country with his girlfriend, that’s surprisingly high.
Additionally, he was debt-free at the time of his death, and no creditors were listed on the documents. This is all particularly striking as we’d been told by his family lawyer that he came home mid-trip because he’d had to move his stuff out of a storage unit due to some money issues. He had 20 grand in the bank but was having money issues that required him to leave Gabby by herself??
The North Port Sun further revealed that attorney William Galarza was listed as representing Chris and Roberta in their bid to take over the estate – who has made no comments on the motion at this time. As most know, the pair was represented by lawyer Steven Bertolino throughout the disappearance and later homicide case of Gabby Petito. He confirmed with 10 Tampa Bay on Friday that the two were moving to take over Brian’s assets in a text message, saying:
“Yes that is correct. They cannot even close out his bank accounts until that process is done.”
Per the outlet, a motion date was scheduled for January 18 but was canceled for an unknown reason. So we’ll have to wait and see if the court actually grants this motion.
It has been almost two months since police uncovered skeletal remains at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park — which were later confirmed to belong to Brian’s, thanks to dental records. Bertolino later revealed that the fugitive, who is the only person of interest in Gabby’s case, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The attorney said following the announcement of the autopsy results:
“Chris and Roberta Laundrie are still mourning the loss of their son and are hopeful that these findings bring closure to both families.”
However, this situation is far from over. As a family friend of the Petito family previously put it in a statement on their behalf in response to the news:
“The family was asked to not comment and let the FBI continue their investigation and allow the US Attorney’s Office make a determination on whether any additional individuals will be charged.”
We don’t think anyone would be surprised if Chris and Roberta potentially faced criminal charges — especially since they’ve been uncooperative and were holding back information since day one.
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Are you surprised by Brian’s decent savings? Drop your thoughts in the comments (below).
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