In a disturbing turn of events, a note penned by Brian Laundrie's mother, Roberta Laundrie, surfaced on Wednesday. This letter, with the unsettling instructions to "burn after reading," included Roberta's commitment to aid her son, Brian, in body disposal, and has now been deemed admissible in court.

In the letter, Roberta wrote to Brian, who admitted to killing his girlfriend Gabby Petito before committing suicide in 2021, "If you’re in jail I will bake a cake and put a file in it. If you need to dispose of a body. I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags." She further emphasized her unconditional love for her son, expressing, "Nothing can or ever will divide us no matter what we do, or where we go, or what we say – we will always love each other."

Florida Judge Danielle Brewer allowed the inclusion of the letter as evidence in the lawsuit filed against the Laundries by Gabby's parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, for emotional distress.

Roberta Laundrie stated to Fox News that the letter was written before her son and Gabby embarked on a cross-country journey in June 2021, prior to Gabby's murder in September.

She justified the eerie "burn after reading" phrase as a reference to a book Gabby had gifted Brian, called "Burn After Writing," which encourages self-reflection through letter writing and subsequent burning. She also claimed the macabre mentions of shovels and body disposal were common phrases in their familial circle, denoting support in times of adversity.

However, during Wednesday's hearing, Pat Reilly, representing Schmidt and Nichole Petito, disputed Roberta's claims. Holding up Brian’s favorite childhood books, he affirmed he found no allusions to bodies or shovels.

Reilly posited that the letter might demonstrate the Laundries’ knowledge of Gabby's death when they issued a September 2021 statement suggesting hope for her survival.

Judge Brewer ruled in favor of allowing the letter as evidence, after which copies were handed to the prosecution by the Laundries' attorney, Matthew Lukda.

The lawsuit alleges that the Laundries knew of Gabby's murder but chose to conceal it, instead releasing a statement expressing hope for her return. This statement was issued through Brian's attorney, Steven Bertolino, also a co-defendant in the suit.

Gabby's strangled body was found in Wyoming five days after the statement's release, and Brian's skeletal remains were discovered a month later in Florida. Gabby's parents have filed a civil lawsuit for intentional infliction of emotional distress, given the assertion that the Laundries were aware of Gabby's death at the time of the statement's release.