The body of a North Carolina teen who disappeared after sending his mom a chilling final message begging for “help” has been found in Florida.
Giovanni Pelletier, 18, was discovered in a retention pond near I-75 in Florida on Friday, near where he had traveled to visit his estranged father’s family, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said, according to Gulf Coast News.
Detectives “preliminarily determined” the body to belong to Pelletier, pending further testing. An autopsy was scheduled for Sunday, and the death investigation was ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.
The boy’s mother, Bridgette Pelletier, said on Facebook that she was living “every parent’s worst nightmare,” and noted her son was found by her family, not authorities.
“My son was recently found after a desperate search by OUR FAMILY ALONE, and we are still facing an active investigation into his death,” she wrote.
The body of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier was found on Friday, a week after he went missing (Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office)
“I am living every parent’s worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves.”
Giovanni Pelletier was unable to meet with his father, who is currently incarcerated, his aunt Desiree Pelletier previously told ABC News, but he had plans to meet three cousins for the first time.
However, things took a turn after the cousins picked Giovanni up for a three-hour drive to their home in Mims, Florida, on August 1.
About 25 minutes into their drive, he texted his mother, “Help me.” He also sent similarly frightening messages to his grandfather and another aunt.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, the cousins told investigators Giovanni “began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle” on I-75 near State Road 70.
The teen’s backpack and cellphone were found on the side of the road by a truck driver that same day.
In an update Saturday to a GoFundMe, which the family started to cover hiring a private investigator to help in the search, Bridgette Pelletier noted the funds would now go toward “funeral, medical and legal costs” as they “struggle to honor [Giovanni’s] memory through this unimaginable heartbreak.”
