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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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Florida officials said 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier was found dead one week after he was reported missing while on vacation.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said in a press release sent to Newsweek that a body was discovered in a retention pond at the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and State Route 70. The sheriff's office preliminary determined that the body belonged to the missing teenager.
The family confirmed Pelletier's death on social media.
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"My son was recently found after a desperate search by OUR FAMILY ALONE, and we are still facing an active investigation into his death," Bridgette Pelletier, Giovanni's mother, wrote on Facebook.
Why It Matters
The case drew public interest after Pelletier disappeared while on a family vacation in Florida. His cousins told officials that he suddenly began acting erratically before exiting the car, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office (CCSO).
His final text message to his mother read "Mom, help," according to local news station WRAL.
What To Know
Pelletier was a recent graduate of Fuquay-Varina High School in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, WTVD reported.
When and Where He Was Last Seen
Pelletier was last seen on August 1 while on a family vacation in Englewood, Florida, before leaving around 1:30 a.m. to travel with his cousins toward Brevard County to visit more family, according to the CCSO.
The family said Pelletier was traveling with two cousins he never met and a third man, News 6 reported.
Last week, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey told reporters that the three had consistent stories.
"I, personally, do not know these boys, at all," another cousin, Morgan Hull, told reporters on Tuesday. "So, I can't comment on their character, but I do know that I would never leave someone on the side of the road."
A Change.org petition calling for the FBI to get involved in the case has received over 8,000 signatures.
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Search Efforts and Discovery
The MCSO said a family member was conducting a search when they saw what appeared to be a body partially submerged at the edge of a pond and notified officials.
Pelletier's body was found near where his cellphone last pinged, according to WRAL.
An autopsy was conducted on Sunday by District 12 Medical Examiner's Office. The sheriff's office said more forensic testing is needed before a positive identification can be made due to the advanced state of decomposition.
Officials said the medical examiner's office found no evidence of foul play or trauma during the autopsy.
What People Are Saying
Bridgette Pelletier, mother of Giovanni Pelletier, in Facebook post: "I am living every parent's worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves. We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we try to navigate this for his 4 younger siblings."
Billy Lane, president of We Are the Essentials, a group of former law enforcement and military members who assisted in the search, in comments to WRAL: "This shouldn't have happened. They should not have been the ones to have to locate their loved one."
What Happens Next?
The MCSO said detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led up to the discovery of the body.
Updated 8/13/2025 at 12:55 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information.
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