Body of teen boy found after he sent chilling text to his mom
His decomposing remains were found in a retention pond off I-75 and State Road 70 on Friday, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. The body was formally identified on Saturday afternoon.
The area where he was found had been searched by authorities on the first day of search efforts, but the body was ultimately located by a private investigation group hired by the Pelletier family.
Authorities said positive identification is pending further testing, and an autopsy is scheduled for Sunday, reports Gulf Coast News.
Giovanni vanished on Friday, August 1 while visiting Florida with his mother, Bridgette Pelletier, her fiance, and his four siblings.
Before leaving Raleigh, North Carolina he had arranged via text with paternal relatives to pick him up in Englewood, Florida and take him to his grandfather's home in Brevard County, more than three hours away.
Bridgette said she was hesitant to let her son travel alone but wanted to support his wish to reconnect with family.
But within 30 minutes of being picked up, Giovanni sent her a chilling text message.
According to Bridgette, Giovanni's paternal grandfather later left her a voicemail alleging that there had been an altercation and that the teen's cousins had left him on the side of the road in Bradenton, Manatee County.
He had been in the car with his cousins on his father's side when he 'suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR70,' the sheriff's office said.
Giovanni's phone and backpack were abandoned on the side of the highway, leaving his family devastated and without answers to his whereabouts.
His mom, Bridgette, 34, told People that she saw the text messages when she woke up at around 6.20am, hours after he had texted around 2.am. He had also tried to FaceTime her.
The teenager had also texted his aunt and father, asking for help when his mom didn't reply.
Bridgette said she also received a missed call from one of Giovanni's cousins, who was in the car with him when he vanished.
'He only called me that one time,' she said. 'And then no effort was made to communicate with me. No effort was made to come back to the house to let me know.'
The family launched a GoFundMe to raise money for a reward and resources for the search.
Hours after his body was identified on Saturday, his mother posted a statement to social media.
She said: 'My son was recently found after a desperate search by our family alone, and we are still facing an active investigation into his death. I am living every parent's worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves. Any funds raised now will provide crucial support to cover funeral, medical, and legal costs as we struggle to honor his memory through this unimaginable heartbreak.'
Bridgette told how Giovanni was from North Carolina, but was visiting his dad's side of the family in Florida.
His parents were never married, but he was born in Florida and lived there until he was four years old.
When he turned 18, Bridgette said he wanted to get to know his father's family.
'He was craving the culture and the background from his dad's side of the family, and I couldn't give that to him,' she said.
Bridgette added that there had been little communication with Giovanni's relatives and that they haven't helped them look for her son.
After he disappeared, she said his paternal grandfather left her a message that there was an altercation on the side of the road between the cousins, and to 'let him know when I found Giovanni.'
Bridgette said that one of Giovanni's cousins told her that they were smoking marijuana, and he started to panic.
The cousin claimed Giovanni pulled out a knife on the side of the road, which Bridgette said was unlike her son.
Giovanni's aunt, Desiree, shared on Facebook that he was with three boys when he disappeared, whom he had never met in person.
Desiree posted a video on social media pleading for the public's help, and dismissing theories that her nephew was a runaway.
'Giovanni is smart, kind, and full of life. He didn't deserve this,' the description read.
'Our family is devastated, terrified, and doing everything in our power to bring him home - but we're receiving very little help from officials, and we are being forced to search on our own.'
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