Terrifying two-word text mother received just moments before her son mysteriously disappeared
Giovanni Pelletier, 18, disappeared last Friday in the early hours of the morning while traveling on an interstate with his cousins in Englewood, a city about 45 minutes south of Sarasota, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
He was 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.
The Charlotte County and Brevard County Sheriff's Offices have launched an investigation to locate the missing teen, but his family says they haven't heard from him since.
Giovanni's phone and backpack were abandoned on the side of the highway, leaving his family with countless questions.
His mom, Bridgette, 34, told People that she saw the chilling text messages when she woke up at around 6:20 am on Friday.
Giovanni texted his mother twice, pleading for help, and tried to FaceTime and call her before 2 am.
The teen had also texted his aunt and father, asking for help when his mom didn't reply.
Bridgette told the publication that 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.'
Bridgette told People that Giovanni is 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 has 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's family has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for a reward and resources for the search.
'Giovanni is smart, kind, and full of life. He didn't deserve this,' the description reads.
'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.'
According to a missing persons poster shared by his family, Giovanni was last seen driving in a white Chevrolet Malibu to Mims.
He was wearing a Carhartt beanie, a white tank top, and black sweatpants. Giovanni is about 5'11 and weighs 140 lbs. The family is offering a reward for tips that lead to locating Giovanni.
Anyone with information on Giovanni's whereabouts is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency, which will relay it to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
Daily Mail reached out to local law enforcement for an update on the case.
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