Latest news with #BridgettePelletier
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Every parent's worst nightmare': Tragic end to search for missing North Carolina teen who sent chilling final text to mom
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. '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.' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Every parent's worst nightmare': Tragic end to search for missing North Carolina teen who sent chilling final text to mom
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. '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.'
The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Every parent's worst nightmare': Tragic end to search for missing North Carolina teen who sent chilling final text to mom
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. '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.'
New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Decomposing body found in search for missing NC teen: ‘Every parent's worst nightmare'
A decomposing body has been found in the search for a North Carolina teen who vanished after sending his mom an alarming text message, pleading, 'Mom, help.' The remains of Giovanni Pelletier, 18, were discovered Friday in a retention pond off I-75 in Florida, where he had traveled to connect with his estranged dad and family. His body was formally identified Saturday afternoon, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO). The teen's mother said she was living 'every parent's worst nightmare,' angrily noting that her son was found by a private eye in a swampy area that authorities said they'd already scoured. '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 wrote on Facebook. 3 Giovanni Pelletier was last seen on Aug. 1 after disappearing on a road trip with his cousins. GoFundMe 'I am living every parent's worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves.' Authorities had searched the swampy area close to the southbound off-ramp near State Road 70 where the teenager's body was discovered not long after he went missing on Aug. 1, but his body was ultimately found by a private investigation group hired by the family. Detectives have 'preliminarily determined' the body to be that of the missing Pelletier, pending further testing, according to the MCSO. 3 His mom, Bridgette Pelletier, has accused the cousins of not doing enough to find her son. Facebook / Bridgette Pelletier An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday, Gulf Coast News reports. Pelletier was vacationing with his mother and other relatives in Englewood before he was picked up by three cousins at around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 to visit his father's family in Brevard County. 3 A $10,000 reward was previously offered for information leading to Giovanni's discovery or an arrest and conviction. Facebook / Bridgette Pelletier On the way, the cousins claimed the teenager started acting erratically before they pulled over to the side of the road and he pulled out a knife, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. He sent two texts to his mother at this time, including one begging her, 'Mom help,' and tried calling and FaceTiming her, before reaching out to various relatives for help. Pelletier's backpack and phone were found by the side of the road later on Aug. 1.
Fox News
21 hours ago
- Fox News
North Carolina teen's body discovered in Florida one week after he vanished with chilling final message
The body of a missing North Carolina teen has been found in Florida, where he disappeared more than a week ago after sending a disturbing final message to his mother, according to family and officials. Giovanni Pelletier, 18, was found dead in a retention pond near the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and State Road 70 on Friday, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office told FOX13 Tampa on Saturday. His backpack and cellphone were found nearby the previous day. Pelletier's mother, Bridgette Pelletier, confirmed the body of her son was found in a Facebook post. "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. "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." Pelletier's cause of death was not immediately known. Pelletier, who lived in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, with his family, was last seen on Aug. 1 while on vacation with his family in Englewood, Florida, when he left around 1:30 a.m. to visit relatives in Brevard County, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said. The teen had left in a vehicle with cousins from his estranged biological father's side of the family, WRAL News reported. But shortly into the trip, Pelletier sent a chilling text message to his mother: "Mom, help." He reportedly sent similar messages to his grandfather and an aunt on his father's side. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said the cousins said Pelletier "suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR70" in Manatee County. Pelletier family members from North Carolina immediately began searching for the missing 18-year-old. Nearly two dozen others joined the search effort on Monday, using ATVs and drones, FOX13 reported. Pelletier's aunt, Desiree Pelletier, told WRAL News on Thursday, before the teen's body was found, that the family was concerned about the involvement of the cousins after she claimed they changed their story. "How on earth are we supposed to be okay with these three boys saying this is what happened and then they change it?" she told the station. "How are we supposed to be okay and not go for the possibility of something happened to him?" The white Chevy Malibu that Pelletier had traveled in with his cousins has been seized by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, according to FOX13. No further details about the investigation were immediately available.
