Latest news with #GiovanniPelletier
Fox News
4 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.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Body found in search for Florida teen who mysteriously vanished after sending two-word text to his mom
Authorities in Florida have found the body of missing North Carolina teen Giovanni Pelletier, 18, in a tragic end to the week-long search for the teen. 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 fiancé, 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: 'Mom help.' 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 chilling text messages when she woke up at around 6:20am, hours after he had texted around 2am. He had also tried to FaceTime her. The teen 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. '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.'
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Giovanni Pelletier Missing: Teen Sent Chilling Text Prior to Disappearing
An 18-year-old boy from North Carolina has not been seen or heard from since Aug. 1--the same day he sent his mother a frightening two-word text message. Giovanni Pelletier was on a family trip to Florida with his mother, Bridgette Pelletier, her fiancé, Jeremy Brown, and Giovanni's four younger siblings, when he vanished in the early morning hours of last Friday. The purpose of the trip was for Pelletier to connect with his father's side of the family after years of estrangement, his mother told PEOPLE. Bridgette Pelletier said her son had arranged for three of his cousins on his father's side to pick him up from where he was staying in Englewood, Fla. They did that at around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1. A short time later, things got worrisome. 'Mom help' Bridgette said that within 30 minutes of being picked up by his cousins, Giovanni texted her twice. One of the messages simply said "Mom help." Giovanni also tried calling his mother at 1:56 a.m. and one minute later on FaceTime, Bridgette told PEOPLE. The teen also reached out to his aunt and grandfather when he couldn't reach her. Bridgette did not see the calls and messages until 6:20 a.m. Friday when she awoke. She also says there was a missed call from one of the cousins who had picked Giovanni up. "He only called me that one time," she told PEOPLE of her son's cousin. "And then no effort was made to communicate with me. No effort was made to come back to the house to let me know." Troubling stories emerge Later on, Bridgette said Giovanni's paternal grandfather left her a voicemail claiming her son had an altercation with his cousins, who left him on the side of the road in Bradenton. The grandfather said he did not have all the information but wished to be notified of when Giovanni was located. Eventually, the cousin who had attempted to call Bridgette early Friday morning got in touch with her. He says Giovanni got into an argument with them over smoking marijuana and it led to a fight on the roadside, during which the boy says Giovanni pulled out a knife "When that happened, they said they wrestled the knife from him, and then my son took off running," Bridgette said. Bridgette says she recovered her son's phone and backpack, which had been left at the side of the road. "My son eats, sleeps, showers, breathes his phone," she added, saying he wouldn't have left it there. A reward is being offered So far, a $10,000 reward has been offered, and a GoFundMe has been started to help aid the search efforts. Nearly $9,000 has been raised as of Thursday afternoon. The investigation into Giovanni's disappearance spans from North Carolina down to Manatee County, Florida. 'We do not have any updates on this investigation and continue to ask anyone with information to come forward,' a Charlotte County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told the New York Post. Bridgette also expressed disappointment with the law enforcement search efforts for her son and said she believes the boy's cousins know more than they are saying. "None of these kids that were with him have tried to call me and ask me if I found him, asked me if he's okay, asked me anything," she said. Giovanni Pelletier Missing: Teen Sent Chilling Text Prior to Disappearing first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 7, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Decomposing Body Found Near Area Where Missing Teen Giovanni Pelletier Was Last Seen
The 18-year-old was last seen when he was picked up in Englewood, Fla., by three cousins on Aug. 1NEED TO KNOW Authorities have discovered a body near the area where missing teen Giovanni Pelletier was last seen in Florida The 18-year-old has been missing since Aug. 1 Giovanni's mother said her son expressed interest in reconnecting with paternal relatives and arranged to be picked up by some of them before he disappearedA body has been discovered near the area where missing teen Giovanni Pelletier was last seen in Florida. The decomposing body of what appears to be a male was found in a retention pond off of I-75 and State Road 70 on Friday, Aug. 8, according to spokesperson Randy Warren of the Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), per WWSB and WRAL. Warren said authorities cannot confirm the identity of the body at this time. He added that police were keeping Giovanni's family 'informed of developments' in the case, per WWSB. PEOPLE reached out to the MCSO for comment on Saturday, Aug. 9, but did not receive an immediate response. The North Carolina teen went missing in Florida on Friday, Aug. 1, shortly after traveling there with his mom, Bridgette Pelletier, her fiancé, Jeremy Brown, and Giovanni's four siblings, his mom previously told PEOPLE. Before they left Raleigh, N.C., Giovanni joined a text chat with some of his paternal relatives, arranging for some of them to pick him up in Englewood, Fla., to take him to his grandfather's house in Brevard County, more than three hours away. Although Bridgette had her reservations about Giovanni going alone, she said she wanted to support her son's desire to reconnect with his family. Within 30 minutes of being picked up, Giovanni texted his mother, who had been studying for an upcoming pharmacy board exam and was asleep. The text read: "Mom help." The circumstances surrounding Giovanni's disappearance had been strange from the start, according to his mom. Bridgette said that Giovanni's paternal grandfather left her a voicemail alleging that there had been an altercation between the young men and that the cousins had left Giovanni on the side of the road in Bradenton in Manatee County. (The grandfather declined to comment to PEOPLE, while the cousins could not be reached.) Bridgette told PEOPLE that after getting in touch with some more family members, one of the cousins who had picked Giovanni up on Aug. 1 said the group had smoked marijuana together and that Giovanni began to panic and cursed at him. The cousin also allegedly said that a confrontation occurred on the side of the road, at which point, he claimed, Giovanni pulled out a knife. Bridgette said the cousin claimed they wrestled the knife from Giovanni, who then ran off. Giovanni's mom described the behavior as unlike her son and said she believed he likely felt threatened and outnumbered. Bridgette described her son, the eldest of her five kids, as a protector by nature because he always looked out for others, including one of his younger brothers who has autism. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
North Carolina teen missing after Florida family vacation
It has been one week since 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier disappeared while on his way to Brevard County, Florida. According to Charlotte County investigators, Pelletier was traveling with his cousins after being picked up in Englewood. The relatives told authorities that the teen began acting erratically and got out of their vehicle near State Road 70 in Manatee County. Family members say Giovanni sent multiple text messages asking for help shortly after leaving the vehicle. No one has heard from him since. 'Nothing. There's been zero. There's been a hundred thousand tips, if you could say—but nothing leads to him. Nothing at all,' said his cousin, Morgan Hull. Earlier this week, one of those tips prompted a search in Mims, Florida. However, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey says there is no evidence to suggest Pelletier was ever in Brevard County. 'Some of his items—a backpack, a school bag, and a telephone—were found on the interstate in Manatee County, I believe,' Ivey said. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, which is leading the investigation, asked Brevard deputies to assist in contacting the cousins who were last with Giovanni. Sheriff Ivey says their accounts were consistent, and they allowed investigators to search their vehicle. 'We had our crime scene team go through it and reported back to Charlotte County that there was no evidence of any type of wrongdoing,' Ivey explained. Pelletier's family is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his location or for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his disappearance. 'We just want to find him. Bottom line—it doesn't matter how. We just want him home,' Hull said. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Solve the daily Crossword
