Latest news with #ManateeCountySheriff'sOffice
The Hill
3 days ago
- The Hill
Body of missing teen found in Florida after he texted mom for help
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA / WNCN) —A body found near a Florida retention pond is confirmed to be that of a teenager who went missing last week while visiting family. According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, preliminary evidence collected from the scene has identified the body as 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier. The teen's family also confirmed the identification on social media. Pelletier, of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, was last seen walking away from a vehicle along Interstate 75 in Manatee County on Aug. 1, prompting a statewide search for the teen. On Friday, law enforcement located the body in a retention pond at the southbound off-ramp of I-75 and State Road 70. Pelletier was visiting Florida to meet up with 'his father's side of the family,' Jeremy Brown, the teen's stepfather, told Nexstar's WFLA. He was excited to go, but texted his mother, Bridgette Pelletier, shortly after leaving with his cousins. 'He was picked up by three cousins that came from Mims, [Florida],' volunteer and licensed private investigator Shelley Croft explained to WFLA while the search for Pelletier was ongoing. 'He wanted to kind of get to know that side of the family that he does not know. They had only communicated via text messages and FaceTime calls. They came down here to Englewood, picked him up, and 21 minutes after he left the home, he sent his mom a text message that said 'Mom help me.'' Those cousins told Charlotte County deputies that as they were heading north on Interstate 75, Giovanni began acting erratically before getting out of the car and walking away. They said this happened in the area near State Road 70 in Manatee County. Later that night, Giovanni texted his mother and other family members. His cellphone and backpack were ultimately located in the same area he had last been seen. 'I am living every parent's worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves,' Bridgette wrote on Facebook, according to Nexstar's WNCN. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday. The cause of death is still unknown.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Giovanni Pelletier body found: How did the 18-year-old die? Here's what we know
After the decomposing body of a teenager was found in the area where Giovanni Pelletier went missing on August 1, the teen's mother confirmed in a Facebook post that the body was of her son. Earlier, police in Manatee County, Florida, where Pelletier went missing, had confirmed on August 8 that a body had been found, but its identity remained unconfirmed. Giovanni Pelletier. On Saturday, Giovanni Pelletier's mother, Bridgette Pelletier, confirmed in a Facebook post that the body found in Manatee County belonged to Pelletier. The case remains under investigation and the Manatee County Sheriff's Office is yet to reveal the cause of death. "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.' The 18-year-old, originally from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, went missing from Englewood in Florida, where he was vacationing with his family. He was last seen at 1:30 a.m. on August 1 as he left with his cousins to visit relatives in Brevard County. His body was found in a retention pond near Interstate 75 and State Road 70 on Friday in Manatee County, Florida. The area was close to where Pelletier's mobile phone and backpack were found a day after he went missing. He had sent a text to his mothers and other relatives seeking help, just before he went missing. Also read: Giovanni Pelletier found? Body fished out of pond near where missing teen's bag was found Giovanni Pelletier's Cousins Under Scanner On that fateful night of August 1, when Pelletier went missing, he had left in a car with his cousins from the family of his estranged biological father. He was last seen as he left in a vehicle with the cousins for the trip to Brevard County. However, shortly into the trip, he sent messages seeking help to his mother, aunt and grandfather. As a result, Pelletier's cousins have come under the scanner with possible details behind his disappearance and death. However, the authorities in Florida have not revealed any details behind the probe. The body was found after the family organized a search for the teen, in which as many as 12 locals volunteered.
New York Post
5 days 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.
New York Post
25-07-2025
- New York Post
Florida boater tried to kill wife by throwing her overboard after his line snapped on fishing trip — but she clung to boat and survived
The fishing line snapped — and so did he. A Florida boater tried to kill his wife and dump her body at sea after being set off by a snapped line during a fishing trip — but the bloodied victim clung to the back of the boat and was dragged to shore alive, according to cops. Douglas Naeher, 60, and his unidentified wife of three years took their boat out 33 miles off the coast of Bean Point on Sunday. Advertisement The husband appeared terse and angry when they pushed off from their private dock at their Holmes Beach pad, the victim told the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, according to court documents. Douglas Naeher, 60, beat his wife and attempted to leave her in a watery grave off the Florida coast, cops said. Manatee County Sheriff's Office While casting off from a 'bean bag chair' on the back of the 30-foot Sterling boat, the 60-year-old's fishing line snapped — sending him into a violent, malevolent rage. Advertisement To avoid being attacked, the victim jumped in the water — holding a rope tied to the vessel and using a pool noodle to float, the court documents stated. Naeher untied the rope and zoomed off, seemingly leaving his wife to die at sea — but returned to get her after seeing another boat in the distance, the victim told cops. When she climbed back on board, Naeher repeatedly punched her in the head and then stomped on her head with both feet multiple times when she crumpled to the deck, she said. The battered wife said she played dead to avoid further wrath, but Naeher continued his assault — dragging her by the hair to the rear of the boat where he attempted to strangle and drown her in the water, court docs said. Advertisement 'I'm going to kill you,' Naeher allegedly shouted while throttling her neck with both hands and submerging her head. The couple's Holmes Beach home has a private dock connected to a canal. GoogleMaps He reportedly fled the scene, believing he had left her behind in the deep ocean. But the woman refused to accept the watery grave and never gave up her fight for survival. The unidentified woman interlocked her feet around a ladder attached to the rear of the vessel, allowing her to trail the boat while struggling for breath, she told cops. Advertisement Eventually, she was able to climb back onto the boat using the ladder when Naeher made an unexpected stop. However, the heartless hubby noticed her battered body, punched and stomped on her some more, and then pushed her back overboard, according to court docs. For a second time, the woman clung to the back of the boat, this time mooring herself by the ankle using a line dangling off the back of the ship. The 60-year-old proceeded to shore and docked his boat, unaware that he had dragged his bloodied intended victim back to their Holmes Beach home. The intrepid survivor was able to pull herself onboard a third time while the boat docked and swiftly fled from her husband's clutches and towards the Holmes Beach Police Department. She was treated at Blake Hospital for injuries, including a right eye swollen completely shut, multiple contusions, bruises on her neck and arms, and a severe concussion. Naeher was arrested on Monday and is charged with attempted first-degree murder, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (7233) or text START to 88788.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Florida teacher, 28, accused of sending lewd photo to middle school student via social media
A Florida middle school teacher allegedly sent a nude image of herself to a 14-year-old student, authorities said. Oliver Fell, 28, who taught at Carlos E. Haile Middle School in Brandenton, is charged with lewd conduct with a student by an authority figure and transmission of harmful material to a minor, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office said. Investigators launched a probe in March after the student reported the allegations on March 3 to a school resource deputy that Fell had been allegedly talking with the boy via Snapchat since December 2024. Florida Elementary School Teacher Placed On Leave After Attending 'White Lie Party' With 200 Kids: Officials She allegedly sent an explicit photo of her breasts to the student on Jan. 2. The allegations were reported to the School District of Manatee County and the sheriff's office. "After obtaining a search warrant and receiving permission to access data from phones and social media accounts, detectives discovered evidence indicating that the communications led to lewd conduct involving the victim," the sheriff's office said. Read On The Fox News App Fell turned herself in to authorities on Monday after a warrant was issued for her arrest. She remains in custody on a $2,500 bond. Florida Assistant Principal Arrested After Making 13-Year-old Student Rub Her Feet 'Like He Loved Her': Police Irene Nikitopoulos, the principal at Carlos E. Haile Middle School, acknowledged the matter in a letter to parents. She said it "took several weeks of investigation to confirm the allegations of the illegal communications" and that Fell was reassigned. She said the district continues to cooperate with the investigation. Fox News Digital has reached out to the school article source: Florida teacher, 28, accused of sending lewd photo to middle school student via social media
