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.
“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.
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.
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.
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