A body discovered in Florida “is preliminarily determined” to be Giovanni Pelletier, 18, who family members reported missing in Florida.
“Positive identification is pending further testing. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday,” reads a Manatee County Sheriff’s Department press release, which notes the cause of death is not known.
The body was discovered in a retention pond at the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and SR 70, the release states. That was not far from where Pelletier’s backpack had been found, according to ABC 11, The News & Observer’s news partner.
ABC 11 previously reported that Pelletier graduated from Fuquay-Varina High School and went missing in Florida early on Aug. 1 after meeting up with family he had not spent time with before.
Pelletier was visiting Florida with his mother and her fiance and wanted to reconnect with relatives from his father’s family, Desiree Pelletier, who is Giovanni’s aunt and a sister of his mother, ABC 11 previously reported.
The aunt said three young men picked him up at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 to take him on a three-hour drive to their house in Mims, Florida, ABC 11 previously reported.
His family was told he was dropped off instead in Bradenton, Florida, which is in Manatee County, ABC 11 reported.
Mims is in Brevard County. During a press conference on Friday, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said his department had spoken with the three who picked up Pelletier in Charlotte County and they said he’d acted “kind of out of control”.
Department members examined the vehicle driven to pick up Pelletier and found “no evidence” of foul play, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said he was aware that Pelletier had texted his mother asking for help that night.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
