The medical examiner’s office has identified the body found in
Florida as an 18-year-old from Fuquay-Varina.
A Thursday release from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office
in Florida said the medical examiner confirmed Giovanni Pelletier’s identity through
dental records and forensic testing.
“The cause of death remains undetermined pending toxicology
results, which are expected to take several weeks,” the sheriff’s office wrote
in a release. “Detectives are actively pursuing multiple leads to learn more
about the circumstances surrounding Peletier’s death.”
The sheriff’s office said there are no signs of foul play.
On Saturday, a preliminary investigation from the Manatee
County Sheriff’s Office determined
the body was Giovanni, but said it would need further testing.
In a post on Facebook on Saturday, family
members said they were the ones who found Giovanni.
According to the sheriff’s office, a family member was
conducting a search on Friday, Aug. 8 when they saw what appeared to be a body
partially submerged at the edge of the pond, and notified deputies.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said the teenager’s body
was discovered Friday in a retention pond at the southbound off-ramp of
Interstate 75 and State Route 70. Manatee County is about 30 miles south of the
city of St. Petersburg and about 45 miles south of the city of Tampa.
Before finding his body, Giovanni Pelletier was last seen on
Aug. 1 in Mims, Florida. Mims is about 43 miles east of Orlando. Pelletier’s
family was in Florida searching for him.
On Aug. 1, Giovanni texted
his family, “Mom, help.”
His aunt, Desiree Pelletier, told WRAL News the family was
in Englewood, Florida, on vacation visiting with Giovanni’s mother’s fiancée’s
family when Giovanni met up with his cousins early on Friday, Aug. 1.
The cousins are family from Giovanni’s estranged father’s
side.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said Giovanni went to
visit his cousins. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, the
cousins said he “suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle
and walking away.”
However, Desiree Pelletier said the family
has concerns about the cousins’ involvement.
On top of their concerns about the cousins possibly changing
their story, it’s the text message Giovanni sent to his mom, his grandfather
and another aunt on his father’s side.
“That makes my stomach feel like all those emotions and
feelings of what was he feeling in that moment?” Desiree Pelletier said.
“That’s why we’re just so terrified. We just want to find him. We want him
home.”
Desiree Pelletier said Giovanni’s mother had his location on
her phone, which was last pinged near a highway in Manatee County, Florida.
Desiree Pelletier said a truck driver picked
up Giovanni’s bag after seeing it on the side of the road, and it was
turned over to the police.
The investigation is ongoing.
