More testing needed on body believed to be NC teen who disappeared in Florida, medical examiner says :: WRAL.com

Medical examiners on Sunday said they need to do more testing to confirm if a body found on Friday belongs to a North Carolina teen who went missing last week.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, a medical examiner with the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office in Sarasota, Florida, has not yet made an official identification on the body believed to be 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, in a release provided to WRAL News, said while the medical examiner did not officially identify the body as Giovanni, “no foul play or trauma was found during the autopsy.”

The sheriff’s office said the cause and manner of death are still under investigation and pending a toxicology report.

Family members of Pelletier told WRAL News on Friday that they found his body in a pond. According to the sheriff’s office, a family member was conducting a search on Friday when they saw what appeared to be a body partially submerged at the edge of the pond, and notified deputies.

On Saturday, a preliminary investigation from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office determined the body was Giovanni, but said it would need further testing.

Detectives said they believed the body had been in the pond for several days before floating to the surface. 

‘Mom, help’: Last text from Fuquay-Varina teen before vanishing in Florida has family concerned

Giovanni was last seen on Aug. 1 in Mims, Florida, near Orlando. His aunt, Destinee Pelletier, told WRAL News that the family was in Englewood, Florida on vacation visiting Giovanni’s grandmother’s fiancée’s family when Giovanni met up with his cousins early Friday morning.

On Aug. 1, Giovanni texted his family, “Mom, help.”

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Giovanni went to visit his cousins. The cousins told the sheriff’s office that 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.

Anyone with information can contact the Charlotte County
Sheriff’s Office at 941-639-2101.