NEED TO KNOW
- The 18-year-old boy who went missing in Florida earlier this month has been confirmed dead
- Giovanni Pelletier’s family confirmed his death to ABC 11 on Aug. 9, one day after a decomposing body was discovered near the area where the teenager was last seen
- The young man, who was previously described as a protector, was a brother to four younger siblings
Giovanni Pelletier, a teen who went missing in Florida earlier this month, has been confirmed dead.
His family confirmed his death to ABC 11 on Saturday, Aug. 9, one day after a decomposing body was discovered near the area where the teenager was last seen.
Police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that authorities “preliminarily determined” the body found belongs to Giovanni. They added, per ABC 11, that there wasn’t any immediate physical evidence found that suggested foul play was involved in the tragedy.
An autopsy is now scheduled to be performed, according to police, while the investigation remains ongoing. The cause of death is currently unknown.
Giovanni’s mother, Bridgette Pelletier, told ABC 11 that she and the rest of her family, which includes her eldest son’s four younger siblings, are asking for privacy as they plan final arrangements.
Giovanni, from North Carolina, went missing in Florida on Friday, Aug. 1, shortly after traveling there with his mom, her fiancé, Jeremy Brown, and his siblings, Bridgette previously told PEOPLE.
Before leaving Raleigh, Giovanni joined a text chat with a group of his paternal relatives, arranging for some of them to pick him up in Englewood, Fla., and bring him to his grandfather’s house in Brevard County, more than three hours away.
Within 30 minutes of being picked up, Giovanni texted his mother, who had been studying for an upcoming pharmacy board exam and was asleep: “Mom help.”
Bridgette previously said she was worried about Giovanni going alone, but she wanted to support her son as he reconnected with his family.
Bridgette told PEOPLE that Giovanni’s paternal grandfather left her a voicemail alleging that there had been an altercation between the young men, and that the cousins had left the teenager on the side of the road in Bradenton in Manatee County. (The grandfather previously declined to comment to PEOPLE, while the cousins could not be reached.)
The mom also said that, after getting in touch with some more family members, she learned that one of the cousins who picked Giovanni up on Aug. 1 said the group had smoked marijuana together, and Giovanni later began to panic and curse at him.
The cousin also allegedly said that a confrontation occurred on the side of the road. He claimed Giovanni pulled out a knife, and after he wrestled the item away from Giovanni, the teenager ran off.
Giovanni’s mom described the behavior as unlike her son. She added that she believed he likely felt threatened and outnumbered.
A body of what appeared to be a male was later found in a retention pond off of I-75 and State Road 70, near the area where Giovanni was last seen, on Friday, Aug. 8, Randy Warren of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Warren added that authorities could not confirm the identity of the body at the time, and police were keeping Giovanni’s family “informed of developments” in the case, per WWSB .
Giovanni was a recent graduate of Fuquay-Varina High School, whom his mom previously remembered as a protector.
She said in a social media post that she was “living every parent’s worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves.”
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