The corpse of a missing youngster named Giovanni Pelletier was found close to the location in Florida where he was last seen.
On Friday, August 8, the corpse of a guy that looks to be rotting was discovered in a retention pond located off of Interstate 75 and State Road 70, according to Randy Warren, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), as reported by WWSB and WRAL.
At this moment, according to Warren, the authorities are unable to identify the identification of the deceased person. It was also reported by WWSB that he said that the police were keeping Giovanni’s family “informed of developments” in the investigation.
People attempted to get a remark from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, August 9, but they did not get a response right away.
According to a prior statement made by Giovanni’s mother to PEOPLE, the North Carolina adolescent went missing in Florida on Friday, August 1, soon after going there with his mother, Bridgette Pelletier, her fiance, Jeremy Brown, and four of Giovanni’s siblings.
Giovanni joined a text conversation with several of his paternal relatives before they left Raleigh, North Carolina. He made arrangements for some of them to pick him up in Englewood, Florida, and drive him to his grandfather’s home in Brevard County, which is located more than three hours away.
She said that she wanted to support her son’s wish to reconnect with his family, despite the fact that Bridgette had some qualms about Giovanni going about his business by himself.
Approximately thirty minutes after being picked up, Giovanni sent a text message to his mother, who was sleeping at the time. His mother had been preparing for an imminent pharmacy board test. The title of the text was “Mom help.”
According to Giovanni’s mother, the circumstances surrounding his abduction had been peculiar from the very beginning.
A message was left for Bridgette by Giovanni’s paternal grandpa, who said that the young men had gotten into a fight and that the cousins had abandoned Giovanni by the side of the road near Bradenton, which is located in Manatee County. Bridgette stated that the voicemail was sent by Giovanni’s grandfather. (The grandpa did not want to talk to People, and in addition, the cousins could not be found for comment.)
According to Bridgette, who spoke with PEOPLE, after getting in contact with some other members of the family, one of the cousins who had picked up Giovanni on August 1 said that the group had used marijuana together, and that Giovanni started to get anxious and swore at him.
This cousin also reportedly said that Giovanni brought out a knife during a disagreement that took place on the side of the road. He claimed that Giovanni was the one who pulled out the weapon. According to Bridgette, the cousin said that they physically pulled the knife away from Giovanni, who then fled the scene.
The conduct was characterized by Giovanni’s mother as being different from that of her son, and she said that she thought he most likely felt intimidated and outnumbered.
Her son, who is the oldest of her five children, was characterized by Bridgette as a protector by nature. This was due to the fact that he constantly looked out for other people, including one of his younger siblings who had autism.
