A decomposing body was found by authorities in search of a missing North Carolina teenager who vanished after sending his mother a disturbing text message reading, "Mom, help." The body of Giovanni Pelletier, 18, was found on Friday in a retention pond near I-75 in Florida, where he had gone to reunite with his estranged father and relatives.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) confirmed his identity on Saturday afternoon. His mother described the ordeal as "every parent's worst nightmare" and expressed frustration, pointing out that her son was found by a private investigator and not the police in a marshy area that authorities had previously claimed to have searched.
Grim Discovery
"My son was recently found after a desperate search by our family alone, and we are still facing an active investigation into his death," Bridgette Pelletier wrote on Facebook.
"I am living every parent's worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves."
Law enforcement had combed the marshy area near the southbound off-ramp by State Road 70—where the teen's body was later found—shortly after his disappearance on Aug. 1. However, it was ultimately a private investigative team hired by the family that traced his decomposing body.
According to the MCSO, detectives have "preliminarily determined" the body as that of the missing Pelletier, though additional testing is still needed.
Gulf Coast News reported that an autopsy is set to take place on Sunday.
Vacation Turns Tragic for Teen
Pelletier had been vacationing in Englewood with his mother and other family members when, around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1, three cousins picked him up to visit his father's relatives in Brevard County.
The cousins said he began behaving strangely during the trip, prompting them to pull over. At that point, he allegedly pulled out a knife, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
He then sent his mother two text messages—one pleading, "Mom help"—and also tried to call and FaceTime her, before reaching out to several other relatives for help.
Pelletier's phone and backpack were discovered abandoned along the roadside, later on August 1.
