The search for Giovanni Pelletier, an 18-year-old from North Carolina who vanished while on vacation in Florida, has come to a tragic end. After more than a week of desperate searching by family, authorities, and volunteers, his body was discovered in a retention pond near the very spot where his belongings were found, closing a chapter that has gripped communities across two states and left many questions still unanswered.
Giovanni’s disappearance began in the early hours of August 1, 2025. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, he had been vacationing with family in Englewood, Florida, before leaving around 1:30 a.m. to visit relatives in Brevard County. The plan was simple enough: three cousins, whom Giovanni had not met in person before, drove down in a white Chevy Malibu from Mims to pick him up. Their relationship had previously been limited to text messages and FaceTime calls, but Giovanni was eager to connect with this side of his family.
Yet, the trip quickly took a turn for the worse. Just 21 minutes after leaving Englewood, Giovanni sent his mother a chilling text message: “Mom, help me.” According to Shelley Croft, a volunteer and licensed private investigator with the nonprofit group We Are The Essentials, Giovanni’s mother received the message shortly after he got on the road. “He wanted to kind of get to know that side of the family that he does not know,” Croft explained to WFLA. “They came down here to Englewood, picked him up, and 21 minutes after he left the home, he sent his mom a text message that said ‘Mom help me.’”
This would be the last direct contact Giovanni had with his family. The cousins told Charlotte County deputies that as they drove north on Interstate 75, Giovanni began acting erratically and suddenly got out of the car near the intersection with State Road 70 in Manatee County. He reportedly walked away from the vehicle, leaving his cellphone and backpack behind—both of which were later recovered by searchers in the area.
Authorities and volunteers quickly mobilized. The nonprofit We Are The Essentials, made up of retired law enforcement officers and private investigators, joined forces with Giovanni’s family, searching for four days across Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties. Their efforts included combing highways, checking wooded areas, and even following up on anonymous tips in Brevard County, where Giovanni was supposed to arrive. About 20 people joined the search off Hammock Road in Mims, using ATVs, drones, and good old-fashioned footwork. Despite these efforts, there was no sign of Giovanni.
Meanwhile, the case drew public attention and concern. Giovanni’s family, desperate for answers, increased the reward for information leading to his recovery to $25,000. “They are obviously stressed,” Croft told Nexstar’s WFLA. “They are missing their child and she will go to the end of the Earth to find her child. I can’t blame her. It doesn’t matter how old your child is, everybody deserves those answers.”
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey addressed the case in a press conference on August 8, clarifying the scope of the investigation. He stressed that the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office was the lead agency and that there was “no indication or evidence that Pelletier ever came to Brevard County.” The only connection to Brevard, he said, was that the three men Giovanni was to meet hailed from there. “If we had even the slightest indication that said he was out here, we would be out there searching,” Ivey said, emphasizing the agency’s readiness to assist if needed.
Back in Manatee County, the search reached a grim milestone. On August 8, deputies discovered a body in a retention pond at the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and State Road 70—the same area where Giovanni’s cellphone and backpack had been found. CBS 17 and WINK News reported that the body appeared to be male, but identification was initially pending. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the body was located near where Giovanni’s backpack had been found and stated that there was no immediate physical evidence of foul play. However, they noted that a full toxicology report could take up to six months to complete.
It was ultimately a private investigation group, hired by the Pelletier family, that located Giovanni’s body. This discovery brought a heartbreaking end to a search that had consumed the attention of family, friends, and concerned strangers alike. The area had been searched by authorities on the very first day of the effort, but it was the determination of the private group that led to the final, somber discovery.
Throughout the ordeal, Giovanni’s character shone through the words of those who knew him. “He’s not a kid that wants to stress you out for no reason,” his mother, Bridgette Pelletier, told WFLA. “He is not a kid that wants to bring up a problem. He will try to figure out everything on his own before he brings it to you as an issue. This isn’t just one person. Gio has such a domino effect on the people that are impacted by this. You can see how many people are trying to come together, so many strangers, anybody that met Gio. He lights up a room.”
Despite the emotional toll, the search effort was marked by community solidarity and an outpouring of support. Croft described the urgency and exhaustion felt by volunteers: “This is critical at this point. I mean, it is very critical, we have got to find him. Obviously we are a nonprofit so we are missing our full-time jobs right now, so we have to still keep our lights on, but we are doing the best we can with the resources that we have.”
Authorities, meanwhile, continue to ask anyone with information to come forward. The nonprofit group and law enforcement urged drivers with dashcam footage from the area around 1:30 a.m. on August 1 to review their videos for a white Chevy Malibu or anyone walking along the interstate. “That may be able to help us narrow down timeline of when they were at a certain [location] and when Giovanni got out of the vehicle and if he was still in it at that point,” Croft explained.
For now, Giovanni Pelletier’s family is left with grief and unanswered questions. The official investigation remains open pending toxicology results, and the circumstances surrounding his final hours are still unclear. But the collective efforts of his family, volunteers, and the broader community stand as a testament to the impact one young man can have—and the lengths people will go to bring a loved one home.
