Giovanni Pelletier, missing Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina teen found dead in Florida pond as boy's mom, Bridgette Pelletier faults police for failing to find the missing teen amid questions about his cousins. Autopsy to determine cause of death underway.
A missing North Carolina teen boy has been found dead at a Florida pond more than a week after sending his family a desperate text for help.
The remains of Giovanni Pelletier, 18, of Fuquay-Varina, N.C, were discovered Friday in a retention pond off I-75 in Florida according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO).
The macabre discovery comes after the teen traveling to Florida to connect with his estranged father and family. Yet at some point Pelletier had sent his mother a text, pleading, 'Mom, help,' before going off the radar, WRAL previously reported.
The teen's mother said she was living 'every parent's worst nightmare,' with the parent faulting local police for failing to find her missing son, with the teen found by a hired private eye in a swampy area that authorities claimed they had already scoured.
'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.'
An autopsy to determine the cause of death of the missing teen is scheduled for Sunday, Gulf Coast News reported.
Pelletier was vacationing with his mother and other relatives in Englewood before he was picked up by three cousins at around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 to visit his father's family in Brevard County.
On the way, the cousins claimed the teenager started acting erratically before they pulled over to the side of the road and he pulled out a knife, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
He sent two texts to his mother at the time, including one begging her, 'Mom help,' and tried calling and FaceTiming her, before reaching out to various relatives for help.
Pelletier's backpack and phone were found by the side of the road later on Aug. 1.
The missing boy's body was found near an area where his cellphone was last pinged.
Desiree Pelletier has since said the family has concerns about the cousins' involvement in Giovanni Pelletier's death. The parent has also expressed the response from her son's paternal family was inadequate, along with no one willingly coming forward with information or to ask after her and her family's well-being.
Anyone with information can contact the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office at 941-639-2101.