BODY FOUND — BELIEVED TO BE GIOVANNI

BODY FOUND — BELIEVED TO BE GIOVANNI 🚨

The heartbreaking case of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier has taken a tragic turn, with authorities reporting that a body has been found and is believed to be Giovanni’s. This devastating development comes after days of desperate searching, conflicting accounts, and unanswered questions. Below is a detailed timeline of the events leading up to his disappearance, as told by his mother, Bridgette Pelletier.

Timeline – Disappearance of Giovanni Pelletier

Late July 2025
Giovanni travels from North Carolina to Englewood, Florida with his mother, her fiancé, and his four siblings. Eager to connect with relatives from his biological father’s side, he expresses interest in meeting them for the first time.

Before August 1
Giovanni joins a group chat with his paternal relatives and arranges for three cousins to pick him up.

August 1

• 1:30 a.m. — The three paternal cousins arrive and pick Giovanni up. His mother is asleep, but her fiancé sees him leave.
• 1:51 a.m. — Giovanni sends a chilling text to his mother:
  “Mom help.”
• 1:56–1:57 a.m. — Giovanni calls and FaceTimes his mother repeatedly. When he cannot reach her, he messages his sister and grandfather.
• ~2:30 a.m. — One of the cousins calls Giovanni’s mother, but she is asleep and misses the call.
• 6:20 a.m. — Upon waking, Giovanni’s mother sees the missed messages and calls back, but receives no clear answers.
• Morning — Giovanni’s paternal grandfather leaves a voicemail explaining there was “an altercation,” and the cousins left Giovanni on the side of the road in Bradenton, Manatee County.
• Later that morning — Using GPS tracking from Giovanni’s phone, his mother locates his backpack and phone abandoned on the roadside. Giovanni was known never to go anywhere without his phone.
• Same day — One cousin claims they smoked marijuana with Giovanni, that he “panicked,” cursed at the driver, pulled a knife, and ran after they wrestled it away from him.

August 2
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office issues a statement supporting the cousins’ story of Giovanni “acting erratically.” They confirm he exited the car near State Road 70 in Manatee County, but omit mention of the phone and backpack discovery or the conflicting accounts. Notably, one cousin provided a false name to authorities.

Following days
Giovanni’s family and volunteers launch multiple search efforts across several counties. The three cousins do not participate in the search.

Current Status
Giovanni remains missing. A $25,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his location or to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for his disappearance.

Community Reactions

The case has sparked widespread outrage and sorrow across social media and local communities:

• Rose Michelle: “Nooo 🥺 I’m praying it isn’t him 🙏🏼🙏🏼 I’m praying they can find him safe and bring him home to his mom!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼 This is such a sad nightmare as a mom 😢😢”
• Pam McCombs Watson: “God please bless this young man and all who loved him. Please let the ones who did this to him be caught and prosecuted. Amen”
• Angela Morrow: “I don’t believe not one word of that story SMH”
• Isaac Jnxbp: “Meeting them at 1:30 am was a 🚩 hole Jew found safely”
• Debbie Allman McGhee: “I’m praying it’s not him and shame on those cousins who left him. I don’t care what he did — call for help, he obviously was having a reaction to the marijuana if any of their stories are true!”
• Cheryl Bazemore McDunnell: “Sooo sorry… God help him have justice!”

This case continues to raise more questions than answers. The discrepancies in the cousins’ statements, the late-night timing of the pickup, the sudden panic described, and the abandonment of Giovanni’s belongings paint a troubling picture.

The family and community await official confirmation regarding the identity of the body and hope for a full and transparent investigation that uncovers the truth about what happened to Giovanni in those crucial final hours.

If you have any information that could assist the investigation, please come forward — Giovanni’s family is desperate for justice and closure.