Missing Teen found Dead in Manatee County

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. – A missing teen with ties to Brevard County, who was found dead in manatee County earlier this month, was seen on traffic cameras running across I-75 before falling down a steep embankment into a retention pond, Sheriff Rick Wells said Tuesday.

Wells explained the case of Giovanni Pelletier, whose body was found August 8 in the retention pond near a Lowe’s hardware store. The body was first identified as Pelletier the next day, and the identification was confirmed last week, officials said.

Pelletier disappeared August 1 from Charlotte County under suspicious circumstances.

Wells said Pelletier’s cousin, who lives in Brevard County, and two others picked him up to take him to Brevard.

Wells said Pelletier and the others in the car smoked marijuana. According to the others, Pelletier then began to act strangely and aggressively, even saying he was a “demon” and threatening to kill them.

Pelletier texted his mother “help” twice.The second time, he added “me” to the message, Wells said.

The group was heading north on I-75 when Pelletier ran out of the car near mile marker 222. Traffic cameras showed him running across the highway.He then went over an embankment and into the retention pond.

Wells said the investigation is ongoing,but there is no evidence of foul play. The medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death.