Pelletier, who was from North Carolina, was first reported missing on Aug. 1 and was found dead in a retention pond in Manatee County on Aug. 8.
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies have disclosed additional details and video footage related to the unfortunate death of Giovanni Pelletier, an 18-year-old from North Carolina, who was discovered deceased in a retention pond in Manatee County.
The night Giovanni Pelletier went missing
In a Tuesday morning press briefing, Sheriff Rick Wells described the incident when Pelletier went missing on the night of Friday, Aug. 1. He had been traveling on I-75 with his cousin and friends after they picked him up in Charlotte County, heading towards Brevard County.
Wells said the group began smoking marijuana in the car, to which Pelletier had a bad reaction too.
According to deputies, the vehicle came to a halt when Pelletier’s cousin reported that Pelletier was behaving erratically, “raging” before eventually getting back into the car.
A friend of the cousins informed officials that Pelletier uttered the words, “I am a demon, and I will wreck this car,” while also threatening to kill everyone in the vehicle as he attempted to open the car door.
Pelletier also reportedly had a knife on him at the time but did not use it in this incident.
The vehicle stopped again on I-75 in Manatee County, at which point Pelletier exited and ran onto the southbound lanes, narrowly avoiding being struck by a passing truck. This marked the last time Pelletier was seen by his cousin and friends.
The cousin called Pelletier’s mother, Bridgette, at around 2:30 a.m., but she didn’t answer at the time.
The group continued their drive and eventually arrived in Brevard County. The cousin contacted Bridgette once more just before 7 a.m., and she answered, allowing him to recount the night’s events.
Bridgette then called 911 to ask for a wellness check where her son left the vehicle on I-75.
Law enforcement starts investigating
Nothing was found at the scene, but she was tracking her son’s phone and noticed it was moving to Tampa. Wells said a truck driver saw a backpack and a cell phone in that area and picked them up before heading to Tampa.
Authorities tracked down the driver who gave the items to them and confirmed it was the missing boy’s property. Then, law enforcement opened a missing persons case.
Pelletier’s body was later found in the retention pond on Friday, Aug. 8 and was identified as his the following day.
Footage of Giovanni Pelletier when he went missing
During the news conference, MCSO showed new footage from cameras that shows how Pelletier ended up near the area of a retention pond.
The traffic camera shows Pelletier attempting to cross the highway near where his cousin said he got out of the car before falling towards an embankment.
Another camera from a nearby Lowe’s showed Pelletier running down the embankment very fast before he could no longer be seen on camera.
Deputies said they still don’t know what happened when he reached the pond.
“There’s no one in this area with Giovanni,” Sheriff Wells said. “There’s no one that’s chasing him. He’s by himself.”
Authorities are still awaiting an official cause of death and a toxicology report. No charges have been made in this case.
