The family of a missing teenager are deeply concerned and have shared his final texts, which have led to an intense and urgent search effort.
Concerns are growing for 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier from North Carolina, who vanished on August 1 after visiting some family members late in the evening in Englewood, Florida.
Giovanni was eager to meet relatives from his estranged father’s side and made arrangements for three cousins he hadn’t met previously to pick him up around 1:30 a.m.
But just 30 minutes after he left the small town of Nims, he began sending multiple members of his family desperate text messages begging for help.
Aunt Desiree emotionally told The U.S. Sun that “no one is resting” until Giovanni is found.
She revealed he sent a series of worrying SOS messages, writing “Help me,” before frantically sending “me” repeatedly to an aunt.
The U.S. Sun understands the calls for help were received by mom Bridgette, his aunt Katelyn, and his grandfather.
“This isn’t like him,” Desiree noted. “He’s such a good boy. The message was hastily written—it seemed like he was trying to send it quickly. He was asking for help.”
Bridgette awoke at 6:20 a.m. to see the texts, noting a missed call from one cousin who was in the car with her son before his disappearance.
A voicemail from his paternal grandfather mentioned a dispute between the cousins and Giovanni, which reportedly ended with him brandishing a knife and fleeing into the night.
After her attempts to contact Giovanni failed, Bridgette began to trace his location using his phone’s GPS data.
Upon arriving at the designated spot, she discovered his bag, phone, and backpack abandoned on the roadside, which set alarm bells ringing.
WORRYING RED FLAGS
She reportedly claimed her beloved son would never have left these items behind, noting his constant attachment to his phone.
One of the cousins also allegedly told her how the group smoked marijuana together, before events took a dramatic turn for the worse. There have been reports of a confrontation at the side of the road.
“When that happened, they said they wrestled the knife from him, and then my son took off running,” Bridgette told People.
A contradictory statement from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office on August 2, however, claimed Giovanni “suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR70” in Manatee County.
Desiree, who lives in Mississippi but traveled to Florida with her two children to help with the search effort, is alarmed by the story of his disappearance being “changed multiple times” by the others involved.
They are also wrestling with the issue of the search crossing the borders of Charlotte and Brevard counties — an area of 1,700 square miles — and where the authorities’ responsibility lies.
The U.S. Sun has contacted the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office but is yet to hear back.
“We are really confused about what exactly happened,” Desiree said tearfully.
FRESH HELP
Local cops have been combing the scene.
But with the search now into day six – a Facebook post from a family member said the his grandmother is recovering from a stroke which occurred while hunting for clues – and police resources thin on the ground in the sweltering Florida summer sun, help has arrived.
We Are The Essentials, a non-profit organization run by a group of private investigators, has stepped up to boost numbers.
Amanda Reese spoke to The U.S. Sun en-route to the location where Giovanni’s belongings were found in Bradenton, Manatee County, and promised his family everything is being done to find him safe and sound.
They were alerted to the situation via social media and immediately offered their assistance.
Amanda, a Florida-based Brit, and her two colleagues are working closely with authorities and have been in constant contact with Bridgette and the rest of the family, desperately trying to establish a timeline of events.
They acknowledge an altercation allegedly took place, forcing the car to pull over to the side of the road. Cadaver dogs were sent to the scene on Thursday, yet question marks remain.
Amanda said the grandfather who initially left the voicemail has now “clammed up,” which has only raised her suspicions even further.
“The fact some people involved are being very elusive and not speaking makes us think why aren’t they coming forward?” Amanda told The U.S. Sun.
“Did they get in the car? Did they do some dope? Was it laced with fentanyl or something? … We don’t know, but won’t stop until we find out.”
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Giovanni’s location, or the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
A GoFundMe has also been established to support the search efforts, and anyone with information has been urged to email findgiovanni143@gmail.com.
“We don’t want the case to become cold,” added Desiree, who thanked The U.S. Sun for helping intensify awareness of the worrying situation.
“We are literally in the woods, in the trenches. There’s no limitation. We will find him.”
