After turning 18 in April, Giovanni expressed a desire to connect with his biological father’s side of the family in Florida. Born in Florida, Giovanni had lived there until around age 4, when he moved to North Carolina with his mother. His parents were never married. His mother, Bridgette, 34, supported the idea.

“He was craving the culture and background from his dad’s side of the family, and I couldn’t give that to him,” says Bridgette, who is of Italian and Puerto Rican descent. “So I wanted him to have those opportunities.” Giovanni’s father is African American, and reconnecting with that side of his identity was important to him. Before the trip, Giovanni joined a group text chat with several paternal relatives. He arranged for three cousins from his father’s side to pick him up from Englewood, Florida, where he was staying with his mother, siblings, and his mother’s fiancé. Source

Giovanni Pelletier traveled to Florida in late July with his mother, Bridgette Pelletier, her fiancé, Jeremy Brown, and Giovanni’s four siblings to visit a relative who was undergoing chemotherapy. 

Timeline: The Disappearance of Giovanni Pelletier

• Last Seen: August 1, 2025 – Bradenton, Florida
• Status: Missing
• Age: 18
• Home: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina

Late July 2025 – Englewood, Florida

• Giovanni Pelletier traveled from North Carolina to Florida with his mother, Bridgette Pelletier, and siblings to visit family. He expressed interest in meeting members of his father’s side for the first time in person.
• Before the trip, Giovanni joins a group chat with three paternal cousins Source
• Latrel Hearns
• Leondrae Trayvon Hearns (nicknamed “Zach”)
• Jaylen Berry

July 31, 2025

• 5:41 p.m. – Text messages between Giovanni and his cousin Latrel Hearn discuss pickup logistics. Latrel says he must use his grandmother’s white Malibu.
• 8:30 p.m. – Continued texting. Conversation includes smoking marijuana. Giovanni replies: “I haven’t had a smoke in a while because of court stuff in North Carolina. I definitely need a smoke.”
• 10:08 p.m. – Latrel, Jaylen Washington, and Zachary Cummings leave Brevard County in the white Malibu to pick up Giovanni in Charlotte County.
• Zachary drives.
• They admit to detectives that they smoked weed in the car early into the trip.
• Giovanni allegedly begins “tripping” and acting erratically.

August 1, 2025

• 1:00 a.m. – They stop along River Road (before I-75) because Giovanni needs to use the bathroom.
• Witnesses say he was “raging” and acting out.
• 1:55 a.m. – Giovanni texts his mother, Bridget: “Help.” (26 miles away from where Giovanni was picked up)
  They are Near Manatee County, close to SR 70:
• Giovanni allegedly yells: “I am a demon. I will wreck this car. I’ll kill you all,” while trying to open the door of the moving car.
• Zachary pulls over on the I-75 northbound shoulder at SR 70 east side.
• Jaylen and Zach say Giovanni had a knife in its sheath (never unsheathed).
• Giovanni exits the vehicle, runs southbound lanes into northbound traffic, nearly hit by a truck.
• Last seen by friends. He leaves behind his backpack and phone. They drop them at the SR 70 eastbound entrance ramp.
• 1:56 AM: Giovanni texts his mother, Bridget: “Help me.”
  Note: According to Giovanni’s mother at 1:56 a.m. Giovanni Sends another message: “Help me.” Sends similar messages to his grandfather and aunt (Katelyn)
• 1:57 AM: FaceTimes her?? (unconfirmed)
• 2:26 AM: Latrel calls his grandfather, says Giovanni left the car.   Source
• 2:27 AM: Latrel calls Giovanni’s mother Bridgette (no answer), he left a voicemail. He claimed there had been an altercation and said Giovanni had smoked marijuana, became paranoid, pulled out a knife, and ran from the vehicle.  Source (But The family disputes this account as entirely out of character).   Source
• 3:00 AM: The group continues north, stopping at Flying J Truck Stop (Hillsborough County, I-4), then eventually home to Brevard County. The trio continued driving to Brevard County.
• 6:20 AM: Bridgette Pelletier woke up to missed messages and calls. She saw the “Mom help” text and realized something was seriously wrong. She immediately tries contacting Giovanni with no response.
• 6:50 AM: Latrel calls Bridget again, tells her what happened.
• 7:13 AM: Bridget calls Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for a welfare check, reporting: Her son was given weed, had a bad reaction, freaked out, got out on I-75. She is driving north on I-75 looking for him.   Source
• 7:21 AM: A truck driver pulls over to check his load, finds the backpack and phone, takes them to Tampa. Bridget sees the phone moving on GPS but doesn’t know why.   Source Note: These were items he was “never without,” according to his mother. 
• Bridget sees that the phone is moving but does not know that it’s a truck driver that actually has the bag and has the the phone. She eventually calls Tampa PD and a officer responds to the area where the truck driver was doing some work, recovers the the cell phone and the bag.
• 9:21 AM: Tampa Police recover the backpack and phone.
• 9:30 AM: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office officially opens a missing person case.
• Brevard County interviews the three companions, processes the white Malibu (finds no blood, no signs of foul play).

August 1, 2025

• Searches of local hospitals, jails turn up nothing.

August 2, 2025

• Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office reported that Giovanni had exited the vehicle along SR-70 in Manatee County. Officials clarified that Giovanni likely never made it to Brevard County (Mims), despite initial claims by the cousins.

August 3, 2025

• The Family organized a search group.
• Law enforcement follows up on numerous inaccurate tips. The cousins’ Chevy Malibu is turned over to police by their family and is searched. No evidence is found. The cousins and their families are said to be cooperating with investigators.
• 2:41 PM: Update: The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a missing person investigation for a male named Giovonni Pelletier (04/02/2007). Giovanni was vacationing with his family in Englewood before leaving around 1:30am Friday, August 1, to visit more family in Brevard County. He was traveling North on I75 with his cousins, who advised Giovanni suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR70 (Manatee County). We are working this investigation collaboratively with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. If anyone has information on where Giovanni Pelletier may be, please contact our non-emergency number (941) 639-2101.  Source
• Giovanni’s grandmother suffers a stroke during the search and is hospitalized.   Source

August 4, 2025

• Charlotte County asks Manatee County SO to assist in searching SR 70/I-75 area (wooded east side). Nothing found.
• Family members and volunteers organized a ground search in Mims, retracing potential routes. Despite the belief he never reached the area, the family searched extensively on foot and with dogs.
• Giovanni’s cousin, Morgan Hull, writes on Facebook:  Source

“You don’t leave someone on the side of the road and think nobody’s gonna say anything. Giovanni Pelletier is missing and we know y’all aren’t telling the full truth.”

• The family announces a $10,000 reward for info leading to Giovanni’s location or the arrest/conviction of anyone responsible. Tip line: [email protected] and CCSO
• 11:20 PM: Update from We Are The Essentials, a nonprofit team of retired law enforcement and investigators. They urge the public to check dashcam/security footage from I-75 between Charlotte and Manatee Counties.  Source

August 5, 2025

• Charlotte County returns with cadaver dogs, aviation unit, and volunteers. Search lasts 4.5 hours; no sign of Giovanni. Investigators begin doubting he ever made it to SR 70.
• A Facebook live video surfaces involving individuals connected to the cousins:  Source

August 6, 2025

• A GoFundMe is launched by a  family   Source

August 7, 2025

• 5:28 AM: Update from We are Essentials: Giovanni Pelletier, missing Englewood, Fl since August 1, 2025, 1:30am. Please check your dashcams for a white Chevy Malibu. Please pray for his family and our Investigators. If you have any Information please call Charlotte County Sheriff’s office or WATE Search and Recovery Investigator Billy Lane 863-559-0707.  Source
• National media coverage intensified. A reward of $10,000 was offered for information. Giovanni’s mother launched a GoFundMe which raised over $16,000.
• Reward increased to $25,000. Law enforcement requested the public check dashcam or surveillance footage from August 1 along I-75 and surrounding Bradenton roads. Giovanni was officially listed as missing for over a week.

August 8, 2025

• The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office issues a public update: Law Enforcement believes Giovanni is still in the area where he exited the vehicle. Contact: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office – (941) 639-2101  Source and Press Conference  Source
• In addition to the interviews, our team also, in an abundance of caution, took in the vehicle that the three young men were driving at the time they traveled to the West Coast of Florida. The vehicle was actually provided to us by a family member who is also fully cooperating in the investigation. The vehicle was subsequently processed by our Crime Scene Unit in conjunction with Investigators from Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
• There has been absolutely no evidence or indication that Giovanni Pelletier ever came to Brevard County!! In fact, just the opposite, as all current evidence in the case demonstrates Giovanni never left the west coast of Florida and never came to Brevard County!! Please know, that if that were to change in any capacity at any moment, our team would immediately commit every available resource we have to search for Giovanni in any area possible, but at this time no evidence indicates he ever came to Brevard!!
• 3:15 PM: A body has been found by a group of volunteers We are Essentials in a pond at the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and State Road 70 in Bradenton near the area where a missing 18-year-old was last seen. His phone and backpack were found about a half mile away near Bradenton along I-75.
• MCSO homicide team & ME investigator respond. 
• 6:33 PM: Statement from Charlotte County Sheriff: Since receiving the initial report of the disappearance of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has been working diligently in our attempts to locate this young man and investigate every lead available. While the general public may not be aware of what that entails, we wanted to share this statement to help dispel some of the misconceptions that are circulating. Our detectives have collaborated with multiple agencies, including law enforcement and civilian non-profits, to search areas where Giovanni could be. These locations came from investigative efforts and other leads provided by countless individuals. It is important to note that every lead takes time to either verify or rule out, and we have received tips that indicated Giovanni was not only in other counties, but in other states altogether. Still, our efforts include partnering with a multitude of agencies to search with the assistance of live-scent and cadaver K9s, Aviation units, drones, and many, many interviews with parties that are involved or possibly had information as we continue this investigation.  Source

July 9, 2025

• 12:00 PM: Authorities Confirmed The body of Giovanni Pelletier Giovanni Pelletier was found in a retention pond near where he was last seen. They also stated that no immediate physical evidence of foul play was found, but a toxicology report is expected to take six months to complete. His body was just found where the 3 boys said Giovanni exited the car.
• Body scanned – no trauma, no gunshot, no stab wounds.
• Detectives and crime scene techs return to search the area. Drone footage of pond and surrounding land yields no new evidence.

July 10, 2025

• District 12 ME performs autopsy.
• Findings: no trauma, no foul play apparent.
• Cause of death: undetermined.
• Detectives believe the body had been in the pond for multiple days before floating to the surface.
• Prior searches of the area by law enforcement and volunteer search teams did not yield any signs of Giovanni Pelletier.
• The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has been assisting the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office since it was reported that Giovanni was seen on 8/1/25 on the east side of Interstate 75 at State Road 70.
• Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances that led up to the discovery of the body.

August 11, 2025

• MCSO dive team re-searches pond to ensure nothing was missed. Nothing found.

August 12, 20215

• 1:15 PM Update from We are Essentials: Friday, while searching in the River Road area, we were contacted by friends of the family who informed us that human remains believed to be Giovanni had been located. We immediately responded to the area despite inclement weather conditions. It was pouring rain, and severe lightning. To support the family friends during this difficult time, cold from the rain, we provided them with hoodies that state “Search and Recovery Investigators” on the back, which may have contributed to some confusion that the volunteers that located him were from WATE.  Source
• At no point did our organization claim to have located Giovanni. If any reports/news claimed that, it was not quoted from our organization. Our primary goal in any missing persons case is to bring the individual home, regardless of the outcome. We were contacted by numerous news agencies for interviews to help disseminate Giovanni’s picture, story and encourage the public to check dash cam footage for potential sightings.
• Follow-up Interviews: Brevard SO re-interviews Latrel, Jaylen, and Zachary.
• They repeat same story as earlier.
• Cooperate with investigators.
• Return to Manatee to help pinpoint exit location.

August 14, 2025

• That body was positively identified as Pelletier. The cause of death remains undetermined pending toxicology results, which are expected to take several weeks. Detectives said they are pursuing multiple leads to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Pelletier’s death, but added that there are no signs of foul play.  Source
• Traffic Cameras  Source

August 19, 2025

• Update from Manatee County Sheriff office: Death Investigation of Giovanni Pelletier

Surveillance Footage Evidence

• 2:18 a.m. – FDOT camera at 44th Ave, ~1.2 miles north of SR 70 captures Giovanni crossing I-75 lanes. Nearly struck by a truck. Seen in white shirt.
• 2:19 a.m. – Lowe’s security camera (west side of SR 70) captures Giovanni running down a steep embankment toward the retention pond in an uncontrollable sprint.
• No one chasing him.
• Vehicle was already two miles away at the time.
• Last confirmed sighting alive

Key Points from Investigation

• Backpack & phone abandoned on I-75 ramp.
• No signs of trauma on body.
• Toxicology pending to determine possible reaction to marijuana or other substances.
• No charges filed against companions.
• Investigators stress: Giovanni was alone when last seen running toward the pond.

Investigators began reviewing traffic cameras in the surrounding areas and saw Giovanni on I-75 at around 2:18 a.m. when he was captured by the 44th Ave. camera, which is around 1.2 miles north of SR-70. Pelletier can be seen running across the highway toward a concrete barrier, which Wells said is where the retention pond is.,

A camera outside of a Lowes captured Pelletier a minute later, running down an embankment at an almost uncontrollable pace, Wells said. At the bottom of the embankment is the pond where his body was found. Wells pointed out that in all of the camera footage of Pelletier from that night, no one is seen following or chasing him, and no one comes down the embankment after him.,

A family friend found his body over a week after he went missing, and the advanced state of decomposition required additional testing to positively identify the body as Pelletier.,

The medical examiner did not find any evidence of foul play, Wells said. Pelletier did not have any trauma to his body, and there were no gunshot or stab wounds or anything else that would point to a cause of death. A dive team searched the pond after his body was located and did not find any other evidence.

In addition to the interviews, our team also, in an abundance of caution, took in the vehicle that the three young men were driving at the time they traveled to the West Coast of Florida. The vehicle was actually provided to us by a family member who is also fully cooperating in the investigation. The vehicle was subsequently processed by our Crime Scene Unit in conjunction with Investigators from Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

There has been absolutely no evidence or indication that Giovanni Pelletier ever came to Brevard County!! In fact, just the opposite, as all current evidence in the case demonstrates Giovanni never left the west coast of Florida and never came to Brevard County!! Please know, that if that were to change in any capacity at any moment, our team would immediately commit every available resource we have to search for Giovanni in any area possible, but at this time no evidence indicates he ever came to Brevard!!