How did missing man end up dead in Bradenton pond? Manatee deputies investigate
Manatee County detectives are trying to determine what happened to a missing 18-year-old who was found dead in a Bradenton pond on Friday.
While searching near a retention pond at the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and State Road 70 in Bradenton, a family member of the missing man spotted what appeared to be a body partially submerged around 3:15 p.m. Friday and called deputies, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives announced Saturday that they had preliminarily identified the remains as Giovanni Pelletier, an 18-year-old from North Carolina who went missing while vacationing with his family in Englewood, Florida. He was last reported seen near the same I-75 interchange earlier this month, according to detectives.
Deputies said Thursday that the medical examiner positively identified the body as Pelletier through dental records. They said additional forensic testing was required because advanced decomposition initially prevented a positive identification during Sunday’s autopsy.
Deputies said the autopsy revealed no signs of foul play or trauma. Pelletier’s cause of death remains undetermined pending toxicology results, which deputies said could take several weeks.
Investigators believe the body had been in the pond for several days before surfacing. Detectives said prior searches of the area by law enforcement and volunteer search teams did not reveal any signs of Pelletier.
Pelletier was last reported seen on Aug. 1 on the east side of I-75 at State Road 70, according to investigators. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said he had been traveling with three cousins to visit relatives in Brevard County at around 1:30 a.m. when he “suddenly began acting erratically” before exiting the vehicle and walking away.
According to Charlotte County deputies, Pelletier sent two text messages to his mother, including one that read “Mom, help.” He also tried to call and FaceTime her before contacting other relatives. His backpack and phone were found along the roadside later that day, detectives said.
GoFundMe for missing man found in Bradenton
A GoFundMe organized by a family member described the case as involving “deeply troubling and suspicious circumstances” and said relatives believe Pelletier was abandoned on the side of the road in Bradenton. The fundraiser said he was “smart, kind and full of life” and that the family was “devastated, terrified” and searching largely on their own while receiving “very little help from officials.”
The case has drawn national interest, with outlets such as People Magazine, Men’s Journal and The New York Post reporting on Pelletier’s disappearance and the discovery of his body.
The fundraiser, which had raised more than $27,500 as of Monday, says donations that once went toward search expenses will now help cover funeral, medical and legal costs “as we struggle to honor his memory through this unimaginable heartbreak.” Pelletier’s mother wrote she is “living every parent’s worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves.”
Manatee deputies have been assisting Charlotte and Brevard counties in the case. The investigation into Pelletier’s death is ongoing, detectives said.
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 4:15 PM.
