What happened when Giovanni Pelletier went missing? Manatee deputies share video
Deputies on Tuesday released video from the night a missing North Carolina man vanished in Manatee County, showing him running toward the same pond where his body was later found.
Sheriff Rick Wells said one clip shows 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier sprinting down an embankment near Interstate 75 and State Road 70 in a way that appeared out of control. Another, captured minutes earlier by a traffic camera, shows him walking in the middle of the interstate and nearly being struck by vehicles.
“There’s no one in this area with Giovanni. There’s no one chasing him. He’s by himself,” Wells said during the press conference.
Pelletier’s body was discovered partially submerged in the retention pond on Aug. 8, one week after he was reported missing.
The sheriff said the medical examiner has not determined how Pelletier died. No signs of trauma were found during the autopsy, and toxicology results could take up to two months to return. Deputies believe his body stayed in the pond until it was found days later.
“We know we don’t have anybody come down that embankment after him,” Wells said. “He’s there, we believe, until he was located by that family friend on Friday, the 8th. We really don’t know what happened when he got into that pond.”
What happened before Giovanni Pelletier disappeared?
Pelletier had been vacationing in Englewood with relatives when he left around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 with a cousin and two other men to visit family in Brevard County.
According to deputies, the group smoked marijuana in the car. Relatives later told investigators Pelletier began acting erratically. At one point he texted his mother, “Mom, help,” followed by another message that read “help” and then “me.”
Sheriff Wells said the people in the car told detectives Pelletier became aggressive and started “freaking out,” saying “I am a demon and I will wreck this car” and threatening to kill them. They said he opened the car door while it was still moving on I-75 near State Road 70. During the incident, one of the passengers told the others that Pelletier “had a knife on him,” according to deputies. Wells said Pelletier was known to carry knives but added there was no indication he ever pulled one out that night.
The driver pulled over, and Pelletier ran into the southbound lanes and then into northbound traffic, narrowly avoiding a truck, before disappearing into the night. His backpack and cellphone were later recovered by a truck driver, who picked them up from the roadside and drove them to Tampa. Investigators said Tampa police recovered the items after locating the driver at work.
At 2:26 a.m., the cousin called his grandfather to say Pelletier had gotten out of the car. A minute later, he called Pelletier’s mother, who did not answer. The group then continued on to Brevard County.
At 6:50 a.m., the cousin called Pelletier’s mother again and explained what had happened. At 7:13 a.m., she called 911 to report her son missing and asked deputies to check the area. She told the operator there had been an altercation involving a knife and that she believed he had been given “bad marijuana” before his behavior spiraled.
Shortly before 9:30 a.m., the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office opened a missing person’s case and contacted Brevard deputies. Wells said the individuals in the car voluntarily gave the white Malibu to Brevard investigators, who found no foul play, no blood and no evidence inside the vehicle beyond marijuana residue.
‘Troubling and suspicious,’ family says
Pelletier’s relatives have previously questioned how the case has been handled. A GoFundMe organized by family members described the circumstances as “deeply troubling and suspicious” and said they felt they had been left to search on their own. The fundraiser has since shifted from covering search costs to helping with funeral and legal expenses.
His mother attended Tuesday’s press conference and later met privately with Wells to view the video and discuss the case, but she declined to speak with reporters.
The investigation into Pelletier’s death remains ongoing.
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 4:49 PM.
