Autopsy finds missing man drowned in Bradenton pond, deputies say
An autopsy found that an 18-year-old who disappeared near Interstate 75 earlier this year drowned in a Bradenton retention pond and that his death was accidental, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said.
The District Twelve Medical Examiner’s Office said Giovanni Pelletier drowned and found no signs of trauma. Toxicology results showed a small amount of ethanol consistent with decomposition, according to a news release.
Pelletier, a North Carolina resident who was visiting family in Florida, vanished on Aug. 1 after relatives told investigators he began acting erratically while riding in a car on Interstate 75 near State Road 70, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies said the group pulled over, and Pelletier ran into traffic before disappearing into the darkness.
Deputies said his body was found one week later, partially submerged in a retention pond near the same interchange. The sheriff’s office said early autopsy findings showed no signs of trauma, but investigators had been awaiting toxicology results and additional forensic testing.
Sheriff closes Pelletier death investigation
Sheriff Rick Wells previously released traffic and security camera footage from the night Pelletier went missing. Wells said the video showed Pelletier walking in the middle of the interstate, nearly being struck by vehicles and then running alone down an embankment toward the pond where he was later found. Wells also said cell phone data showed the people he was traveling with were north of the area at the time.
According to the sheriff’s office, the medical examiner said the video supports the conclusion that no other person caused Pelletier’s death.
Deputies said Pelletier had been vacationing in Englewood before the incident. His disappearance drew widespread attention and raised questions from relatives, but detectives from Manatee, Charlotte and Brevard counties have said they found no evidence of foul play.
The sheriff’s office said the death investigation is now closed.
