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Who found Giovanni Pelletier's body? Teen's mom shares update, says she is ‘living every parent’s worst nightmare’
The mother of North Carolina teen Giovanni Pelletier has revealed who found his body after he went missing, and asked the internet to “stop spreading lies.”
The mother of North Carolina teen Giovanni Pelletier, who was recently found dead after going missing, has stressed that his family found his body, not the police. On Saturday, August 9, a decomposing body was found near the area where Pelletier was last seen. His family later confirmed to ABC 11 and on social media that the body indeed belonged to the teenager.
Pelletier’s mother, Bridgette Pelletier, wrote in an emotional Facebook post, “My son was recently found after a desperate search by OUR FAMILY ALONE, and we are still facing an active investigation into his death. I am living every parent’s worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves. We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we try to navigate this for his 4 younger siblings.”
In another post, Bridgette asked social media users to “stop spreading lies” about who found her son’s body. “THE POLICE DIDN’T FIND MY BABY. THE INVESTIGATORS DIDN’T FIND MY BABY. THE DOGS DIDN’T. THE HELICOPTERS DIDN’T. STOP. SPREADING. LIES. YOU. HAVE. NO. IDEA. WE FOUND MY BABY. AND I WILL NEVER EVER BE THE SAME,” she wrote.
Pelletier’s cousin, Morgan Hull, who consistently shared updates on social media after the teen went missing, echoed Bridgette’s thoughts. “I’d like to clear the air in a few things for everyone,” Hull wrote on Facebook. “Yes — my cousin is the young man who was found deceased. No — my family is not ready for your questions. No — the police did not find him. Our family, with our own hands and shattered hearts, found his body.”
She added, “We just lost a beautiful, kind soul, and our pain is unbearable. While we’re trying to breathe through the worst moment of our lives, some of y’all are worried about gossip, lies, and things that don’t matter. Have some humanity. Have some respect. And understand this!!!! I will take it there about mine. Every. Single. Time.”
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Department said that a family member searching for Pelletier saw what looked like a body in a retention pond at the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and SR 70. Detectives believe that the body had been submerged before floating to the surface.
“No foul play or trauma was found during the autopsy,” a release noted, according to The News & Observer.
What happened to Giovanni Pelletier?
Pelletier disappeared while vacationing with his family in Englewood on August 1. While the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said Pelletier was traveling with his “cousins” before going missing, his family claimed that he left Nims, Florida, with three men he had only spoken to over the phone, who claimed to be relatives of his father. The people Pelletier was last seen with said he was acting erratically before exiting the vehicle, but his family has refused to believe this is the whole truth.
Hull previously said that before disappearing, Pelletier sent a text to his mom that read, “Help me mom.” That was the last time anyone heard from him before his body was found.
