Nationwide — An urgent search is underway for an 18-year-old African American teen from North Carolina named Giovanni Pelletier, who mysteriously vanished during a trip to Florida to reconnect with his father’s side of the family. His mother, 34-year-old Bridgette, says her son had been excited about the late July visit, especially after turning 18 in April and expressing a desire to learn more about his African American heritage. Giovanni, who was born in Florida and lived there until age 4, traveled with his mom, her fiancé Jeremy Brown and his four siblings to visit a relative completing chemotherapy — but within days, he disappeared under troubling circumstances.
According to Bridgette, Giovanni arranged for three paternal cousins to pick him up from Englewood, Fla., around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1. Brown saw him off while Bridgette was asleep studying for a pharmacy exam. Less than 30 minutes later, Giovanni sent her two texts, including one chilling message that read, “Mom help.” He also tried calling and FaceTiming her, and even texted his sister and grandfather when he couldn’t reach her. Bridgette didn’t see the missed calls and messages until hours later, along with a missed call from one of the cousins, placed nearly an hour after Giovanni left.
According to People, the situation became more alarming when Giovanni’s paternal grandfather left a voicemail saying there had been an altercation and that the cousins had left Giovanni on the side of the road in Bradenton, Manatee County. Using his phone’s GPS, Bridgette found his backpack and phone abandoned on the roadside — items she insists he would never willingly leave behind. She later learned from one cousin that they had smoked marijuana with Giovanni before he allegedly began to panic, cursed at the cousin, pulled out a knife, and then ran off after they wrestled it away. Bridgette doubts this version of events, describing her son as calm, trustworthy, and protective by nature.
However, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office gave a different account, stating Giovanni began “acting erratically” in the car before walking away near SR70 in Manatee County. Authorities in Charlotte and Brevard counties are working the case, but Bridgette says law enforcement’s response has been inadequate, possibly because Giovanni is legally an adult. She also believes his cousins know more than they are revealing, noting that none of them have helped with search efforts or checked in on his well-being.
Giovanni, the oldest of five children, is described by his mother as a young man with a “heart of gold” who always looked out for his siblings, including a younger brother with autism. His sudden disappearance, especially after sending a direct plea for help, has convinced his mother that he did not simply walk away. “My son would never run away and text me ‘help me,’” she says. “He knows I would burn this world down to find him.”
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to Giovanni’s whereabouts or results in an arrest and conviction. A GoFundMe page has also been set up to support the ongoing search. Despite feeling “helpless” and without direction, Bridgette remains determined to find her son, vowing that she will not stop until she brings him home.
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