Family raises reward to $25,000 for any information in case of missing North Carolina teen

Reward increases in search for missing teen

18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier of North Carolina went missing on August 1st, after he and his cousins went to visit additional family in Florida. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

MANATEE, Fla. - Giovanni Pelletier’s family raised a reward of $25,000 for any information about the missing teen. "We are not going to stop looking for him."

Friday, Aug. 8, will mark one week since a teen disappeared while going to visit other family members in Florida. 

Bridgette Pelletier wants what any mom of a missing teen would want. 

"The biggest message for me is that we want our son home," she told FOX 13. 

She’s been searching for answers that will lead to her 18-year-old son, and it’s been agonizing. 

"We understand there are a lot of people who may be scared to speak up, or maybe there aren’t people who are willing to relay information, but this isn’t just a missing person. "This is our heart, and he’s part of our family," she said. 

What we know:

Last week, Pelletier and his family from North Carolina were visiting a relative in Englewood. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said on Friday, Aug. 1 around 1:30 a.m., he left with cousins to visit additional family in Brevard County. What happened next baffled his family. 

"He texted ‘help me’. "My son would not have put me in a place to be scared or worried, because he knows when it comes to my children there are no limits and nothing I wouldn’t do it for him," said Bridgette Pelletier.  

Those in the car told Charlotte County Deputies that Pelletier began acting erratically, got out of the car and walked away near I-75 and State Road 70 in Manatee County. His backpack and phone were found on the side of the road. 

"If something were to come up where maybe he was experiencing something, they would have been there and not think of somebody leaving somebody on the side of the road. It doesn’t make sense.  "There are too many things that don’t make sense. "The narrative that’s being told is not the true story, and it’s disappointing because I believe that’s why we don’t have any more support from law enforcement thus far. "There’s been some amazing people in Charlotte County that have been so helpful, but without information we can’t move forward, said his mom, Bridgette.

The non-profit search group, We Are the Essentials, and Giovanni’s family continue to search parts of Sarasota County leading to Englewood. They’re trying to narrow down the timeline. 

"We are going to be focusing based upon the time that he left the family home, based on the text messages and face-time videos that were sent and attempted to receive from his mother," said Shelley Croft of We Are the Essentials. 

They’re asking anyone with footage of the white Chevy Malibu Giovanni was traveling in to come forward. 

"If you believe that you see them, that video can make a world of difference in knowing where that car was at what time, in what area. "You are maybe the missing piece to the puzzle," said Croft. 

"Our family is not the same without Geo. We are not going to be able to stop looking for him, we won’t be able to go home and go back to normal. "We need him home," said Bridgette Pelletier. 

What you can do:

If you have any information, contact the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office at their non-emergency number (941) 639-2101.