Search underway for missing 18-year-old last seen in Manatee County
Search for missing 18-year-old
The search continues for a missing 18-year-old who was last seen in Manatee County, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. Kylie Jones reports.
ENGLEWOOD, Fla. - The search continues for a missing 18-year-old who was last seen in Manatee County, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
Giovanni Pelletier, 18, has been missing since early Friday.
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What we know:
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said Pelletier was on vacation with family in Englewood last week. Deputies said he left with several people around 1:30 a.m. on Friday to visit other family in Brevard County.
The Tampa Bay area seach group, "We Are The Essentials," said Pelletier was visiting Florida from North Carolina.
"He was picked up by his cousin and two of the cousin's friends," Shelley Croft of We Are The Essentials said. "There were three individuals that came down from the Mims area to pick him up in Englewood at his grandparents' house."
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The sheriff's office said Pelletier was headed north on I-75 with his cousins. They reportedly told deputies that he suddenly started acting erratically, then got out of the car and walked away near SR-70 in Manatee County.
"This family is desperate for answers," Croft said.
Croft said Pelletier's mom told them that she got a text from him about 20 minutes after he had been picked up.
"The text message said, ‘Help me, Mom,’" Croft said. "And he has not been seen or heard from again."
It's not clear what happened after Pelletier's cousins reportedly told deputies that he had walked away.
"Giovanni had ‘Find my iPhone’ on his phone, so his mom was able to track that backpack for miles," Croft said.
Croft said Pelletier's mom tracked his backpack to the side of I-75 near SR-70.
"We Are The Essentials" is asking anyone who was in the area of I-75 early Friday, from Charlotte County to Manatee County, to check dash camera and security camera footage.
"Our goal here is to find Giovanni," Croft said.
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What's next:
The Brevard County Sheriff's Office has joined the investigation. A search for Pelletier was underway in Brevard County on Monday.
If you have any information about Pelletier's whereabouts, you're asked to contact the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office or your local agency. The sheriff's office said it's been flooded with tips, so it's asking people to report tips to their local agency first, so they can be verified.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones.