A body has been found in the search for 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier, the North Carolina teen who vanished after sending his mother a chilling text that read, “Mom, help.” Pelletier had been on vacation in Englewood with his mother and relatives before leaving with three cousins in the early hours of August 1 to visit his estranged father’s family in Brevard County. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, the cousins claimed he began acting erratically and pulled a knife after they stopped their car on the side of the road.

Around that time, Pelletier sent two urgent messages to his mother, including the desperate plea for help, and attempted to call and FaceTime her. He also reached out to other relatives with distressed messages. Later that day, his backpack and phone were found by the roadside, but he was nowhere to be seen, prompting a large-scale search effort.

Tragically, on August 8, his decomposed body was discovered in a retention pond off I-75 in Florida by a private investigator hired by the family. His mother, Bridgette Pelletier, expressed her heartbreak on Facebook, saying she is “living every parent’s worst nightmare” and is determined to give her son “the goodbye he deserves.” She noted that the location had reportedly been searched by authorities earlier in the investigation.

An autopsy was scheduled for August 10 as the investigation into his death continues. The family remains devastated but is grateful for the community’s support during what they describe as the most painful chapter of their lives.