Giovanni Pelletier, 18, now a missing teen, flew to Florida in late July to pay a visit to his relative, who was completing chemotherapy. Her mom, Bridgette, told PEOPLE that she also traveled with him, while her fiancé, Jeremy Brown, and Giovanni’s four siblings joined the trip as well.
However, the teen, who was eagerly looking forward to the trip, vanished under strange circumstances. His mother told the outlet that one of his last messages was a cry for help.
Bridgette never actually got married to Giovanni’s biological father and moved to North Carolina with her 4-year-old son. However, after turning 18 this April, the teenage boy expressed a desire to get to know his dad’s side of the family, who still lived in Florida. “He was craving the culture and the background from his dad’s side of the family, and I couldn’t give that to him,” Bridgette told PEOPLE.
Giovanni’s father was of African American descent, whereas her mother is part Italian and part Puerto Rican. “So I wanted him to have those opportunities with his dad’s side,” the missing teen’s mom said. He was staying with his mom, her fiancé, and his siblings in Englewood. He joined a text group chat with some of his father’s family, and arranged for three paternal cousins to pick him up.
Although initially, Bridgette was reluctant about letting him go alone, she trusted her son and finally allowed it. At about 1:30 am local time on Friday, August 1, Giovanni’s paternal cousins came to pick him up. His mother was sleeping at that time, so Brown, her fiancé, saw him off.
However, things took a sudden turn just about 30 minutes later, when the boy sent two texts to her mom, just briefly writing, “Mom, help.” At around 1:56, the 18-year-old called his mom via FaceTime. When she didn’t pick up, Giovanni tried to reach his sister and father.
***MISSING*** CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FL
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating 18-year-old Giovonni Pelletier. Giovanni was vacationing with his family in Englewood, FL, before leaving around 1:30 am Friday, August 1st, 2025, to visit more… pic.twitter.com/WrHY9Y0YIa— The AWARE Foundation (@aware_the) August 6, 2025
At around 6:20 am, Bridgette finally saw the missed call and realized that one of the cousins who was also in the car with her son had tried to reach her as well. “He only called me that one time. And then no effort was made to communicate with me. No effort was made to come back to the house to let me know,” she told the outlet.
Then, Bridgette received a voicemail from Giovanni’s paternal grandfather, who let her know that he had had an altercation with the cousins. Although he couldn’t give her more information, he told her that they had left the teen on the side of the road in Bradenton, Manatee County.
The mother, fully panicked, went to look for him, only to discover his bag and his phone left on the side of the road. However, there was no sign of the 18-year-old. Later, one of the cousins, who called her at night, told her that they had smoked some marijuana, and Giovanni began to panic. When he allegedly cursed at his cousin, things got quite intense. According to the cousin, Giovanni pulled out a knife before running off.
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a missing person investigation for a male named Giovonni Pelletier (04/02/2007). Giovanni was vacationing with his family in Englewood before leaving around 1:30am Friday, August 1,… pic.twitter.com/838QI2NWnB
— Francesco Abbruzzino – The Suncoast News (@TheSuncoastNews) August 4, 2025
However, Bridgette claims that it was unlikely for him to act like that. She also believes that the cousins know more than they are saying. In a statement released after the incident, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said that the boy had been travelling north on I-75 with his cousins, “who advised Giovanni suddenly began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR70.”
With the investigation ongoing, a $10,000 reward has been announced for any information regarding the boy’s whereabouts. “I feel so helpless right now because I have no direction,” Bridgette, who also launched a GoFundMe page to further the search efforts, told PEOPLE.
