August 8, 2025
A family is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone with information about 18-year-old missing teen, Giovanni Pelletier.
The family of an 18-year-old North Carolina resident has been left heartbroken and is asking for help in locating the teenager who went missing while vacationing in Florida.
Giovanni Pelletier, 18, was last seen on Aug. 1 after meeting up with three cousins on his father’s side of the family, who picked him up in Englewood, Florida, to take the three-hour drive to Mims, Florida. However, 25 minutes after Pelletier left his mom, aunt, and mom’s fiancé in Englewood, he sent a text to his mom that read, “Help me.” It was the last time he was heard from, and now his mom and aunt are demanding answers.
“Somewhere along the ride, something happened,” his aunt, Desiree Pelletier, told ABC News.
The next morning, the teen’s mother noticed missed calls and messages from her son. Unable to reach him, she quickly contacted authorities. She also called the cousins who were with Pelletier, who revealed that the group had been smoking marijuana when the teen suddenly became erratic and pulled out a knife before exiting the vehicle.
The cousins said they were driving on I-75 when Pelletier, who is described as “smart, kind and full of life,” got out near SR-70. The Pelletier family says the teen was left abandoned on the side of the road in Bradenton, where his backpack and cellphone were later found. They also discovered he had texted his grandfather and another aunt, asking for help.
“It doesn’t make sense. Why would he say ‘Help me’ three different times to three people?” his aunt asked.
The family and authorities have spent the last week searching for Giovanni to no avail. Officials say they have received “many, many tips that unfortunately turn out to be inaccurate.”
“We love him and want him home, and we just want him to be OK,” his aunt said through tears. “As a family, we can’t function normally. We’re not doing well right now. We just want him home.”
The family has since launched a GoFundMe and increased their reward offer from $10,000 to $25,000 for anyone with information. The nonprofit We Are The Essentials also joined the search to locate Giovanni.
“They are obviously stressed,” volunteer and licensed private investigator Shelley Croft said. “They are missing their child, and she will go to the end of the Earth to find her child. I can’t blame her. It doesn’t matter how old your child is; everybody deserves those answers. They are desperate at this point and have actually increased their reward for his recovery or find to $25,000.”
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