A body discovered in a retention pond near Interstate 75 (Exit 217) and State Road 70 in Manatee County on Friday is believed to be missing 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, detectives have “preliminarily determined” the body to be Pelletier.
MCSO said the body was found at the southbound ramp. Positive identification of the body is pending further testing, according to the sheriff’s office.
An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday and the death investigation is ongoing, MCSO says.
In the past week, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office had been conducting a missing person investigation for Pelletier.
According to CCSO, Pelletier was vacationing with his family in Englewood before leaving around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, to visit more family in Brevard County.
Charlotte County deputies said he was traveling north on I-75 with his cousins, who said Giovanni began to act erratically before exiting the vehicle and walking away near SR-70 in Manatee County.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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