A video was found of a teen from North Carolina who went missing, showing him running down an embankment, not too far away from where they later found his body, according to PEOPLE. The authorities revealed this strange news during a news conference on Tuesday, August 19.
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Missing Teen Shown In Final Video Running Alone, Weeks After Family Confirms His Death
18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier went missing on August 1 while visiting his cousins out of state. His body was later found on August 8 in a retention pond off of I-75 and State Road 70.
Now, the authorities have revealed Giovanni was seen on video sprinting down the embankment with no one chasing him. This gives more insight into why police don’t suspect foul play in his death.
“He’s coming down there, almost [at an] uncontrollable sprint,” said Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells. “The important thing that I want you to see — there’s no one chasing him. There’s no one around him.”
Wells continued, “He’s by himself. And what we don’t know is what happened when he hit that pond.”
Giovanni planned to visit his cousins on his dad’s side of his family, who lived in Florida. They planned to pick him up from Englewood around 1:30 AM, and all seemed to be fine.
That was, until the teenager left his mother a haunting text message 30 minutes later. He texted, “Mom help.”
Unfortunately, the mother was sleeping at the time and only saw the text at 6:20 AM. Things got even more worrying when the cousins claimed they left Giovanni on the side of the road in Bradenton, Manatee County.
The Story Of This Teen’s Mysterious Death
The male cousins claimed that they began smoking marijuana with him after picking him up. That’s when he allegedly started to panic, causing an altercation. They claimed he cursed at him and even pulled out a knife, causing them to leave him.
The boy’s mother, 34-year-old Bridgette Pelletier, claimed this type of behavior was out of character for her son. Still, Wells explained on Tuesday that according to the cousins’ story, Giovanni threatened to kill them.
He allegedly told the cousins, “I am a demon,” and “I will wreck this car.” That’s when they pulled over, Giovanni leaving the car and running. He discarded his backpack and phone, which were left on the side of the road.
It took a week before a family friend ended up locating his “decomposing” body. The boy’s family later confirmed his death through a social media statement on August 9.
“My son was recently found after a desperate search by OUR FAMILY ALONE, and we are still facing an active investigation into his death,” said Bridgette.
“I am living every parent’s worst nightmare, trying to find the strength to give him the goodbye he deserves. We ask that you please respect our privacy at this time as we try to navigate this for his 4 younger siblings.”