The body of missing 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier of North Carolina was found in a Florida retention pond after officials and his relatives launched a search.

Pelletier disappeared while he was vacationing in Englewood with relatives, Fox 35 reported Saturday.

The young man left on August 1 to visit family in Brevard County and got into a car with a cousin from his biological father’s side and a couple of the cousin’s friends. However, the victim’s family said he had never met the men in person.

Nearly 30 minutes later, Pelletier reportedly sent a text message to his mother that said, “Help me,” per Breitbart News.

“According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the cousin and his friends told deputies Pelletier began to act erratically and got out of the car near I-7

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