The body of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier, who had sent a final “Mom, help” text message, was discovered more than a week after he went missing.

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. – The body of a North Carolina teenager who disappeared more than a week ago after sending a “disturbing final message” to his mother has been found in a Florida retention pond.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to FOX13 Tampa that the body of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier was found Friday in a retention pond near the southbound off-ramp of Interstate 75 and State Road 70. Pelletier’s backpack and cellphone were found nearby the day before.

Pelletier, who resided in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, was vacationing with his family in Englewood, Florida. On August 1, he left with his cousins to visit relatives

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