BRADENTON, Fla. — As you exit I-75 in Bradenton, a wooden cross stands near the retention pond where 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier’s body was recovered on Friday evening.

He disappeared on Aug. 1 after leaving Charlotte County at 1:30 a.m. with cousins he’d never met before. Family says his last text messages were pleas for help at 1:51 a.m.

"We understand that he got out of the vehicle and was acting erratic, based on the people that he was with," Randy Warren, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, said.

However, Pelletier's family questions that story. They've launched a Change.org petition to get answers and voice frustration with the investigation.

They’re frustrated it took eight days to find Giovanni — calling out that it was a family friend, not law enforcem

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