MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. ( WWSB ) - The District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office has now confirmed the identity of the body found near the I-75 off-ramp at State Road 70 as 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

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On Thursday, officials said that the identification of Pelletier, whose body was found in a retention pond on Friday, August 8, was made using dental records. Forensic testing was required as the body was found in an advanced state of decomposition.

Pelletier was last seen exiting the vehicle he was traveling in to visit family on Friday, August 1, after suddenly “acting erratically.”

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