Grieving mom of Wake County teen found dead in Florida remembers him as 'so accepting and 'loving'

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTVD) -- The family of a Wake County teen found dead while on a family vacation in Florida spoke exclusively with ABC11 nearly a week after the body of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier was found in a retention pond near a highway.

Earlier Thursday, a medical examiner in Florida positively identified his remains.

Giovanni's parents are still in Florida as they push law enforcement for answers.

Pelletier's mother, Bridgette, is choosing to remember the good times. Her son Giovanni had just graduated from Fuquay-Varina High School with big plans for the future.

"I believe that Gio's personality, his infectious smile, the brightness that he's brought to the world, is really what's captivated so many people and what's drawn them to the story," Bridgette said. "He was just so accepting and loving. There's nobody that they met ago that he didn't have an impact on everybody that knew him."

She said he wanted to reconnect with his biological dad's side of the family. The last they saw of him was him getting in a car - they had been planning to pick him up on their way back to North Carolina.

Instead, 20 minutes later, Bridgette got a text asking for help. She didn't see it until later that morning.

"So when I received a text message, the second that I opened my eyes, it felt like somebody was standing on my chest. It felt like I couldn't really breathe," she said.

She immediately began searching, and said after searches fizzled out from local law enforcement, it was her own friend who finally found Gio's body in a retention pond on Aug. 8, not far from where his phone and backpack were found off I-75.

"That day, I searched by myself for hours. And no mother in the world should ever be in a situation where they're looking for their kid in, you know, on the side of the road. I put myself in very dangerous situations trying to find the answers," Bridgette said.

She said she was told by the family that he was left on the side of the road. Those cousins spoke with investigators, but Bridgette hasn't heard from them since. ABC11 also reached out to the cousins who were in the car with Giovanni, but has not heard back.

"I'll say I don't believe ever, I don't believe that there was necessarily even an ill intention initially with coming to pick you up. But I think something happened, and I think the way that it was handled afterwards was not what we know to be family," she said.

Detectives said they believe the body was in the pond for several days before it floated to the surface. The sheriff's office said it is "actively pursuing multiple leads to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Pelletier's death. There are still no signs of foul play."

According to the medical examiner, the body had advanced decomposition and had to be identified using dental records and additional forensic testing.

The family has hired an attorney to help with the case.

The cause and manner of death are still pending toxicology results and further investigation.

The family is planning an independent autopsy, and so funeral plans will not be finalized until after that is complete

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