Months after 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier was reported missing in Florida, an autopsy has confirmed that he died from drowning in a retention pond in Manatee County, where his body was located on Aug. 8. The manner of death is listed as accidental.
The medical examiner noted that although advanced decomposition made some findings difficult to assess, there was “no evidence of significant antemortem trauma” and video evidence supported the conclusion that no other individual caused his death.
A toxicology screen found a small amount of ethanol in Pelletier’s liver, which the autopsy described as consistent with natural decomposition rather than drinking prior to death.
The report also revealed that Pelletier had an “extremely rare congenital coronary artery abnormality” associated with sudden cardiac issues during exertion. While medical factors could not be fully ruled out, the examiner stated the most likely cause of death was drowning.
When the body was discovered — a week after he went missing — a large alligator was reportedly scavenging the remains. The examiner documented claw marks and other signs consistent with postmortem animal activity.
Further circumstances leading to his death remain unclear.
Background of His Disappearance
Pelletier was last seen on Aug. 1 after being picked up in the early morning hours by his cousin and two friends in Englewood, Fla. He had been staying there with his mother, siblings, and his mother’s fiancé. The plan was reportedly to drive him to his grandfather’s home in Brevard County, about three hours away.
About 30 minutes after he left, Pelletier sent his mother a brief and alarming message: “Mom help.”
Family members later shared that an argument allegedly broke out during the ride. One relative claimed the group had used marijuana before Pelletier panicked and fled on foot after a confrontation. His mother stated that this behavior did not reflect his normal demeanor.
No Evidence He Was Pursued
At an August press conference, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said surveillance footage showed Pelletier descending a steep embankment toward the retention pond where his body was eventually discovered by a family friend searching the area.
“There’s no one chasing him. There’s no one around him,” Wells said.
Pelletier’s mother has not publicly commented following the release of the full autopsy report.
