An autopsy examining the body of Florida teenager Giovanni Pelletier has made a ruling on his cause of death, after he was discovered in a body of water a week after going missing.
Pelletier, 18, was reported missing after being picked up from his mom's home by a cousin and two of his cousin's friends on August 1 at 1.30am. They drove him to a paternal grandfather's home, a three-hour drive away.
But within 30 minutes of leaving, he sent a tragic final text, simply pleading 'Mom help'. Sadly however, mother Bridgette had fallen asleep while studying for an upcoming pharmacy exam.
Speaking to People, Bridgette said that her son's paternal grandfather left her a voicemail saying that an altercation had taken place, and her son had been left by the side of the road in Manatee County, Florida.
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It later emerged after speaking to other relatives that the group had smoked cannabis and allegedly got into a fight, with the cousin claiming that Pelletier pulled a knife on the group before running away - something Bridgette expressed skepticism about.
Tragically, after a week-long search from law enforcement and family members, 18-year-old Giovanni's body was found by a family member, in an advanced stage of decomposition in a retention pond.
In an important update regarding what caused Pelletier to be found dead in this location, a medical examiner has ruled that there appears to have been no foul play in the lead up to his death.
This was backed up by Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells, who shared video in August that showed the teen descending an embankment that leads to the retention pond where he he would meet his tragic end.
"The important thing that I want you to see — there's no one chasing him," he told the press conference.
After studying his body, the medical examiner agreed, saying: “Although some autopsy findings may be obscured due to the advanced decomposition there was no evidence of significant antemortem trauma."
In a grim detail, the autopsy report also revealed injuries 'consistent with alligator scavenging' which confirmed reports that an alligator was seen interfering with his remains when a family member discovered him on August 8.
A small amount of ethanol was also found in the teen's liver, but the examiner noted that this is 'consistent with decomposition'.
Although the report was unable to indicate how Pelletier had come to die in that body of water, an 'extremely rare congenital coronary abnormality' was identified during the autopsy that could provide some clues to investigators.
While it could not be ruled for certain, the examiner noted that this condition is 'disproportionately associated with heart failure or sudden cardiac death, particularly during physical exertion'.
"Although the contributions of possible toxicologic substances not found during testing, and the coronary artery abnormality cannot be completely excluded, in view of these findings, it is my opinion that the cause of death is most likely drowning," they added.
Topics: Florida, True crime, Parenting, Crime
William Morgan