Giovanni Pelletier autopsy reveals he died by drowning, body was mauled by alligator
The body of a North Carolina teen was discovered mauled by an alligator after he died by drowning, according to his newly-released autopsy report.
Giovanni Pelletier, 18, drowned in a retention pond in Manatee County, Florida, after he was last seen by his family on Aug. 1, 2025.
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When his body was discovered on Aug. 8, an alligator was reportedly scavenging on his remains, according to the autopsy report from the District Twelve Medical Examiner, seen by The Post.
No alcohol or drugs were found during a toxicology test on Pelletier, who was staying with family during a vacation in Florida.
The area where the body was found, just off I-75, was a spot that authorities already said they had scoured, Pelletier’s grieving mother Bridgette said at the time.
Authorities were able to positively identify the body as belonging to Pelletier, after earlier saying that the remains were too decomposed for an official ID.
He was found wearing a white t-shirt, black sweat pants, and one black sock, but no shoes, according to the autopsy.
No other injuries or factors that could have led to his death were discovered, according to the medical examiner, who noted that the body had suffered moderate to advanced decompositional changes during the week in the Florida swamp.
Pelletier’s mother last saw him alive at around 1:30 a.m. when his cousins came to pick him up from where he was staying on a trip to connect with his dad’s side of the family, his mom told People magazine at the time.
Within 30 minutes, he sent two texts to his mom — including one begging her, “Mom help.”
The teen also called his mother at 1:56 a.m. and tried to reach her again a minute later on FaceTime — then texted an aunt and his grandfather for help when he didn’t get a reply from his mom.
His cousins claimed the teen had fought with them as they smoked marijuana in the car, before pulling out a knife, at which point the driver pulled over to the side of the road, where Pelletier got out and ran off into the dark.
Pelletier’s mom later discovered his phone using GPS data, abandoned by the side of the road in his backpack.
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