No positive ID on body found in SR 70 pond near I-75

Following an autopsy completed Sunday, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office reported that the District 12 medical examiner has yet to make a positive identification on the body found Friday in a pond on the east side of Interstate 75 at its intersection with State Road 70.

Law enforcement and volunteers had previously searched the area for Charlotte County's Giovanni Pelletier, 18, who was reported missing from his home in Charlotte County last week.

One of Pelletier's family members was searching for him Aug. 8 at 3:15 p.m. when the body was spotted at the edge of the pond. Deputies were notified.

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is assisting the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office since it was reported that Pelletier had been seen on the east side of I-75 at S.R. 70.

Detectives had identified the body on Aug. 9 as being Pelletier after finding evidence at the scene.

The medical examiner's office said the advanced state of decomposition demands further forensic testing to make a positive identification.

The medical examiner's office reported no foul play was suspected and no evidence of trauma to the body was found.

The cause and manner of death are pending as the investigation continues. Manatee County detectives report the body had been in the pond for multiple days before floating to the surface.