SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — Nonprofit search group We Are The Essentials has joined in on the search for missing teen Giovanni Pelletier.

Thursday marked the group’s fourth day of searching. They’ve covered ground in Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties so far.

The 18-year-old hasn’t been seen since Aug. 1.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, the teen was vacationing with his family in Englewood before leaving to visit more family in Brevard County in the early morning hours of Aug. 1.

We Are The Essentials has been in close contact with his family, who are desperately searching for any signs of the teen. Volunteer and licensed private investigator Shelley Croft said the teen’s mother received a concerning text message shortly after Giovanni got on the road with his cousins.

“He was picked up by three cousins that came from Mims,” Croft said. “He wanted to kind of get to know that side of the family that he does not know. They had only communicated via text messages and FaceTime calls. They came down here to Englewood, picked him up, and 21 minutes after he left the home, he sent his mom a text message that said ‘Mom help me.'”

Those cousins told Charlotte County deputies that as they were heading north on Interstate 75, Giovanni began acting erratically before getting out of the car and walking away. They said this happened in the area near State Road 70 in Manatee County.

Croft said the teens cell phone and backpack were located in that area, but no signs of the teen.

Giovanni’s mother said he texted her and other family members that night.

“He’s not a kid that wants to stress you out for no reason,” Bridgette Pelletier said. “He is not a kid that wants to bring up a problem. He will try to figure out everything out on his own before he brings it to you as an issue. This isn’t just one person. Gio has such a domino effect on the people that are impacted by this. You can see how many people are trying to come together, so many strangers, anybody that met Gio. He lights up a room.”

Search parties have been going on all week across the state, including in Mims in Brevard County, which was supposed to be the teen’s destination.

We Are The Essentials planned to continue searching until they exhaust all efforts and resources.

“This is critical at this point,” Croft said. “I mean, it is very critical, we have got to find him. Obviously we are a nonprofit so we are missing our full-time jobs right now, so we have to still keep our lights on, but we are doing the best we can with the resources that we have.”

The group searched near River Road and Interstate 75 in Sarasota County Thursday, but plans to continue searching near where Giovanni’s belongings were found in Manatee County.

They’re asking for anyone with a dashcam to check their footage from Aug. 1 and keep and eye out for a white Chevy Malibu.

“That may be able to help us narrow down timeline of when they were at a certain locations and when Giovanni got out of the vehicle and if he was still in it at that point,” Croft said.

The teen’s family was supposed to travel back to North Carolina this past weekend, but tell News Channel 8 they will continue searching until they find Giovanni.

“They are obviously stressed,” Croft said. “They are missing their child and she will go to the end of the Earth to find her child. I can’t blame her. It doesn’t matter how old your child is, everybody deserves those answers. They are desperate at this point and have actually increased their reward for his recovery or find to $25,000.”

Anyone with tips is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency.