MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida authorities are searching for a missing 18-year-old from North Carolina who disappeared in Manatee County under “suspicious circumstances,” according to his family.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office first announced Sunday that Giovanni Pelletier went missing while vacationing with family in Englewood before leaving to visit more relatives in Brevard County. 

The last time he was seen was around 1:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1, when his cousins, whom he had never met before, picked him up in Charlotte County.

Deputies say the group was heading north on I-75 when Pelletier’s cousins claim he “suddenly began to act erratically” before leaving the vehicle and walking away near State Road 70 in Manatee County.

Since Pelletier’s disappearance, his aunt has launched a GoFundMe, which has raised more than $16,000 as of Friday afternoon. She writes on the fundraiser website that his disappearance is “deeply troubling” and involves “suspicious circumstances.”

She said Pelletier sent a “chilling text” to his mom before his disappearance.

“The first message came in at 1:51… ‘Mom, mom help,’” Shelley Croft, part of the search and rescue team with nonprofit We Are The Essentials, said. 

We Are The Essentials began a days-long search for Pelletier on Monday.

After that, relatives say Pelletier sent similar messages to others and tried to FaceTime his mother, but she was asleep. He has not made contact since.

The family says Pelletier’s backpack was left on the highway.

“The problem with the search area is it goes from here all the way back to Mims, Florida,” Billy Lane with We Are The Essentials said. “It’s not as much looking as it is smelling and listening.”

 Pelletier’s mother, Bridgette, has been part of the search every day.

“She is strong, she is determined, this is her baby and she’s going to go to the ends of the earth to get answers and she’s not gonna quit,” Croft said.

“You’ve got to pray for the best, prepare for the worst,” he added.

Bridgette spoke to People Magazine and explained that her son was in Florida to learn more about his dad’s family. Pelletier was reportedly born in Florida and lived in the state until moving to North Carolina with his mom when he was four.

“He was craving the culture and the background from his dad’s side of the family, and I couldn’t give that to him,” she told the outlet. “So I wanted him to have those opportunities with his dad’s side.”  

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office says anyone with information on Pelletier’s whereabouts is asked to call their local agency, which will then report verified tips to investigators on the case.

“We sincerely appreciate the abundance of concerned citizens, but we are receiving many, many tips that unfortunately turn out to be inaccurate, which takes time away from the investigation,” the sheriff’s office wrote.