Authorities Believe Body Recovered By Dive Team In Water Is Missing Teen Kiely Rodni

Hours after the YouTube dive team, Adventures with Purpose, claimed they found missing teen Kiely Rodni in a Truckee, California lake on Sunday (two weeks after she went missing in the area), local authorities have confirmed they believe the car and body found in the water was in fact the 16-year-old girl. So, so sad…

In a press conference on Monday, Sheriff Shannan Moon of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the upsetting development, saying:

“We recovered the vehicle last night. We have located a decedent inside the vehicle. We believe it is our missing person. We have not been able to positively identify, but it is more than likely where we are today.”

Such devastating news…

This case remains a very “active” investigation as authorities seek to learn more about this heartbreaking situation, including whether or not this was an accident or if foul play was involved. A fatality traffic collision investigation is underway.

Very few details have been released about the discovery, including what gear the car was in when it was found, why authorities and volunteers who had already searched the area didn’t find a clue to the car’s whereabouts earlier (considering it was a well-trafficked area), and whether or not there were signs the teen had been drinking at the party before getting behind the wheel. To hear the PD skirt around some of these concerns, listen to the full press conference (below).

8/22 – Press Conference update to the Kiely Rodni missing person investigation. #findKiely #PCSO https://t.co/VbYuxHv18j

— Placer Sheriff (@PlacerSheriff) August 22, 2022

As we reported, Adventures with Purpose located a Honda SUV flipped upside down under about 14 inches of water on Sunday in the Prosser Creek Reservoir. This was just a short distance from where Kiely and dozens of other teens were partying on August 5 into the early hours of August 6.

AWP, a team of expert divers famous for investigating cold cases, joined the search efforts just days ago and quickly announced the discovery of a vehicle and body matching the description of Kiely on Sunday. In a new video on Monday, Doug Bishop and Nick Rinn explained in detail how they were able to find the car so quickly using Garmin sonar technology.

Detailing the exact steps the team took on Sunday to come to this discovery, Doug explained:

“We began our search for Kiely at Prosser Creek Reservoir on August 21 at 10:40 a.m. We placed two sonar boats in the water. By 11:15 a.m., Nick detected an object underwater using cutting-edge Garmin sonar technology. I was able to then confirm that it was, in fact, a vehicle in roughly 14 feet of water and only 55 feet offshore. After marking the vehicle with our magnet, Nick suited up in his dive gear and conducted the dive to formally identify and assess the vehicle with me running OTS comms topside. Once we confirmed it was indeed Kiely’s vehicle, we immediately identified family, law enforcement, and dad and grandpa were on scene within minutes.”

What a tough phone call to receive for those family members.

Full episodes capturing the team’s investigation are to be released on the channel’s YouTube within the next week or so. Adventures with Purpose is now committed to working with authorities to share the information they uncovered as the investigation continues. Information is also being kept private so the family can heal and process the news first. Hear more (below).

Whoa… Incredible how quickly they were able to find Kiely!

Our hearts break for Kiely’s family, friends, and loved ones. What a tragic result in this very scary case. We are thinking of them all as they process this brutal news. The family’s GoFundMe page is still active for those who wish to donate.

[Image via FindKiely.com & Placer Sheriff/Facebook]