There has been a major development in the search for missing teen Kiely Rodni.
As we’ve been reporting, the 16-year-old has been missing for two weeks after she disappeared following a party at the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee, California on August 5. She was supposedly headed home in the early hours of August 6, but hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Police believe she could be in her 2013 silver Honda SUV, which also vanished from the scene. And now… after a massive search party including hundreds of officials and volunteers, a YouTube group known as Adventures with Purpose believes they’ve found Kiely in the most devastating circumstances.
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Adventures with Purpose, famous for investigating cold cases, joined the search efforts on Friday — and just days later, on Sunday, claimed they had “found” the missing teenager. Tragically, they discovered a body and car, matching the teen’s Honda, submerged under water in the area Kiely went missing. This was reportedly in the Prosser Creek Reservoir, according to KCRA. Taking to social media, they revealed on Facebook:
“WE JUST FOUND KIELY RODNI…
====
Car is upside down in only 14′ of water.
We have CONFIRMED Kiely is inside.
Family Notified
Law Enforcement on their way.”
Wow… Such a heartbreaking outcome.
At this time, the remains have not been officially identified. But the family has been notified and, per the “unconfirmed reports,” they suspended volunteer search efforts on Monday as they focus on addressing the latest update in the search, according to a statement on their website, findkiely.com.
Local outlet KCRA obtained LiveCopter 3 footage of the car late on Sunday evening. According to the outlet, AWP posted about their findings at around 2:30 p.m. local time. Law enforcement arrived shortly after and efforts to take the vehicle (covered by a tarp) out of the water began at around 7:49 p.m. You can see that unfold (below).
Authorities have not confirmed the identify of the remains. No other information about how Kiely’s car may have ended up in the lake have been revealed either — including if foul play is suspected. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has noted they are investigating the discovery, writing on Facebook on Sunday:
“This afternoon, we were notified by volunteer search group Adventures with Purpose they have found a car and a body in the Prosser Reservoir. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and allied agencies are at the scene to investigate the findings.
The identity of the decedent has not been confirmed. This is a developing situation, and we will provide updates when we can.”
This afternoon, we were notified by volunteer search group Adventures with Purpose they have found a car and a body in the Prosser Reservoir. @NevadaCountySheriff,#PCSO, FBI, and other allied agencies are at the scene to investigate the findings. Details: https://t.co/CZ9HWVGFc6 pic.twitter.com/Ex3xCQUOpy
— Placer Sheriff (@PlacerSheriff) August 22, 2022
A press conference is expected to reveal more information later today. As for why Adventures with Purpose was able to make the discovery in a matter of days compared to the several law enforcement agencies who’ve had days to find her, the YouTubers told KCRA they use sonar — a step further than the location agencies who were searching in boats.
Which, you know, makes you wonder if the authorities should update their equipment! Many local residents are shocked by the volunteer’s fast results compared to the hundreds of government officials who have turned up little, Truckee resident Gitana DeCoulode expressed:
“For them to not be able to find her, it bothers me a little, honestly. Why don’t they have the equipment that [Adventures with Purpose] had, to find her? Why? Where we live, we have bodies of water everywhere.”
Resident Greg Bishop, on the other hand, isn’t as concerned, saying:
“I don’t fault law enforcement in any way. I know they put in thousands of hours in searching. Adventures with Purpose just has a specialty. They have the knowledge in reading their sonar equipment.”
It is surprising how fast AWP was able to locate Kiely after so many people had already searched the area. But interestingly, their timing could not have been better.
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Earlier on Sunday, the Placer Sheriff revealed search efforts had been incredibly scaled back as the case entered its third week. They dropped the personnel assigned to the case from 73 to just 7. That said, they had also received and reviewed nearly 2,000 tips. Even Dog the Bounty Hunter told TMZ he’d received tons of tips on the girl’s whereabouts, though he was reluctant to jump into the efforts following pushback from his involvement in Gabby Petito‘s case. Still, it’s tough to see those numbers shrink with a girl still missing, especially if you’re her family. Though, now, they have even more difficult news to battle as they wait to see if the body truly is Kiely’s.
8/21/2022 — Latest update to the search for 16-year -old Kiely Rodni. Details: https://t.co/XnIzKTEyIO #FindKiely #PCSO pic.twitter.com/Vj80wHvrbW
— Placer Sheriff (@PlacerSheriff) August 21, 2022
Our hearts go out to all of Kiely’s loved ones as they wait for confirmation of this discovery. Answers like this are never, never easy to receive. If you have any information, you can call the hotline at (530) 581-6320 or go to FindKiely.com or the family’s GoFundMe.
[Image via Placer County Sheriff’s Office/Twitter & GoFundMe & findkiely.com]
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