Kiely Rodni news: Body found in Prosser lake is missing Truckee teen, autopsy confirms
Kiely Rodni has been confirmed dead after an autopsy positively identified her as the body found in Truckee’s Prosser Creek Reservoir.
More than two weeks after 16-year-old Kiely went missing after a graduation party on 6 August, volunteer divers from Adventures with Purpose discovered a car with a body inside at the reservoir on Sunday.
The search finally came to a tragic conclusion on Tuesday as the autopsy confirmed the body was hers.
It comes after Kiely’s family released a statement Monday afternoon, saying: “We are eternally grateful for the love and support you have shown us in the last couple of weeks.
“While we accept this sadness cast under death’s shadow, the rising sun shines light upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift that we all received in knowing her.
“Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back.”
Investigators are still working to determine how the car ended up in the reservoir and whether foul play was involved.
Key points
Body found in Prosser lake is missing teen, autopsy confirms
Kiely Rodni’s family breaks silence after discovery of body
Amateur divers find body in search for Kiely after weeks-long investigation
Ex-boyfriend pays tribute on Instagram to ‘my entire world'
Truckee police defend against criticism of search for Kiely
Tuesday 23 August 2022 05:00 , Andrea Blanco
Law enforcement officials offered a plethora of reasons why they had failed to find the body in the weeks since Kiely was last seen at a party in Prosser Family Campground, which 200 to 300 teenagers and young adults attended.
The Prosser Creek Reservoir, a lake next to the campground, had previously been searched extensively by law enforcement who had spent more than 20,000 hours trying to find the missing teen.
Nevada County Sheriff Captain Sam Brown credited authorities, peace officers and volunteers for “eliminating areas we’d still be searching,” and paving a way for AWP to find the body - which has not yet been officially identified.
Andrea Blanco has the story with details about authorities’ response to criticism:
Truckee police defend against criticism of search for Kiely Rodni after body found
Kiely Rodni’s family breaks silence after discovery of body
Tuesday 23 August 2022 05:01 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The family of Kiely Rodni released their first public statement following the discovery of the body, which is likely to the missing teen.
“We are eternally grateful for the love and support you have shown us in the last couple of weeks,” the Rodni-Nieman family said in a statement.
“We have weathered a storm of unfathomable force, and it is purely thanks to the army of warriors, matriarchs, healers, and helpers holding us up that we continue to stand today.
“While we accept this sadness cast under death’s shadow, the rising sun shines light upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift that we all received in knowing her.”
“Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back.”
Water “receded’ at lake where Kiely’s car was found
Tuesday 23 August 2022 06:00 , Andrea Blanco
Captain Sam Brown with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said that some of the information circulating in media reports was “deceiving.”
When asked by reporters how the agencies had missed the car — said to be only 15 feet deep underwater, according to AWP — Captain Brown said that since Kiely’s disappearance on 6 August, the water level had dropped a vertical three feet and a potential 20 to 25 feet off offshore.
Gabby Petito's father offers condolences
Tuesday 23 August 2022 06:35 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Joe Petito, the father of Gabby Petito who disappeared during a cross-country trip last year, offered condolences to Kiely Rodni’s family.
“My condolences to Kiely Rondi’s family. May she rest in peace (sic),” he tweeted on Monday.
Mr Petito added: “The emotions all come back to the surface when you see things like this.”
My condolences to #kielyrondi's family. May she rest in piece. The emotions all come back to the surface when you see things like this. 💔 #missingpersons #togetherwecan pic.twitter.com/zOK0Nsx4Qx
— joseph petito (@josephpetito) August 22, 2022
Last September, Gabby, then 22, went missing during a cross-country trip with her fiance Brian Laundrie.
Her strangled body was discovered the next month on the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Laundrie admitted killing her in a notebook discovered near his body in a Florida swamp, where he took his own life, authorities have said.
Divers joined searched efforts just as police began to scale back response
Tuesday 23 August 2022 07:00 , Andrea Blanco
On 19 August, volunteer dive team Adventures with Purpose arrived in Truckee and said it would start looking for Kiely while police began to scale back their own response, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The volunteer divers then began searching the water at Prosser Creek Reservoir by Sunday.
Spokesperson Josh Cantu said although police told the Prosser Creek Reservoir had already been covered by police in a “rigorous” search, his diving team located an object that shouldn’t have been there. That was the car and body potentially belonging to Ms Rodni.
Gino Spocchia has the full story here:
Who are the AWP divers who discovered body in search for Kiely Rodni?
Adventures with Purpose has helped solved over 20 cold cases since 2019
Tuesday 23 August 2022 08:00 , Andrea Blanco
Among the 23 cases the diving group has solved is the 2003 disappearance of Philadelphia father James Amabile, who was found in a lake in the state in March after his family said he experienced a diabetic shock before driving into the water.
At a press conference the day after a body was found in the search for Kiely, AWP said it would be joining another search in California for 22-year-old Jolissa Fuentes of Selma.
AWP was founded in 2019 by volunteers wanting to dive for rubbish before transforming into a search and rescue diving team committed to helping families find their loved ones in cases of missing people, such as the Kiely Rodni case.
According to ABC News Australia, the group transitioned to helping find missing people about two years ago when they started uncovering clues to missing person cases. Today, there are six members of the team.
Gino Spocchia has more here:
Who are the AWP divers who discovered body in search for Kiely Rodni?
Search for Kiely may finally be over as her presumed remains are found by dive team
Tuesday 23 August 2022 09:00 , Andrea Blanco
The desperate search for 16-year-old Kiely Rodni may finally be over after volunteer divers said that they had found her body inside an upside-down car under 14 feet of water.
But the mystery remains over exactly what happened to the California teenager after she vanished from a party at a northern California campground on Saturday 6 August.
Yet on 21 August, a volunteer diving group called Adventures With Purpose said it had found Kiely’s body inside a sunken car in Prosser Lake. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said it could not yet confirm whether the body was her.
Here’s everything we know about the case:
Everything we know about 16-year-old Kiely Rodni’s disappearance
Adventures with Purpose to join new case
Tuesday 23 August 2022 10:00 , Andrea Blanco
After announcing the discovery of Kiely’s car in Prosser Lake, AWP said they will be joining the search for 22-year-old Jolissa Fuentes.
Ms Fuentes was last seen at about 4am on 7 August driving a 2011 Hyundai into and out of a AM/PM gas station near her home in Selma on Nebraska Avenue and has not been heard from since.
The dive team has received widespread praise for their breakthrough discoveries in the investigation.
Ginno Spocchia has the story:
Jolissa Fuentes: Everything we know about 22-year-old missing in California
Authorities face criticism of search for Kiely
Tuesday 23 August 2022 11:00 , Andrea Blanco
California authorities have dismissed criticism of their search for Kiely Rodni after a body believed to be that of the missing teen was found by an amateur diving team.
Officials were questioned about how volunteer group Adventures with Purpose (AWP) was able to locate the vehicle believed to contain Kiely’s remains within the space of a few short hours in the same lake that law enforcement had been searching – unsuccessfully – for over two weeks.
“The Adventures with Purpose folks did a fantastic job at being able to locate the vehicle as quickly as they did, based on, again, a lot of heavy lifting that the folks behind me have done over the last couple of weeks,” Sheriff Shannon Moon said, as officials with California Highway Patrol and Nevada County stood behind her.
The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has the full story:
Truckee police defend against criticism of search for Kiely Rodni after body found
Adventures with Purpose used sonar technology to find Kiely’s car
Tuesday 23 August 2022 12:00 , Andrea Blanco
Nick Rinn, an AWP diver, told the New York Post he found a body in a car within minutes of entering the water, and while it was close to the shoreline, it had not been visible above the water – only via Garmin sonar technology.
“I went down and did my inspection. I saw the vehicle upside down, verified the license plate and that there were remains in the vehicle,” he said.
“Then I came out, we called the family and authorities and let them take it from there.”
Captain Brown with the Nevada County Sheriff’s office said that although local agencies had used sonar technology in an attempt to find Kiely, AWP had an advantage in equipment and expertise.
Gino Spocchia has more details:
Who are the AWP divers who discovered body in search for Kiely Rodni?
Police say remains found ‘more than likely’ belong to Kiely
Tuesday 23 August 2022 13:00 , Andrea Blanco
Local authorities said they believe a body found inside a car in Prosser Creek Reservoir, Truckee, is that of missing teenager Kiely Rodni, but have yet to positively identify the remains.
The body was found by Adventures With Purpose (AWP), a group of volunteer divers dedicated to search and rescue efforts involving missing people.
“We believe it is our missing person,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon said during a press conference on Monday. “We have not been able to positively identify [her], but it is more than likely where we are today.”
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. Toxicology reports could take up to six weeks, authorities said.
Rachel Sharp has the story:
Kiely Rodni: Remains found in Truckee lake ‘more than likely’ belong to missing teen
Autopsy to take place today
Tuesday 23 August 2022 13:30 , Megan Sheets
An autopsy to determine whether the body pulled from Prosser Creek Reservoir is that of Kiely Rodni is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
It comes after police said a positive identification is “more than likely”.
Officials said a toxicology report shedding more light on the circumstances of the death could take weeks to conclude.
Investigators are still looking into the possibility of foul play.
Local police defend against criticism in search
Wednesday 24 August 2022 00:01 , Andrea Blanco
Law enforcement officials offered a plethora of reasons why they had failed to find the body in the weeks since Kiely was last seen at a party in Prosser Family Campground, which 200 to 300 teenagers and young adults attended.
The Prosser Creek Reservoir, a lake next to the campground, had previously been searched extensively by law enforcement who had spent more than 20,000 hours trying to find the missing teen.
“The Adventures with Purpose folks did a fantastic job at being able to locate the vehicle as quickly as they did, based on, again, a lot of heavy lifting that the folks behind me have done over the last couple of weeks,” Sheriff Shannon Moon said, as officials with California Highway Patrol and Nevada County stood behind her.
Read more about authorities’ response here:
Truckee police defend against criticism of search for Kiely Rodni after body found
Kiely’s family break their silence
Tuesday 23 August 2022 14:16 , Andrea Blanco
In a post shared on Monday, Kiely Rodni’s family addressed the public after her car and a body believed to be hers were found in Prosser Creek Reservoir on Sunday.
“We are eternally grateful for the love and support you have shown us in the last couple of weeks,” the statement read. “While we accept this sadness cast under death’s shadow, the rising sun shines light upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift that we all received in knowing her.”
“Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back.”
The family thanked the community for the outpouring of support throughout the two-week search and asked for privacy as they grieve.
Adventures with Purpose credits their success on their skills
Tuesday 23 August 2022 15:23 , Andrea Blanco
AWP diver Doug Bishop said they have the same technology police do, but the difference is the way they employed it.
“Our sonar technology is not different from what they had,” Mr Bishop told TODAY. “It’s our ability to manipulate it.”
Local authorities are facing criticism for their search after they spent two weeks with very few developments in the investigation. On Sunday, a vehicle with remains inside believed to belong to Kiely was found by AWP.
Police defend against criticism of search for Kiely
Tuesday 23 August 2022 15:57 , Andrea Blanco
When asked by reporters how the 16 agencies involved in the investigation had missed the car — said to be only 15 feet deep underwater, according to AWP — Captain Sam Brown with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said that since Kiely’s disappearance on 6 August, the water level had dropped a vertical three feet and a potential 20 to 25 feet off offshore.
He also said that some of the information circulating in media reports was “deceiving.”
“That’s a great question and one that everybody is going to have is, how we did not find her when we were searching? ...A lot of this equipment is high-end, very expensive, and you really need to have a lot of experience, a lot of expertise,” Captain Brown said.
Andrea Blanco has the story:
Truckee police defend against criticism of search for Kiely Rodni after body found
Kiely’s ex-boyfriend opens up about loss
Tuesday 23 August 2022 16:52 , Andrea Blanco
Pending an official identification of the body found in Prosser lake, Kiely’s ex-boyfriend took to Instagram on Monday to share his pain.
“This was an insanely [expletive] up situation and it still is insanely [expletive] up and I still don’t know how to process it and I don’t think I am ever going to be able to process it,” Jagger Westfall said, according to the New York Post.
Earlier, Mr Westfall had posted a tribute calling Kiely “my entire world..”
“She wants us to be happy and she wants us to be safe and she wants us to have a good life, that’s all she ever wanted for anyone,” Mr Westfall added on Monday.
Adventures with Purpose found car and body with sonar technology
Tuesday 23 August 2022 17:21 , Andrea Blanco
A diver for AWP told local news station KCRA-TV that the group’s sonar technology could have made the difference in the search for Kiely, whose cellphone was last traced to the edge of the Prosser Creek Reservoir on 6 August.
While law enforcement agencies deployed boats in the search, AWP used sonar radar tools to detect objects underneath the water surface – such as sunken cars.
Diver Doug Bishop later said that police also had that equipment but his team’s skills made the difference.
Gino Spocchia has the story:
Who are the AWP divers who discovered body in search for Kiely Rodni?
AWP to join search for another California missing person
Tuesday 23 August 2022 17:51 , Andrea Blanco
Adventures with Purpose announced that after wrapping up their search efforts in Truckee, they will head to Selma, where Jolissa Fuentes was last seen.
Ms Fuentes was last seen at about 4am on 7 August driving a 2011 Hyundai into and out of a AM/PM gas station near her home on Nebraska Avenue and has not been heard from since.
It was not clear where she was heading, although her family told Fox News on Friday that the area is near vineyards and orchards that Ms Fuentes would sometimes visit to clear her head, especially after the death of a friend last year.
Gino Spocchia has the full story:
Jolissa Fuentes: Everything we know about 22-year-old missing in California
Kiely’s family breaks their silence
Tuesday 23 August 2022 19:06 , Andrea Blanco
In a heartfelt statement on Monday, Kiely’s family thanked the community for the unwavering support throughout the search for their daughter and asked for space as they navigate grief.
“While we accept this sadness cast under death’s shadow, the rising sun shines light upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift that we all received in knowing her,” the statement read.
Autopsy to identify body scheduled for Tuesday
Tuesday 23 August 2022 20:24 , Andrea Blanco
Investigators said Monday that the body found inside a vehicle is believed to be that of the missing 16-year-old.
During a press conference on Monday, authorities said that an autopsy scheduled for Tuesday will determine a cause of death. However, toxicology reports to find whether there are traces of alcohol and illegal substances in the body will take several weeks.
Autopsy confirms recovered body is Kiely
Tuesday 23 August 2022 21:33 , Megan Sheets
An autopsy performed Tuesday has confirmed what police suspected - that the body found in Prosser Creek Reservoir is that of Kiely Rodni.
“The Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office are in communication with Kiely’s family and offer our deepest condolences to them during this extremely difficult time,” officials shared on social media.
Kiely’s ex-boyfriend paid tribute before autopsy results
Tuesday 23 August 2022 22:40 , Andrea Blanco
Before the autopsy results were shared on Tuesday, Kiely’s ex-boyfriend Jagger Westfall, 18, posted a heartbreaking video on his Instagram Sunday.
The video showed the young couple joking around together.
“You were my entire world and you always will be. I will never love someone the way I loved you,” he wrote.
“I missed you even when I was holding you in my arms. I could never get enough of you. I promised I would be with you until the end and I was serious. #LLKð.”
Kiely’s family speaks out after body found in lake
Tuesday 23 August 2022 23:58 , Andrea Blanco
Volunteer divers discovered a car with remains inside at the Prosser Creek Reservoir in Truckee on Sunday. Adventures With Purpose (AWP), a search organisation which helps find missing people, said that the silver 2013 Honda CRV was upside down 14 feet underwater and that a body — which has not been confirmed to be Kiely yet — was inside.
In a heartfelt statement on Monday, Kiely’s family said: “Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back.
“There are certain occasions when words fail. Perhaps this is why our human nature has given us art, dance, and music, which all are often more effective ways to connect us to each other and our rawest emotions.
“Kindly excuse us as we retreat and dance privately to life’s song while we celebrate our daughter’s spirit and heal our souls.”
Autopsy confirms body pulled from Prosser lake is Kiely Rodni
01:00 , Andrea Blanco
Authorities in California have confirmed that the body found in a lake on Sunday is that of missing teenager Kiely Rodni.
An autopsy performed by the Nevada County Sheriff-Coroner on the remains pulled from the Prosser Reservoir in Truckee positively identified the deceased as the 16-year-old, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday.
Andrea Blanco has the full story:
Authorities confirm body pulled from Prosser lake is missing Truckee teen
Kiely’s ex-boyfriend opens up about his grief and frustration
02:00 , Andrea Blanco
Kiely’s ex-boyfriend, Jagger Westfall, posted a tribute calling her “his entire world” on Monday, and wrote that “I missed you even when you were in my arms.”
Mr Westfall opened up again later that day to share his frustration and grief.
“This was an insanely [expletive]-up situation and still is insanely [expletive]-up,” Mr Westfall, 18, said in a video posted on Instagram, according to The New York Post. “I still don’t know how to process it and I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to process it.”
“I know it [expletive] hurts and I know it hurts all of you,” he added holding back tears.
Mr Westfall remember Kiely fondly and thanked his close friends and the community for helping in the search.
Adventures with a Purpose, the volunteer dive team that found Kiely
03:00 , Andrea Blanco
A volunteer diving team found Kiely’s body inside her car more than two weeks and tens of thousands of law enforcement hours spent searching for the missing teenager.
Adventures With Purpose (AWP), a group of volunteer divers dedicated to search and rescue efforts involving missing people, announced Sunday that it had found a car and body in California’s Prosser Creek Reservoir after police invited the group to help with the case.
“Car is upside down in only 14’ of water,” AWP posted on Facebook. “Family Notified. Law Enforcement on their way.”
The sonar technology used to find Kiely
04:00 , Andrea Blanco
A diver for AWP told local news station KCRA-TV that the group’s sonar technology could have made the difference in the search for Kiely, whose cellphone was last traced to the edge of the Prosser Creek Reservoir on 6 August.
While law enforcement agencies deployed boats in the search, AWP used sonar radar tools to detect objects underneath the water surface – such as sunken cars.
Mr Cantu added to the Post that even Sonar technology can miss objects underwater if operators are not fully trained or experienced.
Gino Spocchia has the full story here:
Who are the AWP divers who discovered body in search for Kiely Rodni?
Police had same sonar technology used by amateur divers, 'skills made the difference’
05:00 , Andrea Blanco
Adventures with Purpose diver Doug Bishop credited his team’s expertise and skills for the findings on Sunday.
“Our sonar technology is not different from what they had,” Mr Bishop told TODAY. “It’s our ability to manipulate it.”
Local authorities are facing criticism for their search after they spent two weeks with very few developments in the investigation.
Divers reveal Truckee police told them not to bother searching water
05:04 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A team of divers who claim to have recovered the body and car of missing Californian teen Kiely Rodni alleged that the police told them not to bother looking in the area where they made the discovery.
On Sunday, the diving group Adventures With Purpose - which had been invited by police to join the search - said it had found an upturned vehicle about 14 feet underwater at Prosser Creek Reservoir, near to where the 16-year-old was last known to be.
Josh Cantu, a spokesman for the diving group Adventures With Purpose, told the New York Post about the discovery on Sunday and said: “Police told us they did a rigorous search of this body of water. They gave us a grid map and made us confident we didn’t need to search here.
Gino Spocchia has more.
Divers searching for Kiely Rodni say police told them not to bother where body found
Truckee community mourns Kiely Rodni’s death
06:16 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
People in Truckee, who regularly interacted with Kiely Rodni, shared their shock and disbelief after the autopsy report confirmed the body discovered in Prosser lake was that of the missing teen’s.
It’s been a long two weeks, and of course, it’s one of our own and my heart goes out to her parents especially. We’re just broken. That’s all I can say,” Cindy Shippy, co-owner Cha Fine Teas, told ABC10.
Abby Bunker, who worked with Rodni, said: “It’s just hard to think that somebody you saw like a couple weeks ago is just not here anymore. It’s just hard to wrap your head around.”
She added: “If you met Kiely, she was like really honest, and she was like really bad***... She is so cool, she’s strong (and) she didn’t let anybody overpower her.”
Kiely’s family asks for space as they navigate grief
07:00 , Andrea Blanco
In a heartfelt post on Monday afternoon, the Rodni-Nieman family thanked the public for the outpouring of support throughout the search for Kiely.
“While we accept this sadness cast under death’s shadow, the rising sun shines light upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate,” the family wrote.
“Kiely’s spirit and the gift that we all received in knowing her. Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back.”
Divers found Kiely’s body and vehicle within 30 minutes
09:00 , Andrea Blanco
Adventures with Purpose divers revealed on Monday that it took them only 30 minutes to make the breakthrough discovery on Sunday.
“We began our search for Kiely on August 21 at 10:40am. We placed two sonar boats on the water. By 11.15am, Nick [Rinn] detected an object underwater using cutting-edge Garmin sonar technology,” diver Doug Bishop said in a Youtube video.
“I was able to confirm that it was in fact a vehicle in roughly 15ft of water, only 55ft offshore. After marking the vehicle with our magnet. Nick suited up in his dive gear and conducted the dive.”
Kiely’s car was only visible via sonar
11:00 , Andrea Blanco
Nick Rinn, an AWP diver, told the Post he found a body in a car within minutes of entering the water, and while it was close to the shoreline, it had not been visible above the water – only via sonar.
“I went down and did my inspection. I saw the vehicle upside down, verified the license plate and that there were remains in the vehicle,” he said. “Then I came out, we called the family and authorities and let them take it from there.”
Helicopters for KCRA-TV pictured the vehicle being retrieved from the Prosser Creek Reservoir.
Mr Cantu added: “Our sonar showed an object bigger than a rock that shouldn’t have been there. One of our divers went underwater and was able to identify a vehicle.”
Gino Spocchia has the story:
Who are the AWP divers who discovered body in search for Kiely Rodni?
Body pulled from Prosser lake has been confirmed to be Kiely Rodni
14:00 , Andrea Blanco
The weeks-long search for missing teenager Kiely Rodni officially came to an end on Tuesday when the Nevada County Sheriff-Coroner released the results of an autopsy that positively identified the remains found Sunday.
“The Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office are in communication with Kiely’s family and offer our deepest condolences to them during this extremely difficult time,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Andrea Blanco has the story:
Authorities confirm body pulled from Prosser lake is missing Truckee teen
