Kiely Rodni: Divers find Honda presumed to belong to missing Truckee teen
TRUCKEE, Calif. - Volunteer divers on Monday confirmed they found the submerged car of a missing 16-year-old girl but said that officials will have to formally determine if the remains inside belong to Kiely Rodni.
Douglas Bishop and Nick Rinn, divers with Adventures with Purpose, outlined how they were able to find Kiely's 2013 silver Honda CRV in 14 feet of water in the Prosser Reservoir, and then marked it with a magnet on Sunday. They then called authorities and Kiely's family to let them know the somber news.
"Dad and Grandpa were on scene in minutes," Bishop said.
On Monday, authorities confirmed that the car hauled from the reservoir was Kiely's and said it's "more than likely" that the body inside is the missing teen, but cautioned that they had not confirmed the deceased person's identity.
The coroner's office will have to positively ID the body, which the divers presume belongs to the teen.
The reservoir is near a large party that Kiely attended with hundreds of others on Aug. 6 – the last day she was seen near the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee.
Her friend, Sami Smith, was at the party with her and said Kiely had been planning to spend the night at the campground.
Kiely Rodni's body found, volunteer group claims
The body of missing Truckee teenager Kiely Rodni has allegedly been found in her vehicle submerged in water near where she disappeared two weeks ago, dive team Adventures with Purpose announced. The group's announcement had not been confirmed by law enforcement.
"I know that she wasn’t in the right mindset or state to drive. And if she were to have driven, she wouldn’t have made it far," Smith told KOVR-TV.
Friends and family feared she had been kidnapped.
Her phone had been out of service since the party, and her Honda had not been found until this weekend.
Marine units from three local sheriff’s offices searched the reservoir. The search grew to a wide area of California and Nevada and involved at least 16 local, state and federal enforcement agencies. Dozens of family and friends also searched and offered a $50,000 reward.
"As tragic as this is, you know, we're providing answers for families," Bishop said. "We're helping law enforcement, close cases. That's a positive thing."