Cause of death released for Kiely Rodni, missing California teen found in reservoir
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday announced that the death of 16-year-old Kiely Rodni resulted from drowning after her vehicle crashed in the Prosser Creek Reservoir.
The Truckee teen had been missing for two weeks and was the focus of a massive search in August before her remains were found in her submerged vehicle in the reservoir. The Sheriff’s Office said her death was “accidental.”
A pathologist determined that there was no other information to suggest she was the victim of foul play.
“As always, our office will continue to work with the family by evaluating any additional information related to this investigation,” sheriff’s officials said in a news release. “We ask that both the media and the public respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
On Aug. 21, Adventures With Purpose, a group of volunteer divers, found the teen’s silver Honda CR-V upside down in the reservoir. Authorities confirmed Kiely’s death two days later.
She had been missing since the early hours of Aug. 6 after attending a party with about 200 to 300 young people at Prosser Family Campground, several yards from the shore. The vehicle was found several hundred feet from where the party took place.
Authorities have not released details about what might have led to the vehicle ending up in the water. Kiely disappeared around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 6 after attending the party at the campground, located within Tahoe National Forest.
After the teen was reported missing, law enforcement agencies in Nevada and Placer counties, along with volunteers, launched a vast search campaign for her. Authorities had spent nearly 20,000 hours searching the area. Investigators received more than 1,800 citizen tips regarding Kiely’s disappearance.
A team of divers with Adventures with Purpose found the Honda CR-V upside down in 14 feet of water with a body inside. The diving group said it had been in the water using sonar boats for 35 minutes when they located the vehicle 55 feet offshore and less than a quarter-mile south of the campground.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 2:56 PM.
