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.
“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 department said in a statement.
Volunteer dive team Adventures with Purpose found the remains inside an upturned vehicle about 14 feet underwater and just 55 feet from the shoreline of the reservoir.
Before the autopsy results were shared, Kiely’s family released a statement on 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.”
More than a dozen law enforcement agencies had been searching for the teenager on the ground and water since she vanished on 6 August. Kiely was last seen at a party in Prosser Family Campground around 12.30am, and her cellphone last pinged at 12.33am close to Prosser Creek Reservoir.
The teenager’s mother, Lindsey Rodni-Nieman, previously told The Independent that her daughter sent her a final text message at 11.30pm saying that she would be leaving the party in around 45 minutes. The drive home takes around 25 to 30 minutes.
On Monday, officials were questioned about how AWP was able to locate the vehicle containing Kiely’s remains within the space of 35 minutes in the same lake that law enforcement had been searching – unsuccessfully – for over two weeks.
Captain Sam Brown with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office refuted claims from a diver with AWP that they were told that the lake had already been searched extensively, saying that law enforcement officials “shared maps, ping information and location” with the volunteer organisation.
“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 breakthrough discovery on Sunday by AWP and the release of autopsy results on Tuesday bring a tragic end to the weeks-long search for the missing teen. Investigators are still working to determine how the car ended up in the reservoir and whether foul play was involved.
