The body found in a submerged car in Northern California on Sunday has been confirmed as missing teenager Kiely Rodni, who disappeared at a camp party in the area about three weeks ago, police said.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers and volunteers have been searching for the 16-year-old girl since she was last seen at the Prosser Family Camp at around 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 6. Authorities initially treated his disappearance as a kidnapping, in part because they couldn’t find his vehicle, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.
After the search crew found the body in the sunken car in Lake Prosser, authorities said it was “most likely” Kiely. An autopsy has now determined that to be true, according to a statement posted on Facebook from the sheriff’s office.
The cause and manner of Kiely’s death were not released, and an investigation into his death is still ongoing, according to the statement.
“The Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office are in communication with the Kiely family and extend our deepest condolences to them during this extremely difficult time,” the post said.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon previously said the vehicle was “located within a search zone that we have been searching for since the start of our operation.”
The volunteer dive group Adventures with Purpose, which often joins underwater searches, found the vehicle, Moon said. It was found upside down about 14 feet below the surface of the lake, which has dropped about 3 feet since the teenager first disappeared, according to Captain Sam Brown of the Nevada County Sheriff.
The Kielys said in a statement on Monday that they were “deeply grateful” for the support they received during the search.
“We have weathered a storm of unexpected strength, and it is purely thanks to the army of warriors, matriarchs, healers, and helpers who sustain us that we continue to stand today,” the statement read. “While we accept this grief thrown in the shadows of death, the rising sun shines on us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift we all received for knowing him. Kiely will definitely stay with us even though we won’t get him back.”
Between 200 and 300 teenagers attended the camp party where Kiely was last seen, officials said.
The grounds are about 17 miles north of Lake Tahoe and 36 miles from Reno, Nevada.
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