A group of volunteer divers said they discovered a vehicle and human remains near whereKiely Rodni, the 16-year-old California girl who went missing in early August, was last seen.
On Sunday, the volunteer group known as Adventures With Purpose announced they made the discovery, sharing the news onFacebook. The car was discovered upside down in Prosser Reservoir below 14 feet of water, Adventures With Purpose added in afollow-up message. The reservoir borders the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee,near where Rodni was last seenamong “more than 100 juveniles and young adults” at a party in the area.
Commenting on the update, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in aFacebookstatement Sunday night that they were in contact with the search and recovery dive team, working with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and FBI to investigate.
“The identity of the decedent has not been confirmed,” the sheriff’s office said. “This is a developing situation and we will provide updates when we can.”
On Sunday night, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the dive team had located a body inside the vehicle, but it said they had not yet verified potential identity,NBC Newsreported.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Placer County Sheriff’s Office and Adventures With Purpose did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office has a press conference set for Monday morning.
Kiely Rodni.Placer County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
One diver told theNew York Postthat the vehicle’s license plate matched that of Rodni’s 2013 Honda CRV, which she was driving before she was reported missing in early August after attending a party near Tahoe National Forest.
Another group member told NBC the vehicle was found with sonar imaging technology about 300 yards from the campground where the 16-year-old California girl was last seen.
KCRA News/Youtube
Adventures with Purpose started searching the reservoir on Sunday after at least three police dive teams already conducted searches, according to thePost.
“Police told us they did a rigorous search of this body of water,” group member Josh Cantu, 31, said. “They gave us a grid map and made us confident we didn’t need to search here.”
Nick Rinn, 48, told the outlet he found the car close to shore “within a few minutes” of diving via sonar first about 14 feet underwater.
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“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,” Rinn said. “Then I came out, we called the family and authorities and let them take it from there.”
“Our sonar showed an object bigger than a rock that shouldn’t have been there,” Cantu told thePost. “One of our divers went underwater and was able to identify a vehicle.”
Rinn also told thePostthat the reservoir’s water levels have receded since police conducted prior searches two weeks ago.
“Now the water has receded and we’re seeing the vehicle went farther into the water than maybe [police] thought,” Rinn said. “When a vehicle goes in the water, it has air trapped in it for a while so it will float for a little ways before it fills with water and sinks.”
News Licensing/MEGA
After the party, Rodni disappeared and her phone was turned off. Investigators were also unable to track her vehicle down.
“We just want her home,” Rodni-Nieman said. “We are so scared and we miss her so much and we love her so much.”
The mother also sharedthe last text her daughter senther before she disappeared.
She toldABC Newsthat Kiely texted her and told her she would be leaving the party in approximately 45 minutes before going “straight home.”
“I told her to be safe and that I loved her. And she said, ‘OK, mom, I love you, too,’ " Rodni-Nieman told the outlet. “She never came home.”
source: people.com
