TRUCKEE, Calif. (NewsNation) — A volunteer group who found the body of a missing teenager in a California reservoir suspects foul play may have played a role in her death.
One of the divers of the group Adventures With Purpose said Kiely Rodni’s body was found in the back of a vehicle that was submerged in the Prosser Reservoir in Truckee, California.
“She’s not in the driver’s seat,” said the diver in a recently released YouTube video. “It looks suspicious to me.”
Adventures With Purpose specializes in sonar recovery, particularly in finding vehicles underwater.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, however, told NewsNation their investigation will continue.
“We are not providing comments on (Adventures With Purpose) remarks. Our investigation is ongoing. We hope to release the final autopsy and toxicology reports soon — once they are finalized.”
Authorities searched for Rodni for two weeks. Her body was found by Adventures With Purpose in less than an hour in her Honda CRV 14 feet underwater.
“After about approximately 35 minutes on the water, I spotted something on my sonar that obviously looked out of place. It was causing a big shadow,” Adventures With Purpose diver Nick Rinn previously told NewsNation’s “Banfield.” “It looked very peculiar to me. I called Doug, told them, ‘Hey, you better get over here. And let’s put another set of eyes on this. See what we see and see if you can figure out what it is.’ We both agreed that it did look like a vehicle.”
Rodni was last seen leaving a high school graduation party with more than 300 people. She told her mother in a text message she planned on leaving the party in 45 minutes.
In a previous interview with NewsNation, Rodni’s mother, Lindsey Rodni-Nieman, described her daughter as a woman who loved playing music, science, baking and dancing.
“There doesn’t seem to be anybody ever who I come across who doesn’t just love her,” her mother said. “She was so smart. She’s so funny. She’s great with little kids. I could go on and on about everything.”
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office told NewsNation they hope to provide an update on the case next week. They also hope someone who saw something at that graduation party can help lead to answers.
