NewsNation

Kiely Rodni case: Two missing in nearby area

Aug. 18 update: Since this story aired, there have been updates in the case. Click here to read the latest.

(NewsNation) — Two other people went missing around the same time and in the same area as 16-year-old Kiely Rodni, making there at least three active missing persons cases outside of Truckee, California.


Authorities say they are not linking the three cases together.

Juan Almanza Zavala, 36, and Janette Pantoja, 29 were coming home from a music and car show in Reno, Nevada on Aug. 6, local news station KCRA reported.

The two, who dated for years and still maintained a good relationship, according to their families, were last seen driving a blue Ford Explorer.

After the show, Almanza Zavala and Pantoja told their families that they were going to be on their way home — but never actually made it.

Both families reported Almanza Zavala and Pantoja missing on Aug.7.

Pantoja’s sister told NewsNation that Almanza Zavala did not take news well that Pantoja was seeing someone new.

“A couple of family members had seen that at these apartment buildings in front of our house, he was parked at, and one time in the middle of the night he was outside sitting in front of the garage,” Alejandra Pantoja said of Almana Zavalda.

Family members of both missing people also believe the police department is not doing everything it can to find them, failing to act on a promise to conduct an aerial search.

“I asked them if they were doing drone searches, dogs, and they told me they couldn’t disclose any of that information with me,”

For two weeks now, investigators have been searching the rural areas where their last known cellphone pings were tracked, but haven’t found anything.

Kiely Rodni was reported missing earlier this month.

Rodni, on the other hand, was reported missing on Aug.6 after attending a senior send-off party with around 300 other high schoolers and young adults near the Prosser Family Campground near Truckee. Authorities say she was last seen in the video wearing a pink and white sweatshirt with the words “odd future ” on it. Investigators are asking the public to come forward with any information, and the reward for that case is now up to $75,000.

In the Rodni case, authorities announced Monday that they are scaling back the search effort.

“To date, we’ve had something like 9,000 man hours … which is astronomical,” Nevada County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Sam Brown said at the time.

Kiely’s father, Daniel Rodni, said the last couple of weeks have been agony.

“Every day is a roller coaster. Emotions are out of control,” he said.