California authorities have not officially identified the remains found in the Prosser Creek Reservoir Sunday evening – but they say they likely belong to the missing Truckee 16-year-old whose shocking disappearance motivated hundreds of searchers to scour the mountains north of Lake Tahoe for more than two weeks.
Kiely Rodni’s family Monday afternoon released its first public statement following recovery of missing teen’s likely remains.
"We are eternally grateful for the love and support you have shown us in the last couple of weeks," the Rodni-Nieman family said in a statement released Monday afternoon. "We have weathered a storm of unfathomable force, and it is purely thanks to the army of warriors, matriarchs, healers, and helpers holding us up that we continue to stand today."
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon announced earlier in the day that the body recovered in a submerged SUV near the place Rodni had last been seen was likely hers.
KIELY RODNI CASE: AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCE REMAINS FOUND, LIKELY THOSE OF MISSING TEEN
A volunteer dive team with the group Adventures With Purpose announced on Facebook Sunday that it had made a grim discovery in the Prosser Creek Reservoir near where Rodni’s cellphone last pinged at 12:33 a.m. on Aug. 6. Local investigators dispatched a dive team of their own to confirm the findings and were seen hauling the vehicle out of the water.
"We recovered the vehicle last night," Sheriff Moon said Monday morning. "We have located a decedent inside the vehicle. We believe it is our missing person. We have not been able to positively identify, but it’s more than likely."
Investigators said the area had been "extensively searched" previously and that the water level had since dropped by more than three feet.
Rodni’s disappearance under suspicious circumstances had initially been regarded as a possible abduction. The case attracted national attention and attracted volunteer search teams, in addition to massive law enforcement presence that scoured the region for 10 days but wound up empty-handed until the Adventures With Purpose team arrived over the weekend.
"Mr. Rogers famously told a story of ‘looking for the helpers’ whenever he saw scary things in the news," the family said. "We have not had to look for the helpers, as you have all come to our rescue in full force. We are forever indebted to you."
Friends have described Kiely as a "charismatic" young woman with a brilliant mind. She graduated her California high school months before her 17th birthday and planned to go on to med school.
"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," the statement reads. "Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back."
MISSING KIELY RODNI: A TIMELINE OF THE 16-YEAR-OLD'S DISAPPEARANCE FROM CAMPGROUND PARTY
"There are certain occasions when words fail. Perhaps this is why our human nature has given us art, dance, and music, which all are often more effective ways to connect us to each other and our rawest emotions. Kindly excuse us as we retreat and dance privately to life’s song while we celebrate our daughter’s spirit and heal our souls."
Sami Smith, a friend who said she had been with Rodni for the entire evening until she left the party around 12:20 a.m., said they’d met several new people but no one who seemed suspicious. However, she noted that Rodni appeared too drunk to drive.
"At the point when I left, I thought she was going to stay there," said Smith, who departed the campground just a few minutes before Rodni was last seen. "Everybody was camping. It was late enough that she should have stayed. She’s not the type to go and drunk drive or anything."
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An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday, authorities said. Toxicology results could take four to six weeks to come back.
