Kiely Rodni’s former boyfriend opened up Monday after police announced the missing girl’s vehicle was found in a California reservoir with a body inside.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, officials pulled a Honda CRV out of Prosser Creek Reservoir on Sunday, as darkness fell over the area where 16-year-old Kiely disappeared on August 5. Kiely had been at a graduation party with hundreds of other people at Prosser Family Campground when she vanished.
Shortly after midnight on August 6, Kiely texted her mother to say she was headed home, and a few minutes later called a friend. She was not seen or heard from again, prompting an intensive, multi-agency search of the area.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the discovery of the car and a body on Sunday. During a Monday afternoon press conference, they added that although they don’t have official confirmation on the identity of the body, they believe it’s Kiely. There was only one body found inside the vehicle, police said.
“This was an insanely f***** up situation and it still is insanely f***** up and I still don’t know how to process it and I don’t think I am ever going to be able to process it,” 18-year-old Jagger Westfall, who dated Kiely, said during a video posted on Facebook.
“I know that it f—— hurts and I know that it hurts all of you and I just wanted to say thank you for everyone that put the effort in and tried so f—— hard to bring her home. It really means a lot to me and I’m sure it means a lot to her too, thank you.”
An underwater search and dive team, Adventures With Purpose, found the teen’s vehicle first, then contacted police. Doug Bishop, a representative for the search team, said Monday that they found Kiely’s SUV within a day of searching several bodies of water in California.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bishop said that although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, he was “sure” that a medical examiner would identify the body as that of Kiely within the next few days.
Bishop added that all of the information collected during the search and investigation hasn’t been divulged, since there is an ongoing investigation by numerous law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
“We will be working with authorities to share this knowledge over the next couple of days. It is always our mission to promote and share the techniques we utilize so that our purpose can help as many people as possible,” Bishop said.
Bishop said the team decided to search the bodies of water, although local law enforcement told them not to and that authorities had already searched the area “extensively.”
Nevada County Sheriff Captain Sam Brown responded Monday that police did say that the area had been “extensively searched.” However, he added, the search team’s claim that law enforcement told them not to search the area is probably “not accurate.”
“[We] never gave any indication we knew where [Rodni] was at,” Brown said.
Police said they are appreciative of the search organization for their assistance, adding that they’re also appreciative of volunteers who previously swam in waters while trying to find the teen.
According to the California Highway Patrol, there are “a lot of factors” in the case that could take anywhere from “several days to several weeks” to get through.
A cause of death has not been determined. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
A toxicology test will also be performed, but the results could take up to four to six weeks, police said.
Check back for updates.
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[Featured image: Family Handout]
