Body Pulled From Reservoir Believed To Be Missing 16-Year-Old Kiely Rodni, Police Say

TRUCKEE, CA — A body and vehicle were pulled Sunday from the Prosser Creek Reservoir, not far from where 16-year-old Kiely Rodni disappeared several weeks ago, according to police.

“We believe it is our missing person,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon told reporters at a press conference Monday streamed by KTVN 2 News.

Rodni went missing in the early morning hours of Aug. 6 after attending a party with up to 300 young people at the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee, just feet from the reservoir. Her SUV was missing as well and her cellphone had been untraceable since she disappeared.

The body and vehicle were found Sunday afternoon by the volunteer search group Adventures with Purpose, and the rescue organization said on social media Sunday that it had located Rodni. Under 14 feet of water was a silver 2013 Honda CRV with the license plate 8YUR127 — the same as Rodni's, Adventures with Purpose said.

The area where the SUV was found had been searched since Rodni disappeared, including with divers and sonar, according to police, who noted that the vehicle was upside down when it was discovered and that water levels at the reservoir had dropped several feet in the weeks since Rodni went missing.

“Tracking underwater is an extremely difficult thing to do,” Capt. Sam Brown said.

There is no reason to believe the SUV hasn’t been in the reservoir since the night of the party, according to Brown. The California Highway Patrol is conducting a fatality traffic collision investigation, the FBI is evaluating the vehicle and an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, with toxicology results expected in about a month, authorities said.

“It is still a very active investigation,” Moon said.

Rodni’s disappearance sparked an expansive search of over 15,000 man-hours, according to police. At one point 50 FBI agents were investigating leads and police received hundreds of tips.