Yes as my neighbor said, kids have been partying in that location for decades. Yet AFAIK this is the first tragedy like this. Kids here grow up in the outdoors. She was going camping the next day. She's familiar with the area. The beach looks totally unlike the dirt roads to take home. The water was not so much higher that there wasn't a substantial beach AFAIK.
I still am concerned that she might not have put herself in the water. From the beginning, I said if she's in the water she might not have put herself there. It's a common way to dispose of evidence.
- LE has not released a cause of death
- LE has not declared the case closed. It is an active investigation.
- LE has not ruled out foul play
- LE has not declared this a simple tragic accident
I absolutely understand and respect that as a local, you have vast knowledge of a town that I'd actually never even heard of prior to this tragedy. (I'm NYC all my life). I also understand and respect that as a local, you need certainty that this was not a murder because Truckee is your home, and safety is paramount.
That said, IMO a rural, outdoorsy life and deep familiarity with the area is one thing in the daytime, with nature activities such as swimming, skiing, and camping. It's quite another, even for those born and bred, to be hanging out in an isolated wood at night, with hundreds of minors and young adults from various places, all intentionally congregating where parents and LE don't seem to be present at all, in order to partake in illegal activities that so often lead to trouble.
It's heartening that you haven't heard of any similar tragedies before Kiely, and I know we all hope there won't be any further ones.
To my knowledge as an amateur observer, LE doesn't typically release their information in dribs and drabs, but will release everything when their investigation is complete. At that time, if it turns out foul play is in fact involved, then we will find that out.
I still feel that this was a terrible, sickening accident, but one which (in my sorrowful opinion) was inevitable, sooner or later, given the drug use, alcohol use, and drivers who are young, inexperienced, and legally not allowed to be driving at night without an adult. I don't want to sound harsh, I don't mean to be, but this is a recipe for a fatal outcome at some point.
Jmo