Found Deceased CA - Kiely Rodni Missing From Party Near Prosser Family Campground in Truckee since 8 Aug 2022 #5

[otto]

I was there moments ago when the car was pulled out from the lake, and I noticed some odd things. I won’t speculate what these observations mean, but I want to lay them out here and see if someone else who was watching can verify.

1) the front windows were completely rolled down and the back windows were rolled 2/3 of the way down, like in cars with child safety window locks.

2) from the side view, Kiely was not in the front or back seats. LE was focused on covering the rear 1/3 of the car with a tarp where the trunk is in an SUV.

These definitely seem like red flags to me, but I hesitate to make any conclusions until more info comes out. Thoughts?
Anybody else who was there today that noticed these things?

It's a red flag that she was not wearing a seatbelt when found, although it's possible that she released her seatbelt and all four windows as she tumbled into the water and landed on her head. I think that's unlikely.

As the car was pulled from the water, she could have been lying on her side in the front seat. I wouldn't expect her to be sitting up in the driver's seat.

 

[5W's]

You have mentioned suicide as a possibility a couple of times now, but respectfully, if that is what is being suggested here, there has been absolutely no indication that Kiely was suicidal. None. Unrolling all four windows also seems in line with trying to escape a sinking vehicle.

I have another take on the rolling of the windows, however. Underwater in a panic if the poor girl was in this state she would roll down one window, plus wouldn't the automatic mechanisms for opening the windows not work, wouldn't they be damaged? One window rolled down by her is enough because she would be closest to that window if she rolled it down herself right then while trying to escape.

 

[Vetshred]

I was there shortly after AWP discovered the car and watched the entire recovery process. Shortly after the initial discovery, AWP moved aside and the Sherrif and FBI took over. They did not remove anything from the car before extrication. They winched it out with one line from the tow truck that two divers connected to the car. When it surfaced, police were QUICK to cover the back windows of the car. All visible windows were rolled down. I believe rolled down and not smashed because the back ones were partially down. The FBI took over once the car was extricated.

 

[WillenFan21]

Seat belts are mandatory in CA and many of us put them on so habitually that it's not even something we think about. My 2012 model car also has an alarm if you try to drive even a few feet without the seatbelt.

If the power windows still worked after hitting water, she could have rolled them all down. IMO someone with that much awareness wouldn't drive into the water in the first place. JMO. Again, there were lots of visual clues that wasn't the way home. She's so drunk she drives into water but then has the awareness to roll the windows down and take her seatbelt off?

this is actually a really good point.

 

[getthefax]

Yea that's what I mean. Other descriptions of her actions are not consistent with being so completely out of it that she would drive into the lake. There are people, apparently, who can get so blackout drunk they don't know where they even are. She didn't sound like that to me. I've from the beginning found it implausible that she ended up in the lake by her own volition. But if an OD happened and they wanted to cover it up or there was foul play, then the lake was absolutely the easiest way to get rid of the evidence.

I agree. The investigation needs to be completed before this case can be considered completely closed.

 

[5W's]

I can think of plausible explanations which are not nefarious in nature for each of your observations. Thank you for sharing what you saw first-hand, much appreciated.

If I'm really tired, I roll down the windows when I drive. Or she could have rolled down the windows and tried to get out of the car thru the hatch or back door. Maybe the nose went down first, so she moved to the back. Remember she was under the influence and wasn't thinking coherently

If this were so she could have escaped but she didn't so IMO something is not adding up.

 

[MacBridey]

- maybe the police were trying to save any fingerprints that were on the car
by covering it with tarp


-I wonder if it was totally dark that far down in the water - it would be hard to know which way was up - if one tried to get out and swim.

-Does anyone have a map diagram showing
-where she was parked
-where the party was
-where the car ended up in the water ?

Thanks

 

[gregjrichards]

I’m so sorry Kiely has been found. Sincere condolences to Kiely’s loved ones and friends.

“Lower All Windows Instantly: One of the more common hidden functions on many of today’s key fobs is the ability to roll down all the windows and open the sunroof at the same time by pressing a single button. It's handy, and it helps cool off the car on a hot summer day. It's not often labeled on the fob, though, so the owner needs to know the button sequence.

On most cars that have the feature, it’s accomplished by pressing the unlock button on the key fob once, then pressing it again (within 10 seconds) and holding it down until all the windows are opened.”

Your Car's Key Fob May Have Hidden Features

Some key fobs have many features built in that owners may not even be aware of. Here's our guide to hidden key fob features.

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I’m wondering if Kiely may have tried to open all the windows with the car key fob. It’s an emergency feature to help you escape in an accident. I’ve put all the windows down a few times accidentally in my SUVs over the years.

It would be incredibly difficult to escape from an SUV that goes underwater at night. From the information I have read you would only have a couple of minutes to try and get out.

 

[MsBetsy]

So the car was upside down - Is it normal for cars to end up upside down in water? I’m guessing the front is heaviest and goes down first then the car flips? Or could speed entering the water also be a factor in the car flipping? That must be so disorienting & frightening - I almost hope she was already gone before it flipped.

I’m still confused as to where the car ended up - I hope there are some good visuals tomorrow from LE.

In deep water it might be common for cars to flip over. They sink at an angle, front first if the engine is in front because of the weight. That may cause the car turn over before settling. I don't know if 14 feet is deep enough for it to turn over.

I was wondering about speed as well. Would hitting the water at a high speed cause a car to flip over?

 

[Truckeeite]

- maybe the police were trying to save any fingerprints that were on the car
by covering it with tarp


-I wonder if it was totally dark that far down in the water - it would be hard to know which way was up - if one tried to get out and swim.

-Does anyone have a map diagram showing
-where she was parked
-where the party was
-where the car ended up in the water ?

Thanks

For sure if the car immediately went nose down, and she went to the back. But if she had all 4 windows down, why didn't she at least end up outside the car? I guess we'll know more after autopsy

It definitely still feels like something is very off.

 

[rudegirl]

Airbags are not reliable. My airbags didn’t deploy on my brand new 2013 Subaru in a head-on collision with a full-size truck. Also her 2013 CRV would have the seatbelt warning sound. My 2013 Pilot has it. This is such a heartbreaking case. I hope she didn’t suffer.

 

[Truckeeite]

This is a photo of 2013 CRV. It looks similar to my SUV in the "trunk" area. Isn't that a flap you can pull and lock over the trunk area?

I guess that would make it pretty clear to LE. There are scenarios in which she could get to the back of the car trying to get out of the car. But if she was under that flap, then no.

 

[cujenn81]

Sounds like she was conscious when she went into the water. The open window(s) and (theorised) lack of seat belt makes me think she tried to escape but the intoxication and what would have been complete darkness she drowned.

edit: where I'm from, seatbelts are mandatory but I believe they are not in the US? Plus the open windows might have been from law enforcement/forensics having to move the car.

Seatbelts are mandatory in every state in the US, AFAIK.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I was there moments ago when the car was pulled out from the lake, and I noticed some odd things. I won’t speculate what these observations mean, but I want to lay them out here and see if someone else who was watching can verify.

1) the front windows were completely rolled down and the back windows were rolled 2/3 of the way down, like in cars with child safety window locks.

2) from the side view, Kiely was not in the front or back seats. LE was focused on covering the rear 1/3 of the car with a tarp where the trunk is in an SUV.

These definitely seem like red flags to me, but I hesitate to make any conclusions until more info comes out. Thoughts?
Anybody else who was there today that noticed these things?

It's possible that Kiely was driving with the windows down and after going into the water the car went engine end down (being the heaviest area of the car). If she wasn't buckled in she could have floated to the back of the car when it sank. Lord, this is horrible.

 

[curiousLR]

If you zoom in you can clearly see the drivers window was broken. There is glass remaining in the corner. Could that just be from the pressure of the water? I have no idea but that was my initial assumption. Unless she tried breaking the window and was successful but the water force was too much. The back windows are clearly down partway, as if they have child safety windows and stop at that point.

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[LeahBee]

Going to try to clear some things up based on my history of watching AWP recoveries:

awp generally covers the cars with tarps after they're removed when there are remains inside. Usually because family is on site, or media.
This time they tried their best to cover it as it was surfacing- hence why they started with the back of the car as that emerged first, and then they covered the front also.
If she didn't have a seatbelt on - either because she didn't put it on, or removed it when her car was underwater - then she could have ended up in the backseat or lain across the front seat. Especially since her car flipped upside down and then was turned upright again during the recovery.
The front end damage could be from the vehicle hitting the bottom front first, then flipping on its roof. (Eta: I just saw some clearer images, I was wrong about front end damage - i just see broken side mirror and maybe dent nearby)
Airbags - would they deploy if the impact was underwater and a slow (ish) descent to the bottom? Would the water screw up this mechanism? Would the impact in water be enough to trigger the airbags?
Windows - I've seen that some electric windows don't work after hitting water. They could have been down already, especially if she might have been feeling the effects of substances and that cold breeze could help sober up. IMO. I've done this (as a passenger!). Or the window broke out ?
Inebriation - there seems to be some speculation about even if someone is drunk they won't drive into water. It happens all the time though. It was dark - the moon set around 1230am that night. There's probably no lights, and I've seen on this board that her specific model of car has been known to have pretty dull headlights.
Also *IF* she was drinking up until leaving the party, or *IF* she took substances such as edibles, these can kick in later and you go from being relatively "fine" to completely blitzed

All JMO.


Eta: there are times AWP has recovered vehicles where the driver is in the back seat, no foul play

 

[JnRyan]

I'm not skeptical of what you saw, I believe you. What I don't understand is why you feel she couldn't be in the back cargo area? The engine is heavy, the front of the car will go down first. If she was trying to keep her head above water and escape, she could have climbed into the rear of the car.

Here's what AWP has to say about that subject ... take a look.

Good video! In the Navy, I went through the helicopter crash simulator, including having to do it blind folded. First thing that helo is going to do when it hits the water is turn upside down because the heaviest part, the engines, are going to cause it to flip. But you get training before you go through it. And it isn't the same as the car scenario.

 

[spangled]

She could have gone into the water with the windows already down... if she *had* been drinking or smoking weed may have wanted the fresh air to keep her alert... even if she was just tired

 

[LaborDayRN]

Sounds like she was conscious when she went into the water. The open window(s) and (theorised) lack of seat belt makes me think she tried to escape but the intoxication and what would have been complete darkness she drowned.

edit: where I'm from, seatbelts are mandatory but I believe they are not in the US? Plus the open windows might have been from law enforcement/forensics having to move the car.

Seatbelts are mandatory in California as well.

 

[Vetshred]

If you zoom in you can clearly see the drivers window was broken. There is glass remaining in the corner. Could that just be from the pressure of the water? I have no idea but that was my initial assumption. Unless she tried breaking the window and was successful but the water force was too much. The back windows are clearly down partway, as if they have child safety windows and stop at that point.

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No, that is the water level in the car. The window was not broken. There was no shattered glass.