Found Deceased CA - Kiely Rodni Missing From Party Near Prosser Family Campground in Truckee #6

[Gemmie]

In this case, it wouldn't require another perp. Dump the car, body, and evidence, go home in your own car.

Thank you for all you've done. I do have one question though... Were you able to see the police taped off area on the beach and draw any conclusions about that? I'm curious if there were tire tracks, footprints, or something else they were trying to preserve.

Thank you.

 

[otto]

Okay guys. I'm going to put something out there because it all still doesn't add up to me.

I drove out there again because it's just nagging at me. Before I was only on the paved road. Now that she didn't go off the boat ramp and was in another area entirely, I went out on the dirt roads instead, where the kids were that night.

And this is something I haven't heard mentioned yet and it's important.

We have heard people hypothesizing that she might have been going 30-40 mph.

I have a solid 4WD vehicle. This is what people need to understand. Those dirt roads are brutal. If you went 30-40 mph out there, your car would be destroyed. I didn't know and going about 5 mph, some things in my car got broken on the drive.

There are massive bumps and ruts in the road. Think speed bumps on steroids. Your car is lurching around even at slow speeds.

The beach is slightly smoother but it simply makes zero sense that she'd be driving fast. And there is plenty of time after exiting the very narrow brush fringed dirt roads to recognize you're on the beach. There is a steeper dropoff right toward the water otherwise it's a very gradual slope, very bumpy, and very obviously not the dirt road home.

I'm still having a tough time believing she drove herself into the water. Mostly I wanted people to understand how insanely rough the roads are in that area. And super narrow as well.

I'm 100% with you just from looking at maps. I didn't know about the wash-board terrain, but with her headlights turned on and driving slowly, she should have realized that she was on the beach heading towards water. I've brought up the possibility that she thought the water was some sort of mirage - not processing what she was seeing - but still, hard to believe she accidentally drove into the water. That's why I wondered about suicide. Least likely, in my opinion, is that someone put her in the car and rolled her into the water, but that is possible. Locals would know that the water has a steep drop-off a few feet into the water.

 

[Speculaytor]

So what about the back window? It is rolled down. Did AWP roll it down to get it out of the water? I can see, and it has been verified that the driver's window was broken. What about the window behind the driver that you can see in the picture towing the car out of the water.

AND, if she broke the window, presumably the car was underwater and the water would have rushed in. If she was intoxicated and could not swim against the water, then the car flips and she is disoriented, she may not have been able to hold her breath that long. Just brainstorming.

 

[getthefax]

Saw some folks were looking for history of previous accidents. There has been at least one previous drowning fatality from a vehicle at Prosser Reservoir. In this one the car was at the edge of the water, but the man drowned.

TRUCKEE – Nevada County Sheriff’s Office investigators believe the man they found dead in three feet of water in Prosser Reservoir Tuesday probably drowned, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Frank Koehler.

Deputies discovered the body of Christopher Gallagher, 43, outside of his SUV after his wife reported him missing to the Truckee Police Department Tuesday morning.

(..)
This time of year it’s not unusual” to find an abandoned vehicle in the local reservoirs, Koehler said. “Teenagers will go four-wheeling and leave a vehicle out there.”

Man found dead in Prosser Reservoir

TRUCKEE - Nevada County Sheriff's Office investigators believe the man they found dead in three feet of water in Prosser Reservoir Tuesday probably drowned, according to sheriff's Sgt. Frank

www.tahoedailytribune.com

It seems he was there for three weeks in the ice and snow Just sad.
No one was even looking for him there, since his wife said it wasn’t unusual for him to go off for periods of time. I did a search for his toxicology report and couldn’t find anything. Tragic.

 

[Gemmie]

If I were LE and got all the cell data of people at the party that night, I'd hone in on the phones that did the mass exodus at 12:30 am and find out why they left and what they know.

Therein I suspect lies the answer of what actually happened to this poor beautiful girl. RIP.

I find that mass exodus, mere moments from when her phone stopped pinging, extremely... I don't know... head-scratching? Something is up with that. I can think of only one reason to do that.... The police are arriving and everyone is getting out of dodge. Except I haven't heard about the police arriving that night, let alone that precise moment. So that can't be it. I remember being her age, partying more than I should have, and 12:30 is TOO EARLY TO ABANDON THE PARTY. I can remember going to after hours parties at 16. They opened when the bars closed and closed at 6am or so. I used to go ALL NIGHT, all the time, well into my 20's. I remember I'd notice the sun coming up which meant it was time to go home. lol

So with all that said... a mass exodus at 12:30, which is about the exact same time her phone stopped pinging, and when her car likely went into the lake very, VERY odd. I recall seeing someone post a pic of some guy looking like he was straining to see something a ways out which appeared that it might have been headlights. I'll have to go look to see if I can find that again (or it the OP could repost it, please). But what I wonder is... what is the timestamp of that pic? 12:30? Could some have witnessed something happening they wanted no part of and hightailed it?

Another question is... do the partiers in that area (or any area) all decide to leave at the same time (if flashing lights aren't deciding for them)? Is this normal behavior? It certainly isn't from my past experience. We all stayed till the wee hours and 12:30 was "just getting started". I'm not liking the vibe I get from this. It's not feeling very accidental to me but I could be wrong.

 

[Lillymac]

I find that mass exodus, mere moments from when her phone stopped pinging, extremely... I don't know... head-scratching? Something is up with that. I can think of only one reason to do that.... The police are arriving and everyone is getting out of dodge. Except I haven't heard about the police arriving that night, let alone that precise moment. So that can't be it. I remember being her age, partying more than I should have, and 12:30 is TOO EARLY TO ABANDON THE PARTY. I can remember going to after hours parties at 16. They opened when the bars closed and closed at 6am or so. I used to go ALL NIGHT, all the time, well into my 20's. I remember I'd notice the sun coming up which meant it was time to go home. lol

So with all that said... a mass exodus at 12:30, which is about the exact same time her phone stopped pinging, and when her car likely went into the lake very, VERY odd. I recall seeing someone post a pic of some guy looking like he was straining to see something a ways out which appeared that it might have been headlights. I'll have to go look to see if I can find that again (or it the OP could repost it, please). But what I wonder is... what is the timestamp of that pic? 12:30? Could some have witnessed something happening they wanted no part of and hightailed it?

Another question is... do the partiers in that area (or any area) all decide to leave at the same time (if flashing lights aren't deciding for them)? Is this normal behavior? It certainly isn't from my past experience. We all stayed till the wee hours and 12:30 was "just getting started". I'm not liking the vibe I get from this. It's not feeling very accidental to me but I could be wrong.

We're they the only people at the reservoir that night? No campers, or people fishing. It looks like such a nice clean place you'd think it would be crowded. JMO

 

[OldCop]

Staying the Night Quote
I believe this was an error on the media's part, as all other quotes indicate she was planning to return home. Perhaps Sami mentioned the camping the following night and the media mis-quoted her.

Another interesting quote from her friend Mags in hindsight:
“We know there’s no way she could have gotten herself out of there if she was drunk,” she said. “The roads in and out are too hard. With how drunk she was she wouldn’t have been able to navigate them.” KOLOTV

This is a good example of why these young kids shouldn’t be doing public interviews. She said KR couldn’t get herself out of there “if she was drunk”. A sentence later she says, “with how drunk she was she wouldn’t be able to navigate”. Did she know she was drunk or was it a supposition based on rumor? Mags allegedly left the party with her boyfriend shortly after KR drove her there. Was KR drunk driving to the party? If not how does she know how drunk KR was later?
LE was relying on young people to give them information that would help them locate
Kiely. These contradictory statements really slow down investigations and can waste valuable time.

 

[SpideySense]

Staying the Night Quote
I believe this was an error on the media's part, as all other quotes indicate she was planning to return home. Perhaps Sami mentioned the camping the following night and the media mis-quoted her.

Another interesting quote from her friend Mags in hindsight:
“We know there’s no way she could have gotten herself out of there if she was drunk,” she said. “The roads in and out are too hard. With how drunk she was she wouldn’t have been able to navigate them.” KOLOTV

Fox News Article

According to this article, it seems Sami did in fact say she thought Kiely was spending the night.

“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.”

But you’re right - going back through the old articles, it’s very hard to tell what was actually said vs what news media *said* was said.

 

[airyberry]

After that drive today, I am squarely back in the cover up or foul play camp. If she could navigate the ridiculously difficult dirt road to the beach, she didn't "accidentally" drive into the water. This is purely my opinion. I am beginning to doubt even more the few accounts we have of that evening.

Whether they will ever be able to prove anything, is another story. Two weeks in warmish water is a long time in the evidence world. But I don't believe she put herself in the lake.

Do we know where she was parked for certain yet? There were a lot of people there so presumably a lot of cars. It would make sense they parked in the surrounding areas and not all where they were partying. If her cars location hasn't been confirmed, she might have already been in that location. Anyone know?

 

[Gemmie]

Again, I have 100% respect that you live in Truckee and that you drove down the road Kiely would have driven, and that the road was treacherous, so you don't think Kiely drove herself there.

I'm still unclear, though, on what you think did happen. I know you say you're believing it's foul play, but I'm confused about the logistics.

The road is extremely difficult to navigate, even with your AWD and even at 5 mph, even in the daytime. I hear you. I understand. But how would the scenario you envision here actually happen?

If someone else drove Kiely there, with murderous intent, how did that person get down the impassible road? How could he (I presume a male) have driven Kiely over that terrible road, gotten the car which you speculate he drove with her into the lake, when he was allegedly driving it, and then "go home in <his> own car?"

If I'm reading it correctly, it would be impossible for someone to not only traverse a treacherous road, but to drive it into the lake while he himself is behind the wheel, leave the car with Kiely in the lake, and yet take his own car home down that road.

Are you thinking therefore that more than one car made this deadly trip? An accomplice that followed them and then drove the culprit back?

I'm not meaning to come off as argumentative, at all, I just can't grasp the logistics. If it's a road that is a menace to a car, it's even more difficult for me to imagine two cars taking that trip.

Only my own opinion and I know I don't live there. I am truly just inquiring.

Could that person have walked back? Therefore there weren't 2 cars?

 

[Truckeeite]

Thank you for all you've done. I do have one question though... Were you able to see the police taped off area on the beach and draw any conclusions about that? I'm curious if there were tire tracks, footprints, or something else they were trying to preserve.

Thank you.

When I went down today, I didn't see any police tape. There were very few cars around that area, probably because it's so treacherous getting in there. I saw some imprints that looked like where they pulled her car out, a gouge in the beach from the machinery. There are a few flowers right by the water and a heart made of rocks in a small memorial.

Here is a photo of the memorial.

 

[SpideySense]

I find that mass exodus, mere moments from when her phone stopped pinging, extremely... I don't know... head-scratching? Something is up with that. I can think of only one reason to do that.... The police are arriving and everyone is getting out of dodge. Except I haven't heard about the police arriving that night, let alone that precise moment. So that can't be it. I remember being her age, partying more than I should have, and 12:30 is TOO EARLY TO ABANDON THE PARTY. I can remember going to after hours parties at 16. They opened when the bars closed and closed at 6am or so. I used to go ALL NIGHT, all the time, well into my 20's. I remember I'd notice the sun coming up which meant it was time to go home. lol

So with all that said... a mass exodus at 12:30, which is about the exact same time her phone stopped pinging, and when her car likely went into the lake very, VERY odd. I recall seeing someone post a pic of some guy looking like he was straining to see something a ways out which appeared that it might have been headlights. I'll have to go look to see if I can find that again (or it the OP could repost it, please). But what I wonder is... what is the timestamp of that pic? 12:30? Could some have witnessed something happening they wanted no part of and hightailed it?

Another question is... do the partiers in that area (or any area) all decide to leave at the same time (if flashing lights aren't deciding for them)? Is this normal behavior? It certainly isn't from my past experience. We all stayed till the wee hours and 12:30 was "just getting started". I'm not liking the vibe I get from this. It's not feeling very accidental to me but I could be wrong.

It could just be that 12:30 roughly coincided with everyone’s curfew. They’re high schoolers, their parents and everyone else apparently know there’s a big party, and parents usually set curfews in line with others in the community. “You can go to the party, but come home by midnight and come home sober.” I wouldn’t be surprised if most of those kids were simply due home around that time.

 

[airyberry]

Welcome to Websleuths,
airyberry !!

Thank you

 

[SquirrelNutkin]

I do not have a dashcam and wouldn't have dared take my hands off the wheel at any point in this drive. Beyond which, I saw what I thought was footage of this road a few days ago - and it in no way gave any idea what it's like. It's like anytime non-3D photos can be so deceptive. It's not even close to a normal dirt road. A few times I was scared my car was getting damaged. I regretted getting on it at all as I'm not in a position to pay for unnecessary repairs. Thus why it has a sign that says "not recommended" for cars at the place where it forks off from the asphalt.

Is it walkable from the top to down to the shore?

 

[otto]

She would have driven more 52 meters, or 170 feet, on the beach to reach the water.

 

[JosephK]

I'm 100% with you just from looking at maps. I didn't know about the wash-board terrain, but with her headlights turned on and driving slowly, she should have realized that she was on the beach heading towards water. I've brought up the possibility that she thought the water was some sort of mirage - not processing what she was seeing - but still, hard to believe she accidentally drove into the water. That's why I wondered about suicide. Least likely, in my opinion, is that someone put her in the car and rolled her into the water, but that is possible. Locals would know that the water has a steep drop-off a few feet into the water.

I think suicide is about the least likely, but not impossible. While I understand suicide is far from predictable in many cases, I think some proponents of the suicide or more common "she just drove drunk into the lake, use Occam's razor... duh!" theorists are overlooking that Kiely was rather unique. I'm not trying to make the deceased, pretty, young woman into an angel, although that's certainly not uncommon for people to do in general. She was 16, while her friends that went to party and most of those at party seem to have been 18 or older. She was home schooled, while most of those at party went to public high school together and/or already graduated. She graduated 2(?) years early and with honors. She played multiple musical instruments and was interested in medicine, science, cooking, etc. She had a good relationship with her family and people cared about her. I don't think this fits the suicide profile, nor the (previously considered before she was found) runaway profile. She was young, pretty, smart, talented, social and had everything to live for. She didn't seem to be the "drink and do shrooms every weekend" party type, although I could be totally wrong. She didn't even plan on going to that party until that day.

 

[airyberry]

When I went down today, I didn't see any police tape. There were very few cars around that area, probably because it's so treacherous getting in there. I saw some imprints that looked like where they pulled her car out, a gouge in the beach from the machinery. There are a few flowers right by the water and a heart made of rocks in a small memorial.

This is so heartbreaking but so sweet.

 

[Gemmie]

I find that mass exodus, mere moments from when her phone stopped pinging, extremely... I don't know... head-scratching? Something is up with that. I can think of only one reason to do that.... The police are arriving and everyone is getting out of dodge. Except I haven't heard about the police arriving that night, let alone that precise moment. So that can't be it. I remember being her age, partying more than I should have, and 12:30 is TOO EARLY TO ABANDON THE PARTY. I can remember going to after hours parties at 16. They opened when the bars closed and closed at 6am or so. I used to go ALL NIGHT, all the time, well into my 20's. I remember I'd notice the sun coming up which meant it was time to go home. lol

So with all that said... a mass exodus at 12:30, which is about the exact same time her phone stopped pinging, and when her car likely went into the lake very, VERY odd. I recall seeing someone post a pic of some guy looking like he was straining to see something a ways out which appeared that it might have been headlights. I'll have to go look to see if I can find that again (or it the OP could repost it, please). But what I wonder is... what is the timestamp of that pic? 12:30? Could some have witnessed something happening they wanted no part of and hightailed it?

Another question is... do the partiers in that area (or any area) all decide to leave at the same time (if flashing lights aren't deciding for them)? Is this normal behavior? It certainly isn't from my past experience. We all stayed till the wee hours and 12:30 was "just getting started". I'm not liking the vibe I get from this. It's not feeling very accidental to me but I could be wrong.

Found the post and pic I was referencing. Thanks to @moonrise as it's her post. I wish I knew what the time stamp was on that. SS supposedly took it. I have no reason to doubt it/her but since I didn't actually see her take it... I used the word 'supposedly'. Kinda like 'IMHO'.

Found Deceased - CA - Kiely Rodni Missing From Party Near Prosser Family Campground in Truckee #6

So 55 feet from shore its also important to factor in what the water depth was on the night she went missing. IMO everything has to be factored in because it will give a clearer picture of what may have happened. So if the car was found in 14 feet of water that night it would have been deeper...

www.websleuths.com

 

[OldCop]

I just looked closely at Google maps in the area where the cars were supposedly parked during the party and also in the area where it is believed KR went into the water. It should be noted that the water levels were a lot higher than depicted on these maps, but it is quite obvious that people frequently drive all over the washboard area by the lake. You can see all the tracks and evidence of wheelies. Knowing this, Kiely may have tried to drive down the beach to leave and ran into trouble. It’s also possible there were lots and lots of tire tracks in that area the next morning when people went to look for Kiely.

 

[Truckeeite]

It could just be that 12:30 roughly coincided with everyone’s curfew. They’re high schoolers, their parents and everyone else apparently know there’s a big party, and parents usually set curfews in line with others in the community. “You can go to the party, but come home by midnight and come home sober.” I wouldn’t be surprised if most of those kids were simply due home around that time.

everyone had a 12:30 curfew and a bunch of people won't talk to police. nope not buying it.