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

[otto]

Water levels were higher at the time of the party.

Water levels at the time of the party.

 

[IDK]

I keep going back to a comment made by KR’s boss at the coffee shop that KR had a “spitfire personality”. IMO that means somewhat impulsive and reckless, but I looked it up to be sure. Not being judgmental in the slightest, but could help explain her driving off course:

Definition of spitfire
: a quick-tempered or highly emotional person

Definition of SPITFIRE

a quick-tempered or highly emotional person… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

PS: As a highly visual person, I really appreciate all the maps and pictures. Thanks to everyone—also appreciate the first hand accounts from those in the area.

 

[MsBetsy]

I think that, when she drove onto the beach, she was somewhere between 55 and 100 yards from the water. If the water was 5 feet higher, the water would be 25 feet closer. 8 yards, so between 47 and 92 yards of driving on the beach before sloping down near the water.

Where it says 20m on the illustration, you can see the change in water depth by the colour of the water. There's a slope or drop very near the shore, other parts of the shore are more gradual.

View attachment 361568

Thanks Otto, I always appreciate your maps. It does almost looks like someone headed straight into the water on purpose. But we don't know exactly where the car went in. It could have drifted for a couple of minutes before sinking. The current looked strong in one of the videos of the scene.

I can't remember the source, but didn't one of Kiely's friends say her car was parked about a hundred yards from the party?

I wonder if instead of going down that road she was parked on the beach already. Maybe she tried driving down the beach to get to the road and ended up in the water.

 

[otto]

How could she turn right, instead of left, slowly drive towards the water, and not realize that she'd made a mistake while she was driving 50+ yards on the beach?

 

[SpideySense]

Thank you! This is where I think he is standing taking the video. Road looks dusty, narrow and might have some sharp rocks?

View attachment 361572

Yup, your arrows are correct. Thanks for mapping that!

 

[5W's]

Thanks Otto, I always appreciate your maps. It does almost looks like someone headed straight into the water on purpose. But we don't know exactly where the car went in. It could have drifted for a couple of minutes before sinking. The current looked strong in one of the videos of the scene.

I can't remember the source, but didn't one of Kiely's friends say her car was parked about a hundred yards from the party?

I wonder if instead of going down that road she was parked on the beach already. Maybe she tried driving down the beach to get to the road and ended up in the water.

Then she would have to walk 100 yards back to her car if that was correct. She knows where her car is she knows the direction of the water then how did she drive the wrong way, the opposite direction?

 

[otto]

I keep going back to a comment made by KR’s boss at the coffee shop that KR had a “spitfire personality”. IMO that means somewhat impulsive and reckless, but I looked it up to be sure. Not being judgmental in the slightest, but could help explain her driving off course:

Definition of spitfire
: a quick-tempered or highly emotional person

Definition of SPITFIRE

a quick-tempered or highly emotional person… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

PS: As a highly visual person, I really appreciate all the maps and pictures. Thanks to everyone—also appreciate the first hand accounts from those in the area.

I need to visualize to understand.
I'm wondering whether some people parked on the beach.

 

[SpideySense]

How could she turn right, instead of left, slowly drive towards the water, and not realize that she'd made a mistake while she was driving 50+ yards on the beach?

View attachment 361584

Exactly. Which makes it seem like she intentionally drove down the beach, towards the waterline, for some reason that made sense to her. And that reason we can only speculate about. I believe it was probably something innocent and insignificant, whether stashing booze or going pee one more time or looking at the stars. But it just went horribly wrong in a few seconds.

 

[otto]

Then she would have to walk 100 yards back to her car if that was correct. She knows where her car is she knows the direction of the water then how did she drive the wrong way, the opposite direction?

The line is 100 meters/yards. It looks like she was parked fairly close, possibly on the beach, possibly on the road to the party.

 

[Seattle1]

Thanks Otto, I always appreciate your maps. It does almost looks like someone headed straight into the water on purpose. But we don't know exactly where the car went in. It could have drifted for a couple of minutes before sinking. The current looked strong in one of the videos of the scene.

I can't remember the source, but didn't one of Kiely's friends say her car was parked about a hundred yards from the party?

I wonder if instead of going down that road she was parked on the beach already. Maybe she tried driving down the beach to get to the road and ended up in the water.

I agree @MsBetsy -- on two different occasions, I viewed the reservoir water as choppy. I never saw the water still or calm.

For as long as I've been driving, I've battled night blindness (Vitamin A deficiency) and all I can think about is how dark it must have been at the reservoir.

I'm also reminded of how one need not be intoxicated to witness a phenomenon known as Fata Morgana, a type of mirage that reflects images directly above themselves. A frequent illusion in Alaska.

Such a tragedy with the loss of a young, vibrant life. Extending thoughts of peace and comfort to KR's family, community, and friends.

Thine eyes deceive: A cold-weather mirage on a hot summer day

On a hot summer day, an unusual sight on the horizon, and the science behind the magic of mirage.

www.adn.com

 

[otto]

Exactly. Which makes it seem like she intentionally drove down the beach, towards the waterline, for some reason that made sense to her. And that reason we can only speculate about. I believe it was probably something innocent and insignificant, whether stashing booze or going pee one more time or looking at the stars. But it just went horribly wrong in a few seconds.

Perhaps cars were blocking the road and she thought she could take the other road? Or did she simply go the wrong way, drive 50+ yards across the beach and tip over into the water?

 

[MsBetsy]

Then she would have to walk 100 yards back to her car if that was correct. She knows where her car is she knows the direction of the water then how did she drive the wrong way, the opposite direction?

Well, 100 yards is not very far to get to your car. It's very easy to be disoriented after a night of drinking, but I don't think she purposely drove towards the water. It's possible but probably not likely.

People can make wrong turns or go the wrong direction even when they are sober. I have a bad sense of direction so I make wrong turns all the time. It's not even unusual to forget where you parked your car.

Young, inexperienced drivers have more accidents. She had only been driving a few months. If toxicology tests show other drugs in her system, that would be one explanation, depending on what they find.

She also could have been exhausted or had a lot on her mind. Some people get so lost in thought they don't notice the environment around them.

 

[Beekarina]

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.

Depression hits anyone though, and we're shown what people want us to see, to an extent. Sometimes friends and family members do not even know what a person feels, or how serious things are.

There really isn't a profile.

(No personal theory about Kiely, only that being unique is not protective.)

 

[K_i_w_i]

Thanks!

I’m going to zoom in on those regions now—but *very* easy to get turned around in those tree-ey areas and get off the path.
Curious how even the little fishtail spot has one fork that leads straight down to the water.

I understand the waterline would have been higher— I will do my best to add where that would have been too (though others did a good job before, just not sure I can find their work in all the threads!)

There were some pics of the area by a local in a previous thread here if that helps

 

[Beekarina]

Is it possible to gain any sense of where SS pointed out the parking from previous video and orient it to a map? With help from one of the locals?

The maps are very helpful.

Edited: I might be turned all around, but it seems as though the area SS referenced as where Kiely AND the party were both back into the wooded are a bit more.

 

[JosephK]

Depression hits anyone though, and we're shown what people want us to see, to an extent. Sometimes friends and family members do not even know what a person feels, or how serious things are.

There really isn't a profile.

(No personal theory about Kiely, only that being unique is not protective.)

It's certainly possible. It just seems like a strange, uncertain way to do so: Drive your car into a reservoir and hope you drown? I'm assuming that's your hypothesis.

 

[Vern]

Then she would have to walk 100 yards back to her car if that was correct. She knows where her car is she knows the direction of the water then how did she drive the wrong way, the opposite direction?

Dark? Unfamiliar with the roads in/out? Parking seems easier as it was straight up the hill from the party. Intoxication perhaps; there are reports that state she was intoxicated and in no shape to drive. People's preception and driving skills diminish with alcohol intake (highlighting why impaired driving is illegal). 55 feet offshore - she wasn't driving slowly.

I'm settling in with Occam's Razor on this one: Don't drink and Drive. Bad things can happen like life-ending accidents.

 

[Beekarina]

It's certainly possible. It just seems like a strange, uncertain way to do so: Drive your car into a reservoir and hope you drown? I'm assuming that's your hypothesis.

Personally, I don't have a hypothesis. I don't think suicide is likely here, only saying when I stop and consider it, it seems possible. Another poster mentioned her of drinking age son, who normally enjoys beers with the guys, deciding to have some harder booze and basically flipping out to the extent he needed medical intervention. So given this party was known to be a wild one, something similar may have happened to Kiely. I feel we don't really know. She may have struggled too. A lot of people do, and hide it well.

This young man apparently did drive his vehicle right into water while despondent. Again, I am NOT putting forth suicide as a likely theory for Kiely. Just sharing as it relates to the posts between you and I:

 

[wnk]

Route 1 on your map is not possible. I know it looks like a road and Google marks it like one, but it’s across mud flats. Route 2 is the way in and back out.

My left map is what Google Maps pulls up as the best route from the party back to the highway. But what's disturbing to me is that Google Maps still counts what you call "Route 1" as a viable route -- even if as you said, it's "across mud flats." If there were a mass exodus of cars driving very slowly along the default route at around 12:30, it is possible that Google Maps would have calculated the route along the beach / mud flats (basically into the water!) as another possible -- potentially faster -- route. Except that, from what I've heard on here from locals, that route doesn't actually exist. (Please correct me if I'm wrong about that!) Could it be that she was just trying to follow her GPS to this alternate route?

MOO.

 

[pandamonium]

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.

Personally, I don't know about suicide in this case but I do know many people and kids do NOT fit what people believe is the stereotype. A friend of mine lost her 14 yo a few years ago to suicide and he fit this exact same description. Straight A student, athlete, great family, etc. His mom is in agony every single day wondering WHY. She used his death to support other teens in our area and families by creating a non profit organization and it's shockingly surprising at just how many "seemingly normal, happy" kids commit suicide. Sadly, it happens more often than any of us would think and leaves families in shreds