Found Deceased CA - Kiely Rodni missing from Party Near Prosser Family Campground in Truckee #7

[Speculaytor]

Also possible that while going to the car multiple times, and while charging phone, SS and KR and whoever else was with them, may have been smoking weed, and had back windows down to let smoke and scent out, and it was never put back up after. JMO

Yes. I have rolled my back windows down, to get air without messing the hair, and have totally forgotten that I did it leaving them that way all day while I was at work. One time all night; I came out the next morning and was shocked.

 

[getthefax]

Yes. I have rolled my back windows down, to get air without messing the hair, and have totally forgotten that I did it leaving them that way all day while I was at work. One time all night; I came out the next morning and was shocked.

I’ve done that too—w/the sunroof and the back windows. Sadly, with the sunroof, it was, er, raining in the morning

 

[Gemmie]

4) The phone pings may have stopped because the phone went into the water at that time. OR the phone pings may also have been extinguished because her battery died again and her car went into the reservoir at a later time.

In other words, though it’s possible, we don’t know for certain that her car heading into the reservoir at 12:33 is what caused her phone to stop pinging. It is possible she took a little longer to get to her car, to sober up, etc., and if her phone battery were dead already it would have stopped pinging at that time. We were told by SS that the charge on the phones was low and that the teens were charging their phones throughout the evening. My thought on how she ended up in the reservoir is she waited around for awhile, phone died, fiddling with phone or charger while driving out, and unfortunately ended up in the water as a result of distraction/possible impairment/disorientation.

I don’t personally think we have even circumstantial evidence of foul play yet, but I’m not ruling out some gross negligence/accidental situation… and certainly if I were a friend who left her there alone, my heart would weigh heavily with this incident for the remainder of my life.

The MAIT report can’t come soon enough for any of us, to be sure.

** All opinions expressed are MOO, in the spirit of constructive discussion/debate.

Edited by me for a couple typos.

RSBM for focus

Per the timeline:

8/5/22 @23:00
Charges Phone in Car
Samantha said that around 11pm, they went to Kiely’s car to charge their phones and arranged for Kiely to give her a ride home.

I don't have a cell phone but thought their charge would last longer than ~90 min. If that's the case (they last longer than 90 min) then it shouldn't have died around 12:30. MOO

 

[SteveP]

I’ve done that too—w/the sunroof and the back windows. Sadly, with the sunroof, it was, er, raining in the morning

Been there, done that.

 

[getthefax]

RSBM for focus

Per the timeline:

8/5/22 @23:00
Charges Phone in Car
Samantha said that around 11pm, they went to Kiely’s car to charge their phones and arranged for Kiely to give her a ride home.

I don't have a cell phone but thought their charge would last longer than ~90 min. If that's the case (they last longer than 90 min) then it shouldn't have died around 12:30. MOO

It’s a fair point, but the car engine would *probably* have had to have been running to charge a phone in a 2013 CR-V (unless you want to put it in accessory mode, in which case you risk running down the car’s battery—bad to do in mountains* and cell phones take for freaking ever to fully charge on 12v car jack power—it isn’t instantaneous and doubtful they both sat there for a long enough period to get their phones to 100%. Some cars only have one charger cord plugged in, so they may have had to share the cord, etc. My hunch (MOO, this is not a known fact) is that they were not running on full battery power after charging.

The charging could have been enough to last just an hour or even less. We don’t know how fully the phones were charged when they did attempt to charge them.

Edited to add *probably…* qualifier to the point about charging while car is on.

 

[Gemmie]

It’s a fair point, but the car engine would have had to have been running to charge a phone in a 2013 CR-V, and cell phones take for freaking ever to fully charge on car jack power—it isn’t instantaneous and doubtful they both sat there for a long enough period to get their phones to 100%. Some cars only have one charger cord plugged in, so they may have had to share the cord, etc. My hunch (MOO, this is not a known fact) is that they were not running on full battery power after charging.

The charging could have been enough to last just an hour or even less. We don’t know how fully the phones were charged when they did attempt to charge them.

Makes sense. Thank you.

 

[wary]

I had posted this earlier, but for those who missed it. Event Data Recorders are like a passenger vehicle's version of a black box, and all newer model cars have them, including 2013 Honda CRV's, which is what Kiely's car is. Data retrieved from her car's EDR will go a long way towards allowing CHP's MAIT team to reconstruct this accident, and answer many questions that we all have.

What information does the EDR capture?

The NHTSA is in the process of implementing a rule that will standardize the information collected by EDRs. For now, the data collected by the event recorder can vary based on the auto manufacturer, the model of the vehicle and the EDR unit itself. However, the unit normally captures 15 or more variables, monitored about 20 seconds before the crash and 5-10 seconds after the crash. The information usually includes:

• Pre-crash vehicle operational dynamics such as the speed, use of accelerator, engine RPM, use of steering wheel.
• Crash force, both forward and lateral.
• Crash duration.
• Application of brakes and activation of antilock brake.
• Change in speed after impact.
• Activation of fault codes or warning signals.
• Engagement of stability control.
• Vehicle roll angle.
• Number of ignition attempts after the accident.
• Use of restraint and engagement of pretension and force-limiter for front seat occupants.
• Position of front seats.
• Size (weight) of front seat occupants.
• Number of impacts.
• Deployment of airbags, speed of deployment and faults, if any.
• Activation of the automatic collision notification system.

Can your car’s event data recorder (black box) help your accident claim? – DeVaughn James Injury Lawyers

Data collected by an event recorder or black box can vary based on the auto manufacturer and may be able to help your accident claim.

www.devaughnjames.com

Will the EDR register driving into the water as a crash?

 

[wary]

RSBM for focus

Per the timeline:

8/5/22 @23:00
Charges Phone in Car
Samantha said that around 11pm, they went to Kiely’s car to charge their phones and arranged for Kiely to give her a ride home.

I don't have a cell phone but thought their charge would last longer than ~90 min. If that's the case (they last longer than 90 min) then it shouldn't have died around 12:30. MOO

That would depend on how long they charged their phones. I think it’s possible that they just added enough charge that their phones wouldn’t die.

(I don’t know about her Honda model, but an Accord of a similar age won’t charge a phone unless the engine is running, and sitting in an idling car for the better part of an hour doesn’t sound like much of a party to me.)

 

[IDK]

I picked this product at random. Imagine if it had a detachable window hammer/seat belt cutter combo and 360° lights pointing various directions. The base could be made strong enough to be a second or even the primary window hammer in case the first one is dropped. I like the idea of being able to breath, having light and a separate window hammer.

6 to 12 minutes of air time. It could even be shared.

It's the scuba diver in me.

Overkill, no pun intended.


View attachment 362137

https://www.amazon.com/Underwater-Cylinder-Minutes-Capacity-Equipment/dp/B086BRXVCL/ref=asc_df_B086BRXVCL/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459539143390&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6308082915464274981&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010780&hvtargid=pla-942596227333&psc=1

That is a very cool concept and worth considering.
I found an AAA article from 2019 where they evaluated different car escape tools. It didn’t mention devices by brand name but by type— the hammer type vs spring loaded. They also looked at the seat belt cutting capabilities.
The results showed the spring loaded devices are much better with tempered glass, but the laminated windows were near impossible to break with any of the consumer available tools. Many other posters have also mentioned the difference between tempered and laminated windows.

“Key Findings
6.1 Summary of Tool Testing
The results of the seat belt-cutting and window-breaking tests are illustrated in the figure below. Three tools (numbers 1, 4, and 6), two of which were spring-loaded type, performed comparatively well in both tests, successfully breaking the tempered glass while also recording fast times in the seat belt - cutting tests. Each of these tools is compact, an important consideration in selecting a vehicle escape tool. A tool should have the ability to be easily stored and accessed within the vehicle for it to be effective in an emergency situation. One of the poorer performing tools (number 3) was quite large, making it not ideal for storage and difficult to maneuver during seat belt -cutting tests.”
“6.2 Laminated Side Windows
A significant observation of this study is the noted differences between tempered and laminated glass used for side windows. It was discovered during testing that it is nearly impossible to bre ak through laminated windows using a consumer-grade vehicle escape tool. With new safety standards, such as FMSVV 226, the use of laminated glass for side windows is becoming increasingly common. Many popular automotive brands produce a model with these types of side windows. To determine whether a vehicle has laminated glass, check the window label, typically located in the corner (see figure below). If there is no label present, contact the vehicle manufacturer to determine what type of glass is installed. Drivers should know whether their vehicle has laminated or tempered windows, because, in an emergency, a consumer-grade vehicle escape tool cannot be expected to break through laminated glass.”


“This testing found mixed success with the evaluated tools. Three of the six tools (two spring -loaded and one hammer) performed well in both glass-breaking and seat belt-cutting tests. This testing also has shown that consumer-grade vehicle escape tools are not capable of penetrating laminated glass. For this reason, motorists should be aware of the type of glass installed on their vehicles, tempered or laminated, for side and back windows. To do this, check for a window label, typically located in a bottom corner of the window. It should indicate whether the glass is tempered or laminated. If this information is not included in the label or there is no label at all, contact the vehicle ma nufacturer. Some vehicles are also equipped with different glass material at different locations in the car (i.e. front side windows could be laminated but rear side windows could be tempered). Provided in the appendix of this report is a list of vehicles sold in the U.S. equipped with laminated glass. However, the type of glass used can depend on trim level, so it is important for drivers to inspect their personal vehicle to be sure.
If a vehicle does have tempered windows, AAA recommends having an escape tool in the vehicle at all times. Drivers should choose a tool that they are comfortable using and that can be securely stored in a location in the vehicle that is accessible after a collision or accident has occurred.”
“Vehicle escape tools come in many varieties, but it may be best to avoid a tool with extra features such as lights or chargers since these functions do not improve the performance of the tool itself. A vehicle escape tool’s sole purpose should be to aid occupants in quickly getting out of their vehicle in an emergency. It is important to note that, in the event of a submersion, a hammer tool could be much harder to swing due to drag the water will exert on the person’s arm when trying to swing the tool.”

https://www.aaa.com/AAA/common/AAR/files/Research-Report-Vehicle-Escape-Tools.pdf

I found this very helpful and hopefully the source , AAA, is acceptable.

 

[Laughing]

Her car's event data recorder should provide data telling weight of any front seat passengers, so it will be easy to determine if Kiely was in the car alone, or if someone else was in either seat when the car impacted the water. It should also be able to determine which seat she was in, based on her size. JMO

Wow. I had no idea cars did this. Sounds a bit "Big Brotherish" to me. lol

This is so your car will use the needed air bags in case of an accident and lock the needed seat belts in case of braking. Just protecting the occupants the best way engineering knows.

I recently had a fender-bender in a Honda HR-V, smaller, the replacement for my 2007 CR-V. Multiple airbags all around me, but not on the passenger side. (They're slightly different colors, BTW.)

I stood up out of the car uninjured -- but the car was totaled by the insurance company. During the process, we learned that airbags are designed and tested to protect the different individual occupants of the vehicle, and are expensive to replace.

IIRC, the EDR only holds/records/remembers information if airbags deploy.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Puzzles8]

Her car's event data recorder should provide data telling weight of any front seat passengers, so it will be easy to determine if Kiely was in the car alone, or if someone else was in either seat when the car impacted the water. It should also be able to determine which seat she was in, based on her size. JMO

Might the cars data recorder have been damaged in the two weeks the car was underwater?

Thanks

 

[SteveP]

This is so your car will use the needed air bags in case of an accident and lock the needed seat belts in case of braking. Just protecting the occupants the best way engineering knows.

I recently had a fender-bender in a Honda HR-V, smaller, the replacement for my 2007 CR-V. Multiple airbags all around me, but not on the passenger side. (They're slightly different colors, BTW.)

I stood up out of the car uninjured -- but the car was totaled by the insurance company. During the process, we learned that airbags are designed and tested to protect the different individual occupants of the vehicle, and are expensive to replace.

IIRC, the EDR only holds/records/remembers information if airbags deploy.

jmho ymmv lrr

Thanks for this post. If the EDR is only activated by airbag deployment, I am not certain that we will get that infomation that they can provide. I do think that an airbag deployment at some point perhaps took place. I also found this, which indicates that airbag deployment is not required to trigger a EDR to begin recording data. I also found corroborating statements in many other links. Let's hope that her EDR did record much info. JMO

The algorithm that sets off the capturing of EDR data can be triggered without deploying an airbag. On the EDR report of data there is generally a line that states “Events Recovered" and next to that it will state either Deployment Event or Non-deployment Event. Deployment events, obviously deployed an airbag component, such as an airbag, seat belt pretensioner or some combination. A non-deployment event records the same information a deployment event would but there was no airbag system component deployment.

Dispelling myths about vehicle-based electronic data recorders (EDRs)

Vehicle-based electronic data recorders (EDRs) are designed to give automakers feedback on how and when airbags deploy, in order to improve the technology, make vehicles safer...

www.vehicleservicepros.com

 

[Ixchel13]

If this was like a Rorschach inkblot test, and I had limited time to answer your question... the first thing that came to my mind is someone rolled the windows down so that the car would not only sink, but sink quickly. All MOO.

say I was trying to hide my friends body by submerging her inside her car in a lake...knowing the beach was used regularly every day, maybe I would want the car to float as far away from the beach as possible.

 

[RedHaus]

I've started wondering about this too. What if someone else was driving, Kiely passed out inside from alcohol/drugs, or knocked unconscious when they accidentally drive into the water? They panic, break window, car flips, they can't get Kiely, but they get out through broken window and have to leave Kiely behind? Pure speculation, MOO.

Ahhh. That's the Chappaquiddick Incident theory I have considered up thread.

Still think that is a real possibility. If there was enough force from a front impact of the car hitting the water, air bag(s) would deploy. If both front air bags deployed the C Incident is an obvious analogy. But even if only the driver's side airbag deployed, what if KR was in the back seat not feeling well, asleep? I think airbag deployment data will be key as has been previously stated.

 

[DeDee]

Thank you, and I do I agree—and I feel kind of curmudgeonly for even putting the thought about the name out there. It’s a tiny thing in a sea of a lot of big things…

Don’t mean to make light, but I’ve also typed “WAP” about ten times instead of AWP and had to edit a bunch so… a change in name would help keep me from making the embarrassing kind of typo. ;-)

Perhaps I can help. This is not akin to The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking who enjoyed being a thingfinder while walking down the street and became excited to find an empty spool of thread.

Instead think: In 2018, 12 young boys on a soccer team called the Wild Boars became trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. All were stuck for over two weeks before they were miraculously rescued by a team of Thai Navy Seals and specialist cave divers.


Adventures with Purpose is an underwater scuba diving team who rely upon a breathing apparatus commonly referred to as air tanks. Scuba is an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Their methodical work serves a beneficial purpose for humanity.


Source: Wiki [edited for clarity]

An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as scuba diving, or other extreme sports. Adventures are often undertaken in order to achieve a greater goal such as the pursuit of knowledge that can only be obtained by such activities.


According to adventurer André Malraux, who served France's President Charles de Gaulle, wrote in his La Condition Humaine, "If a man is not ready to risk his life, where is his dignity?".


Author Jon Levy suggests that an experience should meet several criteria to be considered an adventure:

1. Be remarkable—that is, worth talking about
2. Involve adversity or perceived risk
3. Bring about personal growth

 

[CharlestonGal]

Thanks for this post. If the EDR is only activated by airbag deployment, which does seem logical, I am not certain that we will get that infomation that they can provide. I do think that an airbag deployment at some point perhaps took place. I also found this, which indicates that airbag deployment is not required to trigger a EDR to begin recording data. I also found corroborating statements in many other links. Let's hope that her EDR did record much info. JMO

The algorithm that sets off the capturing of EDR data can be triggered without deploying an airbag. On the EDR report of data there is generally a line that states “Events Recovered" and next to that it will state either Deployment Event or Non-deployment Event. Deployment events, obviously deployed an airbag component, such as an airbag, seat belt pretensioner or some combination. A non-deployment event records the same information a deployment event would but there was no airbag system component deployment.

Dispelling myths about vehicle-based electronic data recorders (EDRs)

Vehicle-based electronic data recorders (EDRs) are designed to give automakers feedback on how and when airbags deploy, in order to improve the technology, make vehicles safer...

www.vehicleservicepros.com

This reminds me of the Casey White/Vicky White situation. The car became alarmed enough at driving through a rough field it called 911 before the airbags ever deployed. It was pretty interesting. jmo

 

[SteveP]

Speaking of airbag deployments just gave me a thought. It may sound crazy, but there has been considerable discussion centered around what many consider the "likely" path that Kiely's car took to wind up in water. I say "likely" because none of us knows. It was stated by our local poster that drove it, that the dirt road, described as little more than a path, was riddled with bumps and ruts and potholes, so plentiful and severe that the driver feared their car may be damaged. If Kiely was impaired enough to somehow end up on that path when trying to leave, it is quite possible that she could have hit a hole hard enough or at enough speed to cause her airbag to deploy, completely blocking her vision in what was already a very dark night, and causing her to drive into the water before the airbag deflated enough for her to regain control. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

"Adventures with Purpose does not accept rewards," said Linda Luchetti, a spokesperson for the Rodni family.

She said the reward was partially funded by a *** account set up for Linda Nieman, Kiely's mother that has raised nearly $63,000.

Larger donations pledged to the reward have been returned, Luchetti said.

Adventures with Purpose is expected to stream an episode on finding Kiely in the coming weeks on their YouTube channel, which has millions of followers.

In a previous case, Adventures with Purpose threatened to sue for a $100,000 reward promised in the case of a missing Iowa man, according to a 2020 story in the Des Moines Register.

In that case, Adventures with Purpose went to a small Iowa town to search for 22-year-old Ethan Kazmerzak, who disappeared in 2013. They found his body in his car at the bottom of a quarry pond.

When reached by phone Friday by the Reno Gazette Journal, Iowa businessman Brad Staley, who had helped organized the reward, said Adventures with Purpose didn't end up suing.

He said Kazmerzak's family gave the dive team money. He could not say how much but believed it was a significant amount.

Adventures with Purpose won't collect reward for finding missing teen

What happens to the $75,000 reward promised to find Truckee teen Kiely Rodni? Kiely's body was found by private recovery divers Adventures with Purpose.

www.rgj.com

That's not right and I don't think it's Luchetti's place to speak for AWP. I recall the 2020 recovery for Ethan Kazmerzak, missing since 2013 where the fund organizer/coordinator since 2013 thought they could send AWP home empty-handed:

He wants to reinvest the money in his business and use it to help other grieving families, Leisek said.

“We never (pursued) Ethan’s case because there was a reward tied to it,” Leisek said. “(But) if you take away this reward, you have ruined the integrity of what rewards are there for.

"So we just ask a God-loving county of donors do what’s right in their hearts.”

I recall an expert on reward law agreeing with AWP's Leisek that if you offer large sums and no one else is able to recover the missing, it's reasonable to expect to be paid voluntarily, and not because they are obligated to under the law. He was also critical of large rewards for just this reason. AWP would have still performed if the reward was $1,000. It's about upholding the integrity of what awards rewards are there for. MOO

Dive team that found missing Iowa man's body might sue for $100,000 reward

The Oregon dive team that found the body of missing Iowan Ethan Kazmerzak says it may sue for the $100,000 reward pledged for solving his disappearance.

www.rgj.com

 

[Deleted member 718]

I thought of that too—I just wonder if people still smoke (stinky?) weed in their cars anymore when it’s mostly legal in CA, and one is in the great outdoors in the middle of a party… the “getting into the car to smoke” seems maybe like a least likely option to me…? But yes, should def also be counted as a possibility. Thanks!

It's true that smoking weed is smelly. But what if they were vaping?

Do Vaporizers Smell like Weed? – Vape Guy

thevape.guide

Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Vaping does smell of weed but that smell doesn’t linger the way it does with weed smoke. Rather, weed vapor dissipates very quickly, so the scent is gone almost as soon as it appears.

It doesn’t stick around and incriminate you either. Whereas, weed smoke sticks to hair and clothing fibers, letting everyone within a fifty-foot radius know what you’ve been up to, weed vapor doesn’t linger.

Marijuana vaping among teens has more than doubled since 2013

Researchers say adolescents often think that vaping pot is safer than smoking it. But it can increase the risk of dependence, other substance use and many other health, social and behavioral problems.

www.npr.org

Teen vaping of marijuana doubled between 2013 and 2020, indicating that young people may be swapping out joints, pipes or bongs for vape pens, according to a new study.

 

[Beekarina]

Some sort of portable charger/battery pack is also possible, given the outdoors lifestyle. You can charge up an iPhone multiple times with one.

I'm theorizing, obviously. Sharing personal experience. We live somewhat rurally again, although not as rural as I grew up or as rurally as Kiely lived, and we all have back ups (among other crap....I'm THAT mom who is asking if you have water with you when you're just driving to Target haha). They're really cheap and convenient.

Editing to avoid a serial post: They could have been sitting in the car to smoke or vape weed, etc too just for comfort. People have said it gets chilly at night, the vehicle would give you a bit of privacy, a little bit quieter than the main party.