The family of Kiely Rodni have spoken out after a body believed to be the missing 16-year-old was found.
Volunteer divers discovered a car with remains inside at the Prosser Creek Reservoir in Truckee on Sunday. Adventures With Purpose (AWP), a search organisation which helps find missing people, said that the silver 2013 Honda CRV was upside down 14 feet underwater and that a body — which has not been confirmed to be Kiely yet — was inside.
In a heartfelt statement on Monday, Kiely’s family thanked the community for the unwavering support throughout the search for their daughter and asked for space as they navigate grief.
“While we accept this sadness cast under death’s shadow, the rising sun shines light upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift that we all received in knowing her,” the statement read.
“Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back.”
An autopsy will be performed on Tuesday to confirm the identity of the body, which police said was “more than likely” to be Kiely. Investigators are still working to determine how the car ended up in the reservoir and whether foul play was involved.
“While we accept this sadness cast under death’s shadow, the rising sun shines light upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift that we all received in knowing her,” her family also said.
On Sunday, AWP announced that it had found a body and an overturned car in the reservoir – bringing a tragic end to a massive two-week search for the missing teen.
Kiely’s ex-boyfriend, Jagger Westfall, also reacted to the news on Monday. First, he posted a tribute calling Kiely “his entire world” and that “I missed you even when you were in my arms.”
Mr Westfall opened up again later that day to share his frustration and grief.
“This was an insanely [expletive]-up situation and still is insanely [expletive]-up,” Mr Westfall, 18, said in a video posted on Instagram, according to The New York Post. “I still don’t know how to process it and I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to process it.”
“I know it [expletive] hurts and I know it hurts all of you,” he added holding back tears.
Mr Westfall remember Kiely fondly and thanked his close friends and the community for helping in the search.
“She wants us to be happy, she wants us to be safe and she wants us to have a good life. That’s all she ever wanted for anyone,” Mr Westfall added.
Kiely vanished without a trace in the early hours of 6 August after going to the Prosser Family Campground in Truckee for a party of 200 to 300 teenagers and young adults.
She was last seen at around 12.30am at the site, and her cellphone last pinged at 12.33am close to Prosser Creek Reservoir. Her car had also not been seen since.
The teenager’s mother, Lindsey Rodni-Nieman, previously told The Independent that her daughter sent her a final text message at 11.30pm saying that she would be leaving the party in around 45 minutes. The drive home takes around 25 to 30 minutes.
Kiely’s friend Samantha Smith told The Independent that she last spoke to Kiely on the phone at around 12.30am.
Authorities said at a press conference on Monday morning that officials were still unable to confirm the identity of the body found inside a vehicle in Prosser Creek Reservoir in Truckee, California, but believe that it is that of the 16-year-old.
“We believe it is our missing person,” Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon said. “We have not been able to positively identify [her], but it is more than likely where we are right now.”
