KIELY RODNI
On 6 August 2022, a large crowd of teenagers descended on a remote campground for a party near woods, lakes and a reservoir in rural Truckee, California. Sixteenyear-old Kiely Rodni drove to the gathering and started mingling among the crowd of up to 300 people. There were older guys at the party, some of whom were giving drugs to underage girls. There were plenty of intoxicated students there, and several witnesses later said Kiely was stumbling around.
At 12.30am, she drove home on her own. Her phone pinged near the campground at 12.33am, then went offline and she was not seen or heard from again. Her parents called the police the following morning after they realised she had not returned home, and began phoning round her friends, who had no answers. Local police, volunteer searchers, helicopters and the FBI were all involved in the hunt for Kiely over the following days. Rumours swept through Truckee that Kiely had been murdered, possibly by one of the men in their twenties giving out drugs at the event. And police gave a statement saying they believed she had been abducted, because she and her car were missing, and no one had seen her leave the campsite. Despite several appeals for party attendees to come forward with any information, the reaction – or lack of – was dubbed a “wall of silence” and added to the suspicion of foul play.
TRAGIC FIND
The truth seems likely to be far more prosaic, but no less horrible. On 22 August, Kiely’s submerged car and lifeless body were found 14 feet under Prosser Reservoir, close to the location of the party and where her phone had last pinged. Although many argued that Kiely knew the rural roads well and could navigate the 12-mile journey even while under the influence of alcohol, others argued it was all too easy to swerve off the roads in the dark. Her cause of death remains unknown
Kiely’s family and the community were devastated at her death. She was about to start music college, having graduated school a year early as she was so talented and was a much loved, fun and warm girl. But they are eternally grateful to the incredible search and recovery dive team – Tiktok heroes Adventures With Purpose (AWP), a voluntary organisation that searches for missing people in water using high-tech equipment and expert divers.
Since 2019, they have retrieved no fewer than 24 bodies and vehicles – some accidents, some suspected murders, some possible suicides.
AWP founders Doug Bishop and Nick Rinn are always quick to give thanks to law enforcement, who in turn are always publicly full of praise for AWP. It is an amicable and collaborative relationship that has been widely applauded. Doug Bishop said on AWP’S Youtube channel, which has 1.6m subscribers, after finding Kiely’s body, “The sheriffs have been incredible to work with. We understand the resource we provide, and what our unique skillset is. It’s an honour to help agencies and families across the country.”
Keily’s death has elevated the profile of AWP, which is largely funded by public donations, and will, without doubt, lead to more missing and murdered loved-ones being found. ■