The frantic search for Kiely Rodni continues in the Tahoe area Tuesday after the 16-year-old seemingly vanished into thin air after attending a party over the weekend.
Kiely was last seen around 1:30 am on August 6 near the Prosser Family Campground about 10 minutes north of Truckee. According to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, she was attending a party “of more than 100 juveniles and young adults.” Her vehicle, a silver 2013 Honda CRV, is also missing, and her phone has been out of service since she disappeared.
The sheriff’s office and FBI are treating the case as a possible abduction because Kiely’s vehicle is still missing. On Monday, search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the area looking for any sign of Kiely. A helicopter was also deployed for aerial sweeps along the I-80 corridor between Donner Summit and the Nevada border.
“Despite the numerous resources we have utilized, Kiely and her vehicle are still missing,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Monday afternoon. “We are currently coordinating with the California Highway Patrol, Truckee Police, FBI, and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office as we continue our search for Kiely.”
There are a flurry of online rumors but scant real clues in the case. Friends say Kiely intended to stay at the campground overnight, but they lost track of her in the large party. At least one witness says Kiely was too intoxicated to drive.
Kiely Rodni, 16, has been missing since Aug. 6, 2022 after disappearing while attending a party at a campground in Truckee.
Placer County Sheriff’s Office/Handout“I know that she wasn’t in the right mindset or state to drive. And if she were to have driven, she wouldn’t have made it far,” a friend told CBS News. “So my concern is that somebody might have offered to drive her home de ella and then did n’t take her home.”
Detectives say they’ve had difficulty getting witness statements due to the age of party-goers and the underage drinking that occurred at the gathering.
“If you are a parent of a child who attended this party or attended yourself, please look at yours or your child’s photos/videos/social media for any images of Kiely potential persons of interest in the background,” states a website run by Kiely’s loved ones. “Someone out of place, someone no one really knows. We are still piecing together a usable timeline; who she may have been with, when she may have left.”
Volunteers will be meeting at the Truckee community rec center this morning to conduct more searches. At 5 pm tonight, friends are hosting a “teen to teen” meetup at the Tahoe City Save Mart parking lot to encourage young witnesses to come forward without adults or law enforcement present.
Kiely is 5-foot-7 and 115 pounds and has blonde hair, hazel eyes and a nose ring. She has multiple piercings and a tattoo of the number 17 on her ribs. Witnesses say she was wearing a black tank top and green Dickies pants at the party. Her silver Honda CRV de Ella has the California license plate 8YUR127. Kiely’s family runs the Lost Trail Lodge in Truckee, about a 12-mile drive from the Prosser campground.
“We just want her home. We’re so scared and we miss her so much and we love her so much,” Kiely’s mother Lindsey Rodni-Nieman said Monday. “Kiely, we love you, and if you see this, please just come home. I want nothing more than to hug you.”
Anyone with information regarding Kiely’s disappearance is asked to immediately contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 530-581-6320, option 7. Callers may remain anonymous.