An autopsy has confirmed that the body found in a lake in California is that of missing teen Kiely Rodni, police said.
The 16-year-old was last seen on 6 August near the Prosser Family Campground in the small town of Truckee.
She was at a party with upwards of 300 people when she vanished along with her vehicle.
In the weeks since, several law enforcement agencies and volunteers have spent thousands of hours searching for her, and on Monday (22 August) a vehicle matching the description of her Honda SUV with a body inside it was found at the bottom of Prosser Reservoir.
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Placer County Sheriff's Office has since announced that an autopsy had identified the body in the submerged vehicle as Rodni.
In a post on Facebook, the force said: "Today, an autopsy was conducted on the deceased individual who was found in the Prosser Reservoir on Sunday, August 21st.
"The Nevada County Sheriff-Coroner has identified the decedent as 16-year-old Kiely Rodni, of Truckee.
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"The Placer County Sheriff's Office and the Nevada County Sheriff's Office are in communication with Kiely's family and offer our deepest condolences to them during this extremely difficult time.
"This is an ongoing investigation, and no other information is available at this time."
Police were initially investigating her disappearance as a possible abduction; however, they are yet to establish how her car ended up in the reservoir.
In a statement, the Rodni-Nieman family thanked the public for their support as they celebrate Kiely's life.
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The statement read: "We are eternally grateful for the love and support you have shown us in the last couple of weeks. We have weathered a storm of unfathomable force, and it is purely thanks to the army of warriors, matriarchs, healers, and helpers holding us up that we continue to stand today.
"Mr. Rogers famously told a story of 'looking for the helpers' whenever he saw scary things in the news. We have not had to look for the helpers, as you have all come to our rescue in full force. We are forever indebted to you."
It continued: "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. Kiely will surely remain with us even though we will not get her back.
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"There are certain occasions when words fail. Perhaps this is why our human nature has given us art, dance, and music, which all are often more effective ways to connect us to each other and our rawest emotions. Kindly excuse us as we retreat and dance privately to life’s song while we celebrate our daughter's spirit and heal our souls."
Topics: News
Jake Massey