Law enforcement officials in the United States believe the body found in a submerged vehicle on Sunday is “more than likely” that of Kiely Rodni, the missing 16-year-old who was last seen nearly three weeks ago at a camp in northern California, officials said Monday.
Kiely was at Prosser Family Campground on Aug. 5 and was last seen around 12:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 6, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said. Her disappearance was initially treated as a possible kidnapping, which the police later explained because they “had nothing further to investigate”.
Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said the case is still open and the victim has not yet been identified.
“Last night we received some information about the recovery of the vehicle we were looking for and it was located inside Lake Prosser,” Moon told a news conference on Monday.
“It was located within a search zone that we have been looking for since the beginning of our operation.”
Moon added that the lone body found inside is believed to be that of the missing teenager, though she did not name Kiely.
The vehicle was located by volunteer diving group Adventures with Purpose, which frequently participates in underwater searches, Moon said.
The body was found upside down about 15 feet below the surface of the lake, which has receded about three feet since the teenager disappeared, according to Captain Sam Brown of the Nevada County Sheriff.
Kiely’s family released a statement on Monday expressing how “eternally grateful” they were for the love and support of the past few weeks.
“We face a storm of unfathomable strength and it is purely thanks to the army of warriors, matriarchs, healers and helpers that sustain us that we remain standing today,” the statement read.
“As we accept this sadness cast under the shadow of death, the rising sun shines upon us, reminding us not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate Kiely’s spirit and the gift we all received in knowing her. Kiely will certainly remain with us even though we will not get her back.”
Several agencies contributed to the search for Kiely over the past two weeks, including dive teams and swimmers who also scanned the lake with side-scan sonar, Brown said.
There were between 200 and 300 young people at the camp party, in a wooded area, Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Angela Musallam said during a news conference last week.
The site is about 27 kilometers north of Lake Tahoe, California, and 58 kilometers from Reno, Nevada.
Stella Chan, from CNN contributed to this report.
Source: CNN Brasil
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