Nancy Grace reports on missing Calif. teen, mysterious suicide of Philadelphia teacher
‘Crime Stories’ host Nancy Grace discusses updates in the case of a missing California teen and previews her new show on the mysterious suicide of Ellen Greenberg, now streaming on Fox Nation.
California authorities have still not found anyone who witnessed Kiely Rodni leaving a Tahoe National Forest campground just after midnight on Aug. 6, police said Wednesday afternoon on day five of the search for the missing 16-year-old, who may have been abducted.
"We continue to investigate every lead that comes to us," said Angela Musallam, spokesperson for the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. "We continue to exhaust any lead."
During a joint news briefing Wednesday afternoon, police from multiple agencies pleaded with more attendees to come forward. They said they had received a large amount of video from the party, which stretched from Friday night into the early hours of Saturday. But they'd found no clues that have led them to Rodni's whereabouts.
Investigators from multiple agencies in Northern California and Nevada kicked off the search effort early Wednesday as dive teams entered the Prosser Creek Reservoir, searching near the shoreline for signs of Rodni or her silver Honda CRV, which is also missing.
Kiely Rodni went missing on Aug. 6 just after midnight, shortly after telling her parents she was coming home. (findkiely.com)
"The only solid evidence" police have come up with so far is a surveillance image showing Rodni in a local business roughly six hours before she vanished, authorities said. Extensive searches have found no sign of her or her car.
Police said she last spoke with friends and family shortly after midnight on Aug. 6 and that her phone was turned off around 12:33 a.m. It last pinged near the Prosser family Campground within Tahoe National Forest in Truckee, California, at the site of a high school graduation party involving more than 100 teens and young adults from several surrounding communities – and a few from as far away as San Francisco.
In a joint statement, the Placer County and Nevada County Sheriff's Office said they had assigned 265 personnel to the case. The number of tips received has climbed to more than 300, tripling Tuesday's total. However, authorities were still trying to find someone who witnessed Rodni leaving the party before she disappeared.
Police said they suspect there were drugs and alcohol present at the gathering, but are pleading with attendees to come forward with any information about possible Rodni sightings, promising not to punish anyone for partying.
On Tuesday, the sheriff's office shared a surveillance image that showed Rodni's outfit on the night she went missing.
Kiely Rodni was last seen at a rural campground near the border of California and Nevada around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, according to local authorities. (findkiely.com)
Authorities are now saying she was last seen wearing a "black spaghetti strap bodysuit" under green Dickies pants, as opposed to a black tank top initially reported. She was also wearing a black grommet belt and black Vans sneakers.
As of Wednesday afternoon, investigators say they have still not recovered any items they believe belong to Kiely.
The search effort, which involves hundreds of law enforcement officers and volunteers, has expanded beyond the immediate area of the party, stretching for miles in a wider radius.
Police released these photos of a Lana Del Ray hooded sweatshirt they say Kiely Rodni may have had in her possession when she went missing on Aug. 6. (Placer County Sheriff's Office)
Days of aerial searches involving planes and helicopters have uncovered no signs of a crash, Musallam said. Investigators are looking into the disappearance as a possible abduction, but they have stopped short of issuing an Amber Alert, which requires "confirmation" that a juvenile has been taken.
Kiely Rodni's SUV is also missing – a silver 2013 Honda CRV with California license plate 8YUR127. It has a small ram-head sticker on the back window, under her rear wiper blade. (Findkiely.com)
Rodni is described as 5-foot-7 and about 118 pounds. She has blonde hair and hazel eyes. She has a tattoo on her ribs of the number "17." She has a nose ring and several other piercings.
She drives a silver 2013 Honda CRV with California license plate 8YUR127. It has a small ram's head sticker on the back window, under the rear wiper blade.
Kiely Rodni's last known outfit seen hours before she went missing. (Placer County Sheriff's Office)
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Anyone with information is asked to call the Placer County Sheriff’s Office’s dedicated tip line at 530-581-6320. Callers can remain anonymous.
The family is offering a $50,000 reward for Kiely’s return.
