Authorities are appealing to the public for tips as they continue to search for a missing 16-year-old boy who was last seen early Saturday at a large party near a northern California campground.
“We’re trying to find out exactly what happened. We believe someone knows, but they’re not coming forward,” Placer County Sheriff Lt. Josh Barnhart.
Kiely Rodni is pictured in an image posted by the Placer County Sheriff’s Department on their Twitter account. The Placer County Sheriff’s Department is treating the case of Rodni, 16, as a possible abduction after she disappeared from a campground near Lake Tahoe early Saturday morning.
Placer County Sheriff’s Department/Twitter
Kiely Rodni was last seen around 12:30 a.m. Saturday near the Prosser family’s campsite in the small town of Truckee, about 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Her phone has been out of service since then, and her car — a silver 2013 Honda CRV with California license plate no. 8YUR127 — has also been reported missing, authorities said.
The teenager had attended a large party that night along with more than 300 youths, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, which is leading the ongoing investigation and search.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that detectives obtained surveillance footage from a local business in Truckee that shows Rodney around 6:30 p.m. on the night of her disappearance.
This footage is the only one known so far in the case, the sheriff’s office said.
“So far nothing has been able to lead us to Kiely,” Angela Musallam, public information officer for the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters Wednesday.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone who saw him that night to come forward. So far investigators have received more than 200 tips, according to Placer County Sgt. Scott Alford. Although beyond surveillance footage from the Truckee business, law enforcement has no new leads in the case, Barnhart said.
“We don’t have any new direction and that, I can tell you, is very frustrating for us,” Barnhart said. “We reiterate that anyone, please, anyone who was at the party that night, please come to law enforcement.”
“The people who were there know something. If you know something, please say something,” he said.
Rodney’s family has also asked people to speak out.
“We’re just begging you, please come forward and share your story,” Rodni’s mother, Lindsey Rodni-Nieman, told ABC News.
Detectives are not ruling out a possible kidnapping, although “at this time we have no evidence to support a kidnapping,” Alford told reporters during a conference call Tuesday.
“We’re looking into everything,” he said. “This is a missing person case, this is a search and rescue effort.”
Dozens of law enforcement personnel are involved in the search, including patrol, aircraft and dive teams. A dog team was also used.
Other local, state and federal agencies, including the Truckee Police Department, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol and the FBI, are assisting the Placer County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation, according to Musallam.
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Rodney’s safe return. Authorities said she was last seen wearing a black bodysuit, green pants with a black belt and black Vans shoes. She may also have a black hoodie that was loaned to her days before she disappeared, the sheriff’s office said.
“We can’t stress this enough — out of the 200-300 minors and young adults that were at that party at Prosser Campground on Friday night — somebody knows something about Kylie,” Musallam said during Tuesday’s press conference. . “We are appealing and asking the community to please come forward. You will remain anonymous.”
