Photo: Placer County Sheriff's Office
Tipsters have alleged there may have been drugs present.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on Aug 15, 2022
The search for California teen Kiely Rodni has entered its second week as investigators continue to plead with those who attended the party to come forward with their information.
Rodni was last seen at a party near Prosser Family Campground in Truckee, just north of Lake Tahoe, in the early hours of Aug. 6.
One of the missing 16-year-old’s friends has spoken up and told her story, urging others to come forward and encouraging people to have “teen-to-teen” interviews with her for those less comfortable speaking to law enforcement.
Kiely Rodni’s friend, Sami Smith, has shared details of the missing teen’s last movements.
18-year-old girl Sami Smith is a close friend of Rodni’s and was also at the Prosser Family Campground where over 100 people gathered for an end of the school year party.
Smith claims that she was the last person to speak to Rodni and was also with her for most of the night of the party.
After speaking exclusively to The Sun, Smith revealed that a lot of “sketchy, older” guys showed up to the party and ended up making things weird for the teens who wanted to party among themselves.
"Now we know there were a lot of college people. Teens are coming out [with information] in our teen-to-teen talks,” she said. “There were a lot of sketchy, older guys that were seen there. This was right about when I left when we had the last contact."
At around 12:40 a.m., Rodni was seen for the last time. Smith was the last known person to have talked with her minutes prior.
"The last recorded sighting of her was 12:40 a.m. I was the last person to speak to her at 12:36 a.m. when she asked me if I still needed a ride home," Smith said.
Rodni’s best friend, Mags Larson, was also in attendance at the party but left shortly after arriving.
Larson’s mother, Anna Larson, told Daily Mail that Rodni was far too inebriated to be able to drive herself home.
“She wasn't in a state where she could have driven very far. She was inebriated,” she said, implying that she must have been taken because they would have found her if she drove.
“We don't know if it was someone who was attending the party or a predator,” she continued.
“We also don't know if there's someone she planned to go and meet who we don't know about yet. It is a nightmare.”
An alleged 'tipster' claims there may have been drugs at the party.
A YouTuber named “IckedMel” posted a video of a phone call he had with a tipster named Ronnie Jones who claims to know people that went to the Truckee campground.
"I have two cousins, they go to Sierra College, and they were going up to that party," he said.
Jones revealed that his cousins knew of Rodni and saw her at the party, laughing, drinking, and socializing with everyone around.
"I asked, 'Well how drunk was she?' And they said, 'Well, she was stumbling around,'" confirming claims that she was not in a state to drive.
"The dudes who come out there, the older guys, they have the shrooms and the cocaine,” claims Jones. “And then the kids go hang out with that group. I can't say for sure she participated [in substances] but that's what was there for a fact."
According to updated reports from tips and videos, Rodni was seen in the same green Dickies pants but had also donned a white sweatshirt that read “Odd Future” — it’s unclear if she was wearing this when she was last seen.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office is working in conjunction with Smith and has set up a website where people can leave anonymous tips, photos, or videos.
The reward for information that leads to Rodni’s discovery has been raised from a previous $50,000 to $75,000.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.