Sheriff: Pranks like the fake scanner recording hurt Kiely Rodni investigation

It has been a week since Truckee teen Kiely Rodni went to a party at a campground just outside of Truckee, Calif., and disappeared hours later in the early morning of Aug. 6. 

The search for the 16-year-old by multiple police agencies, including 50 FBI agents, has left law enforcement pleading for solid tips for what may have happened. They have asked teens and young people to share videos, photos and information from the party at Prosser Reservoir.

"We want to make it clear we appreciate all tips," said Placer County Sheriff Public Information Officer Angela Musallam on a call with the RGJ Friday morning.

 Law enforcement has received nearly 900 tips and leads but none has provided any help as to where Kiely may have gone at 12:30 a.m. Saturday when she was last seen at the campsite and her phone was still on.

The sheriff's office said false information being spread online is taking up valuable time meant to help find the missing girl. 

"We want to warn everyone not to believe what you see on social media," Musallam said. 

On Thursday night, reports on social media spread of a 911 scanner report. The fake recording said a girl was in a car matching the description of Kiely's at Arrowcreek, a gated housing development in South Reno.

"A 10 37 subject acting erratically possibly related to a missing subject out of Placer County,” the scanner report said.

Musallam said it took about 45 minutes for a person working on the case to track down the fake information as it started to spread.

Musallam said it is hard to deal with these kinds of pranks while emotions are high and investigators are working overtime to find Kiely.

"We are trying to shield some people from that kind of information, too" she said about how upsetting news that Kiely possibly was found would be to the teen's family and friends. 

Kiely and at least two of her friends were at a party that the sheriff's office said had 200-300 people in attendance, including from the Bay area and Reno.

Law enforcement has spent the last week searching for Kiely and her car in the water, near the roads in and out of the campground and by foot. 

Siobhan McAndrew tells stories about the people of Northern Nevada and covers education in Washoe County. Read her journalism right here. Consider supporting her work by subscribing to the Reno Gazette Journal.