The Disappearance and Murder of Naomi Irion

 

Naomi Irion (18) vanished in Lyon County, Nevada on March 12th, 2022. Naomi was last seen at a Wal-Mart in Fernley. She drove to the Wal-Mart shortly before 5 AM, and from there, she planned to catch a shuttle bus to her job at Panasonic. However, Naomi never showed up to work, nor did she return home.

Naomi’s worried family members called police after realizing she was missing. Police then looked at surveillance footage from the Wal-Mart where she was last seen. The footage revealed that Naomi was likely abducted from the parking lot in her own car. According to police, the footage “shows a person walking from a nearby homeless camp and lurking around vehicles, before getting into the driver’s seat of [Naomi’s] car, and then driving away with Naomi in the passenger seat.” 

It was believed that then-unidentified person either said or showed something to Naomi that prompted her to move to the passenger side of her vehicle. She was never seen alive again. 

On Tuesday, March 15th, Naomi’s car was found abandoned at a nearby industrial park. Police initially did not disclose what was found in the car, but they did say that they found evidence that suggests Naomi "vanished due to a crime". Authorities pleaded to the public for information about a man driving a dark Chevrolet High Country pickup truck. 

Naomi's parents live in South Africa. Naomi herself just moved to the Reno area in 2021. Her loved ones are desperately hoping for her safe recovery. If you have any information that could help find Naomi, please call the Lyon County Sheriff's Department at (775) 575-3350.
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UPDATE (March 22nd, 2022): 

Police have released additional video footage of the suspect in Naomi's kidnapping. The footage, which can be seen here, shows the man pacing back and forth in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Police stated that the man has a unique walk which may help identify him. 

At this time, the footage of the actual abduction has not been released. Naomi remains missing and the search for both her and her kidnapper continues. 

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UPDATE (March 26th, 2022): 

A 41-year-old man named Troy Driver has been arrested and charged with kidnapping Naomi Irion. Authorities have not yet revealed many details about how they identified Driver as a suspect, but it is believed he is the driver of the pickup truck that authorities stated was involved in Naomi's disappearance. 

News reports from earlier this week state that Naomi went on a date the night before her disappearance. Also, during 2021, Naomi disclosed that she was being sexually harassed at work. At this time, it is unclear if these circumstances are related to Driver or to Naomi's kidnapping. She remains missing. 

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UPDATE (March 31st, 2022):

Naomi's remains have been found.

Her body was found at a gravesite in Churchill County, Nevada. Naomi's cause of death has not been determined but the manner of death has been labeled homicide. Troy Driver remains behind bars on the kidnapping charges, and it's possible that murder charges will be added in the near future. 

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UPDATE (April 2nd, 2022):

As predicted, Troy Driver has been charged with Naomi's murder. His exact charges include open murder with use of a deadly weapon, robbery, burglary, and destruction of evidence.