Suspect in Naomi Irion's kidnapping seen on video
Video footage from the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada shows a suspect in missing Naomi Irion’s abduction walking through a Walmart parking lot, where she was last seen.
Naomi Irion, an 18-year-old woman who police say was abducted from a Walmart parking lot in Nevada earlier this month, was found deceased this week in Churchill County.
Investigators from the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about Irion's disappearance on Tuesday that led them to a potential grave site.
"The body of an adult Caucasian female was recovered from that grave site, the body was transported to the Washoe County Medical Examiners Office for an autopsy and to confirm identification," the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday evening. "On March 30, 2022, the remains were confirmed as those of Naomi Irion, the family has been notified."
Troy Driver, 41, was arrested last week and charged with first-degree kidnapping in connection to Irion's disappearance. Lyon County Judge Lori Matheus set his bail at $750,000 during a hearing on Wednesday.
Irion grew up in several countries with her family as her dad works for the U.S. State Department in the foreign service.
MISSING NAOMI IRION'S KIDNAPPING SUSPECT TROY DRIVER APPEARS IN COURT FOR BAIL HEARING
She moved from South Africa to Nevada last August and was living with her brother, Casey Valley, in Nevada.
"I can’t believe this. I’m at a loss for words," Valley wrote in a Wednesday evening Facebook post. "Thanks to everyone for your support. Now comes a different kind of effort. Naomi was taken away from us far too soon."
Irion's sister, Tamara Cartwright, wrote: "My sister is gone. Please pray for comfort for our family."
Kidnapping suspect Troy Driver was arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of Naomi Irion. (Lyon County Sheriff's Office)
On the morning of March 12, she parked her car in a Walmart parking lot and was planning to catch an employee bus to her job at a Panasonic factory, but the FBI said she was "abducted."
Surveillance footage released by the Lyon County Sheriff's Office shows a suspect walking from a nearby homeless camp to the parking lot and getting into the driver's seat of Irion's car, then driving away in an "unknown direction with Naomi in the passenger seat."
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It is unclear if the person on the surveillance footage is Driver.
Police located Irion's vehicle in Fernley, Nevada, on March 15, three days after she was last seen in the parking lot.
Police released this surveillance footage of a suspect in Irion's kidnapping. (Lyon County Sheriff)
Driver was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1997 for his role in covering up a murder and a string of robberies, according to local records obtained by News 4 and FOX 11 Reno.
"The reason I don't think he's talking, and it's kind of an assumption on my part… this suspect is familiar with the criminal justice system, intimately," Casey Valley, Irion's brother, previously told Fox News Digital.
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Cartwright wrote on Twitter Wednesday evening, "Love you forever," and, "This is the worst day of my life."
Anyone with information about Irion's disappearance can call your local FBI field office or the Lyon Sheriff's office at 775-463-6620.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
