Killing of Naomi Irion

Last updated

Killing of Naomi Irion
USA Nevada location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of murder
Location of murder (Nevada)
Location Fernley, Nevada, United States
Coordinates 39°36′37″N119°13′02″W / 39.61033°N 119.21729°W / 39.61033; -119.21729 (kidnapping)
DateMarch 12, 2022;2 years ago (2022-03-12)
5:25 a.m. (PST; UTC−08:00)
Attack type
 Homicide by shooting, kidnapping
WeaponFirearm
VictimNaomi Irion
AccusedTroy Driver

On March 12, 2022, 18-year-old Naomi Irion disappeared from a Walmart parking lot in Fernley, Nevada, United States. A man was seen approaching Irion's car and driving away in it. She was found dead two weeks later in a ditch in rural Churchill County, having been kidnapped and shot to death.

Contents

Several days before Irion's body was found, 41-year-old Troy Driver was taken into custody and charged with Irion's killing. Before going to trial, he committed suicide in his jail cell in August 2023.

Personal life

Naomi Irion moved across the world with her family to follow her father's, Herve Irion, career as a foreign expat for the US State Department. They relocated to France, Russia, Germany, and South Africa before Naomi returned to the United States as an adult. When in South Africa, Naomi attended the American International School of Johannesburg where she graduated in 2021. [1]

Naomi had three younger brothers, who were adopted from Ukraine in 2018. Irion also had a brother, Sean Michael Irion, who died in infancy in 2002. [2]

Naomi was an avid fan of music, playing the ukelele, guitar, and was a singer. Her favourite colour was the rainbow and often wore rainbow clothing such as socks and had rainbows on her jackets and bag. Irion was well known for always laughing, spreading kindness, and her positivity within her friendship groups.

Irion turned eighteen on 25 July 2021 and died between 12 and 29 March 2022.

Events

Kidnapping

Around 5:00 a.m. (PST; UTC−08:00) on March 12, 2022, Naomi Irion parked her vehicle in the Walmart parking lot in Fernley, Nevada. [3] According to her sister, she was waiting for a shuttle to take her to her job. [3] She was active on social media between 5:09 and 5:23 a.m. [3] At 5:24 a.m., surveillance footage showed a man approaching Irion's vehicle and entering. [3] A minute later, the vehicle left the parking lot with the man driving. [3] The male was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, "dark pants or jeans" and dark tennis shoes. [3] At the time of the disappearance, Irion was described as being 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) with dyed black hair and green eyes. [3] She was wearing a blue shirt, gray sweater, dark boots, and gray sweatpants. [3]

Search and discovery of body

On March 15, three days after Irion disappeared, her four-door sedan was discovered in an industrial area near Fernley. [4] Police stated they were searching for a suspect driving a "dark, newer model" Chevrolet Silverado High Country truck. [4] Irion's sedan was searched and analyzed forensically. [4] Law enforcement conducted many searches on the ground and by air. [4] On March 28, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced they would be offering a reward of up to US$ 10,000 for information leading to Irion's location. [5]

On March 29, police received a tip connected to Irion's disappearance that led them to a rural site in Churchill County. They recovered a body, which was later confirmed to be Irion's. [6]

Investigation

On March 25, police arrested 41-year-old Troy Driver, a resident of Fallon. [7] Driver had a lengthy juvenile criminal history, including pleading guilty to being an accomplice to murder and a series of armed robberies at age 17. [8]

Driver was initially taken into custody for kidnapping charges and had his bond set to US$ 750,000, but was charged with murder, first-degree kidnapping, robbery, burglary of a motor vehicle and destruction of evidence after Irion's body was discovered. [6] [9] A criminal complaint alleged that Driver kidnapped Irion and shot her to death before burying her body to avoid leaving evidence. [9] He reportedly disposed of Irion's phone and replaced his truck's tires. [9]

In July 2022, Driver was charged with sexual assault, as prosecutors alleged he raped Irion before killing her. [10] In November, he was found mentally fit to stand trial for the killing of Irion. [11]

On August 6, 2023, Driver was found dead in his cell when prison personnel arrived for a routine inmate check. [12] His death was ruled a suicide by asphyxiation. [12] [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Kristin Smart</span> 1996 murder in California, United States

Kristin Denise Smart was a 19-year-old American woman murdered by Paul Flores at the end of her first year on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Wilder</span> Australian serial killer (1945–1984)

Christopher Bernard Wilder, also known as the Beauty Queen Killer and the Snapshot Killer, was an Australian-American serial killer who abducted at least twelve young women and girls, killing eight of them during a six-week, cross-country crime spree in the United States in early 1984. Wilder's series of murders began in Florida on February 26, 1984, and continued across the country through Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nevada and California, with attempted abductions in Washington and New York. Wilder victimized attractive young women, most of whom he would entice by promising to take their pictures. After subduing them, he would torture and rape them before shooting, stabbing with a knife, or strangling them to death. Two or more of his victims were electrocuted using a makeshift electrical cord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Brianna Denison</span> Murder of American student

Brianna Zunino Denison was a college student who was abducted on January 20, 2008, from a friend's house in Reno, Nevada. Her body was discovered on February 15, 2008, in a field near a Reno business park after being raped and murdered. A man named James Biela was convicted of the murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Sian O'Callaghan</span> 2011 murder in the United Kingdom

Sian Emma O'Callaghan was a 22-year-old British woman who disappeared from Swindon, Wiltshire, England, having last been seen at a nightclub in the town in the early hours of 19 March 2011. Her body was found on 24 March near Uffington in Oxfordshire. On 19 October 2012, at Bristol Crown Court, 48-year-old Christopher Halliwell pleaded guilty to O'Callaghan's murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Zebb Quinn</span> Disappearance and murder of an American in 2000

Zebb Wayne Quinn was an American teenager who went missing in Asheville, North Carolina. Quinn was 18 years old and working at a local Walmart when he disappeared after finishing his shift. His car was discovered several days later in a restaurant parking lot under unusual circumstances: its headlights had been left on, a live puppy had been left inside, and a drawing of a pair of lips and an exclamation mark had been scrawled in pink lipstick on the back window.

On October 15, 2018, 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson abducted 13-year-old Jayme Lynn Closs from her family's home in Barron, Wisconsin. The attack took place at 12:53 a.m. after he forced his way inside and fatally shot her parents. Patterson took Closs to a house 70 miles (110 km) away in rural Gordon, Wisconsin, and held her in captivity for 88 days until she escaped on January 10, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Samantha Josephson</span> 2019 murder in South Carolina, USA

The murder of Samantha Josephson, a student at University of South Carolina, in Columbia, South Carolina, occurred on March 29, 2019. Josephson, 21, had ordered an Uber and mistakenly entered a car that she thought was her ride. Nathaniel Rowland, the driver of the car, used childproof locks to prevent Josephson from leaving the vehicle and kidnapped and murdered her, leaving her body near New Zion, South Carolina – 65 miles (105 km) from Columbia, where she had entered Rowland's car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Mackenzie Lueck</span> 2019 killing in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

The murder of Mackenzie Lueck occurred on June 17, 2019. Lueck, a 23-year-old white student at the University of Utah, was reported missing and her bound, burned, and buried remains were later discovered. Ayoola Ajayi, a 31 year old Nigerian-born man, was arrested and charged with Lueck's kidnapping and murder. In October 2020, Ajayi pleaded guilty to Lueck's murder and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Dr. No is the nickname given to a suspected American serial killer thought to be responsible for the murders of at least nine women and girls in Ohio, between 1981 and 1990. As victims, Dr. No primarily chose prostitutes working in parking lots and truck stops located alongside Interstate 71. There are suspicions that he committed three similar killings in New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania, between 1986 and 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Aniah Blanchard</span> 2019 homicide

The killing of Aniah Blanchard occurred in October 2019. Blanchard, the 19-year-old stepdaughter of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Walt Harris, was reported missing on October 24. She had last been seen at a Chevron gas station in Auburn, Alabama, the previous night. A witness from the gas station claims to have seen Blanchard's kidnapping. Blanchard's body was found in Macon County, Alabama, one month after her disappearance. The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound. A suspect, identified as Ibraheem Yazeed, was arrested and charged with Blanchard's murder. As of January 2021, Yazeed was being held in Lee County Jail without bond and his preliminary hearing was delayed due to COVID-19 lockdown. On November 15, 2022 he was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of capital murder, and on March 6, 2023 pleaded not guilty to all three counts. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Matthew J. Hoffman is an American convicted murderer known for killing three people, as well as kidnapping and raping Sarah Maynard, Herrmann's 13-year-old daughter, over the course of four days. The triple murders took place in Howard, Ohio. Police traced purchases for tarps found at the scene to a local Walmart that led them to Hoffman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Hall (suspected serial killer)</span> American kidnapper, rapist, murderer, and suspected serial killer

Larry DeWayne Hall is an American kidnapper, rapist, murderer, and suspected serial killer. An aficionado of the American Revolution and Civil War, Hall traveled around the Midwest for historical reenactments and is believed to have abducted, raped, tortured, and murdered dozens of girls and women.

The Great Basin Murders is the name given to a series of murders of at least nine women committed between 1983 and 1997 across the states of Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Idaho. It derives its name from the Great Basin geographical area, as most of the victims had their bodies dumped near interstate highways that transverse it.

Gretchen Stoughton Anthony was an American woman from Jupiter, Florida, who was murdered by her estranged husband, David Ethan Anthony, in the early morning hours of March 21, 2020. David Anthony had attempted to persuade Gretchen Anthony to travel with him to Costa Rica, where he believed they could escape the COVID-19 pandemic. When Gretchen declined, David entered her house in Abacoa, Florida, and stabbed her to death in her garage. He then discarded her body in a nearby wooded area before fleeing the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Paige Birgfeld</span> 2007 murder of a mother in Colorado, US

On June 28, 2007, Paige Birgfeld, a 34-year-old American woman was reported missing by her 8-year-old daughter in Grand Junction, Colorado. On July 1, 2007, her red Ford Focus car was found on fire in a parking lot, without any trace of Birgfeld. The investigation into her disappearance took an unexpected turn when it was discovered that Birgfeld was living a double life as an escort in a secret business called Models Inc., under the alias "Carrie".

References

  1. ↑ Sonner, Scott (April 13, 2022). "Slain Nevada woman's brother seeks a positive from her death". AP News. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ "God Gave Us a Miracle!". November 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Vera, Amir; Henderson, Jennifer (March 23, 2022). "Nevada authorities are searching for an 18-year-old woman whose disappearance they say is 'suspicious in nature'". CNN. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Planas, Antonio (March 18, 2022). "Nevada woman disappears from Walmart parking lot; brother says video shows masked man forcing way into car". NBC News. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ Alonso, Paradise; Afshar, Claudia; Dominguez, Melissa (March 29, 2022). "FBI offers $10,000 reward for missing Nevada woman". CNN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Afshar, Paradise (March 31, 2022). "The body of Naomi Irion, reported missing in Nevada more than 2 weeks ago, has been found, police say". CNN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ Alonso, Melissa (March 26, 2022). "Man arrested on kidnapping charges in case of missing Nevada woman". CNN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  8. ↑ Russell, Terri (March 28, 2022). "Kidnapping suspect has criminal past". KOLO-TV. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Dominguez, Paradise Afshar,Claudia (April 6, 2022). "Nevada man charged with murder in death of Naomi Irion, who was missing for more than two weeks". CNN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Troy Driver facing new sexual assault charges in Naomi Irion case". KRNV. July 20, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Troy Driver found competent to stand trial in Naomi Irion's murder". KRNV. November 14, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Watson, Michelle (August 7, 2023). "Man accused of kidnapping and killing Nevada 18-year-old dies by suicide in jail while awaiting trial". CNN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Troy Driver, Suspect In Murder of Naomi Irion, Dead From Self-Inflicted Asphyxiation". 2 News KTVN. August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.