In an effort to give the family closure, Lyon County Sheriff’s Office provided additional information during an Aug. 16 press conference that pointed to Troy Driver's guilt in the murder of 18-year-old Naomi Irion.
“I don't think the light that Naomi brought to this world could ever be extinguished,” said Casey Valley, Irion’s brother, during the press conference. “We will forget the person that did this. We won't let him live in our heads rent free because he did this cowardly act. We are going to remember her and everything that she stood for,” he said.
According to Lyon County officials, Driver attempted suicide twice before hanging himself on Aug. 6 with items from his cell.
Driver meticulously planned his suicide and was not under video surveillance at the moment of his death, according to officials.
Before his first suicide attempt, he handed a confession letter to his ex-girlfriend where he wrote that “the guilt was crushing.” She immediately gave the letter to law enforcement.
During the press conference, Lyon County officials showed an hour’s worth of evidence against Driver. Officials said Driver’s DNA was found in Irion’s hands and body, indicating sexual assault.
According to officials, Driver had an extensive criminal history that started very young with animal cruelty. And he was infatuated with serial killers, constantly listening to podcasts and reading books about murderers.
Driver had also been questioning his ex-girlfriend’s daughter about bus routes to Panasonic, where Irion used to work.
The remote gravesite in Churchill County where Irion’s body was found was excavated at least a month before the kidnapping, officials said. The investigation did not reveal any connection between Driver and Irion.
Naomi Irion, 18, was abducted from a Walmart parking lot in Fernley on March 12, 2022. Her body was found weeks later in a remote gravesite. An autopsy revealed that Irion was killed by several gunshots to the head and chest. Driver, 43, was the only suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Irion.
