NEVADA (Washington Insider Magazine) – Authorities announced Friday that a suspect in the suspected abduction of a Nevada girl who was last sighted in a Walmart parking area has been arrested.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office has also seized a pickup truck which was “possibly involved” in the kidnapping of 18-year-old Naomi Irion, which has sparked a countrywide search.
Troy Driver, 41, from Fallon, Nevada, was identified as the suspect by the sheriff’s office. Kidnapping allegations have been filed against him.
Meanwhile, officials said the hunt for the missing adolescent is ongoing.
Irion has been missing for about two weeks, and this is the first update.
According to the sheriff’s office, she was last spotted in her car in a parking area of a Walmart in Fernley, Nevada, just outside Reno. A man was seen jumping into the driving seat of her car and driving away in an unknown direction with Irion in the passenger seat, according to security footage.
Her disappearance was first classified as “suspicious in nature” by the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office said detectives uncovered evidence suggesting her absence was “criminal in nature” after finding her car on Mar 15 inside an industrial park over a mile from the Walmart.
Naomi’s brother, Casey Valley, told Reno ABC station KOLO that he was “definitely optimistic” regarding rescuing her after Driver’s arrest.
According to the sheriff’s office, detectives had earlier recognized a Chevrolet pickup truck out there whose driver they suspected had a “direct connection” to her current location. The sheriff’s office issued a picture of the car and asked the public to help identify it.
The sheriff’s office also published many images and a video of the individual who allegedly broke into Irion’s automobile. He walks with a particular gait, which detectives thought would help identify him.
Due to the continuing nature of the case, investigators have not publicly disclosed CCTV footage showing the precise moment the suspect climbs into Irion’s car. Irion was in the driver’s seat, according to her brother, Casey Valley, who claimed he had seen the video, but the accused “did say or do something to Naomi to make her move over.”
On March 12, about 5 a.m., Irion was waiting for a bus to drive her to her workplace at Panasonic Energy of North America in the Reno region. When she didn’t return home from work the next day, Valley, who resides with Irion, reported her missing.
Irion’s family have made public calls for her safe return on several occasions.
