Investigators found the body of the 18-year-old in a grave in an unknown area of Churchill County, the sheriff’s office confirmed on Wednesday, hours after her alleged abductor appeared in court via Zoom.
Her body was taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, which confirmed her identity.
Former convict Troy Driver, 41, had a court hearing earlier Wednesday in which he was charged with first-degree abduction.
He could face life in prison without suspension if convicted.
The body of 18-year-old Naomi Irion was found in a remote area of Nevada on Tuesday
Former convict Troy Driver, 41, is accused of abducting Irion from the Walmart car park in Fernley in the early hours of March 12. He made his first appearance in court before Canal Township Justice Court judge Lori Matheus on Wednesday, who ruled his release would remain at $ 750,000.
Irion’s remains found in Churchill County 18 days after she was abducted by a Walmart in Fernley
Hundreds of volunteers had been surveying across the vast desert for the past two weeks in search of Irion.
Investigators were acting on a report of her disappearance when they found the grave on Tuesday.
“No further details could be released at this time, as this is still an open and active investigation,” the sheriff’s office said Wednesday, after officials said Irion had been found.
The Churchill and Lyon County Sheriff’s Departments, which work closely on Irion’s case, have issued condolences to her family.
“We would like to express our support and condolences to the Irion family and thank all the volunteers for their hard work in finding Naomi and bringing the family together,” law enforcement officials wrote in a press release. .
Troy Driver, 41, made his first appearance in court from a Nevada jail on Wednesday via Zoom. His bail was held at $ 750,000 in connection with the abduction of Naomi Orion
Irion’s family pictured in Driver’s court Wednesday at Canal Township Justice Court in Fernley, Nevada
Irion, the daughter of a US State Department official, was last seen around 5.25am. on March 12 in her car at a Walmart car park in Fernley, about 30 miles east of Reno.
In a criminal complaint filed Wednesday morning, prosecutors allege that Diver – who was arrested last Friday in connection with her disappearance – “kidnapped Naomi Orion and held or detained her for sexual assault and / or in order to kill her. . ‘
He made his first appearance in court Wednesday through a teleconference from Lyon County Jail before Canal Township Justice Lori Matheus, who ruled his bail would remain at $ 750,000.
If the driver can pay bail, he must wear a GPS monitor as a condition for his release. He must also stay away from Fernley, Nevada, where Irion was abducted.
Irion lived in Fernley with her older brother, Casey Valley, who told reporters after the hearing that the family was “in shock” that any guarantees had been set.
Matheus set a trial date for Driver next Tuesday and a preliminary hearing on April 12 to decide if there is evidence of Driver being tried in state court.
His defense attorney, Mario Walther, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a criminal case filed Wednesday morning, prosecutors allege that Driver “abducted Naomi Irion and held her or held her with the intent to sexually assault and / or kill her.”
Surveillance shots from the morning of her disappearance showed Orion sitting in the driver’s seat while waiting for the company bus to take her to work at Panasonic.
A man wearing a hood – believed to be the Guide – was filmed approaching her vehicle after circling the area.
It is not clear if he was in the store when he broke into the vehicle or if he was in the car, but the video shows the couple leaving with the suspect in the driver’s seat.
The couple then left the game with the man behind the wheel. Her abandoned car was found March 15 near a paint factory in an industrial park along Interstate 80 less than a mile from the Walmart store.
Valley said earlier that his sister usually catches a bus from Walmart to work at a Panasonic facility in the Reno area. He contacted family members and authorities after he did not arrive at work and did not return home that weekend.
Irion’s family claimed the teenager went on a date with an unknown man the day before she disappeared and complained of sexual harassment at work.
Panasonic knew about the harassment and had handled it “internally”, according to its brother.
Before authorities announced that her body had been identified, Valley told reporters Wednesday that the family appreciated the support from the community and praised the efforts of the sheriff’s deputies and federal agents to find his sister.
“Lyon County and the FBI are working very hard,” he said. “I wish there were more and everyone does it.”
Orion seems to be walking before a man gets in her car and leaves with her. It is not clear if she knew Driver, her alleged abductor
Irion appears to be buying snacks at a gas station as she goes for a job at her factory
Irion was abducted on March 12 in Fernley, Nevada. Her remains were discovered March 30 in Churchill County
Diver is a convicted felon and has previously served 12 years in California state prison for his role in the murder of a methamphetamine trafficker.
Criminal records show he was convicted in 1997 of aiding and abetting murder in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Paul Steven Rodriguez.
The California guide’s rap sheet also includes convictions for second-degree robbery and burglary.
The Ukiah Daily Journal reported that in April 1997, Rodriguez, a methamphetamine dealer from Willits, California, was shot in the head by his 17-year-old girlfriend, Alissa Marie Moore.
The driver, then 17, and Carl Herbert Dulinksy, 19, helped Moore toss Rodriguez’s body and hide his burnt car in a nearby forest.
The trio of suspects were arrested after the victim’s remains were discovered two weeks after the murder.
This 1997 article in the Ukiah Daily Journal chronicles Dryer’s arrest in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old method dealer in California
The driver’s sister, Sharla Driver Cassidy, was also involved in his crimes after admitting to driving the car used to lure Rodriguez to his death. She also acted as an escape guide in her brother’s robberies, which he claimed he had committed to help his sister buy airline tickets to Italy.
Four months later, Driver pleaded guilty to the extra charge related to the murder. He also admitted to robbing a convenience store and a gas station and breaking into a hardware store.
The driver was sentenced to 15 years in state prison but was released after 12 years.
Ever since regaining his freedom more than a decade ago, Driver has settled in Nevada, living in Elko County and, more recently, Lyon County, where he has worked in construction.
According to his LinkedIn page, Driver is currently working as a project supervisor at Ledcor, a construction company operating throughout the US and Canada.
A Ledcor spokesperson confirmed Driver’s employment status at DailyMail.com.
“Ledcor is cooperating fully with the FBI and law enforcement officials in their investigation,” a company spokesman said in a written statement. “We have also encouraged staff who may have information that could help the investigation to contact the authorities immediately. We hope for the safe return of Naomi Irion to her family “.
Irion moved to America last year after growing up in sheltered communities in Russia, Germany and South Africa as a result of her father’s work at the State Department.
Irion’s family revealed in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com last week that the 18-year-old was exploring life as a free, young American after growing up in sheltered communities in Russia, Germany and South Africa – the result of her father’s work. with the State Department.
He moved to America last year to live with Valley, an Apple employee who served in the Navy as a nuclear engineer from 2009 to 2016. He wanted to learn how to drive, get a job, date, and go to community college.
Fernley, where she lived with her brother, is a safe area where residents are amazed by what happened.
“She really wanted to live in America as an American. Most kids learn how to drive a car and go out on a date and have some freedom, but in the diplomatic community abroad, you can’t have it. You can not learn to drive a car. You can not really date safely.
“You have to be safe and there is a lot of security that keeps us safe. He had not yet lived life without it.
“She really wanted to explore herself as a free American young woman and how she felt about it.”
“She was so excited to be back in America,” her mother, Diana, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday after she flew to Nevada from South Africa, where she still lives with her husband, Herve Orion, and their three youngest sons. .
Naomi’s family says she had accounts at Hinge, Bumble and Tinder. She met people online and at work and was a “member of the LGBTQ community,” her family said.
Herve worked for the Foreign Service and held positions in Moscow, Frankfurt and Pretoria. He is now in Nevada with his wife Diana and their three adopted sons who were born in Ukraine to participate in the search for Naomi.
Until this year, Naomi had never driven or dated freely. He was meeting people …
