The suspect accused of kidnapping and murdering 18-year-old Naomi Irion, who vanished in a Walmart parking lot, has died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Department wrote that on 6 August at 6.17pm, “deputies assigned to the Lyon County Jail were conducting routine hourly cell checks and conducting inmate head counts when they discovered an inmate who was unresponsive.”
The inmate was identified as Troy Driver, 43. Officers provided “lifesaving measures” on Driver, as did medical personnel from Yerington/Mason Valley Fire Department, but to no avail, the sheriff’s office wrote.
Officers currently believe that Driver died of suicide by asphyxiation; he was being held in a maximum security cell and had no contact with other inmates, the release added.
Nevada State Police are investigating the incident, the sheriff’s office said.
Driver was awaiting trial after being charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with the teen’s disappearance on 12 March, 2022.
Irion had moved to Nevada to live with her brother, Casey Valley, shortly before the incident.
Mr Valley reacted to the news of Driver’s death on Facebook, writing: “I deeply regret that he took the easy way out before the trial, but I have no doubt in my mind given what I have been privy to that he is the perpetrator. A lot of mixed feelings at the moment.”
Following an anonymous tip, investigators discovered Irion’s body at a “gravesite” in a remote region of Nevada weeks after she vanished outside of a Walmart in Fernley, Nevada, 30 miles east of Reno.
Driver was a resident of Fallon, Nevada, who worked at construction company Ledcor. He was seen in surveillance footage as a hooded figure interacting with the 18-year-old in the Walmart parking lot. The footage captured Irion moving from the driver’s side of her car to the passenger side.
The suspect in Irion’s murder had previously pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder in 1997. Driver, then 17, reportedly assisted his girlfriend in disposing of the body of a methamphetamine dealer in Willits, California.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
