Sheriff: Suspect in Naomi Irion Murder Kills Himself in Jail

The suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Naomi Irion has been found dead in jail of suspected suicide, Nevada law enforcement announced Sunday.

Forty-three-year-old Troy Driver was being held inside a maximum security cell at the time, and preliminary details point to his death being from asphyxiation, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.

In a press release Sunday, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said deputies at the Lyon County Jail were conducting routine cell checks and a headcount when they discovered the inmate, who was unresponsive.

Deputies performed life-saving measures until emergency crews arrived to take over. However, the inmate was eventually pronounced deceased:

Sheriffi’s office policy dictates an outside agency must investigate deaths that occur while an inmate is in custody.

“The Nevada State Police Division of Investigations was requested to respond to the Lyon County jail to complete a full and thorough investigation surrounding the events leading to Driver’s death,” the sheriff’s office said, noting there were currently no further details to be released.

According to the Gazette Journal report, “Driver had pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of 18-year old Irion, whose body was found in a shallow grave in Churchill County two weeks after she went missing from outside the Fernley Walmart on March 12, 2022.”

On the anniversary of her kidnapping, the sheriff’s office shared an image of Irion and said, “We still think of you and your family every day Naomi.”

“We prayer [sic] for peace and healing for your family and for our communities. Please take a moment of silence today in honor of this beautiful young lady,” the agency continued:

In March 2022, Irion’s brother, Casey Valley, said he did not believe his sister knew her abductor, but believed the suspect had been watching and learning her routine for several days before the incident took place.

“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,” Valley wrote in a social media post on Sunday along with the sheriff’s press release about Driver’s death:

“A lot of mixed feelings at the moment,” he added.