Driver, 41, was taken into police custody on Friday, March 25 while Irion was still missing having been before abducted from a Walmart parking lot in Fernley, Nevada on March 12, while she had been waiting for a shuttle to her job at a Panasonic factory. Irion’s body has since been located but no murder charges have been brought against Driver yet. RELATED: Body Of Missing Nevada Teen Found After She Was Kidnapped From Walmart Parking Lot By ‘Hooded’ Suspect Surveillance footage showed a man in a gray hoodie approaching Irion’s vehicle and saying or doing something to get her to move over and let him in, before driving off. One of Driver’s neighbors turned him in, according to KOLOTV, after spotting his pickup truck which police had been looking for in connection to Irion’s disappearance.
Who is Troy Driver?
Driver, the suspect in Irion’s kidnapping is an ex-convict, who already has a criminal history.
Troy Driver was involved in covering up a 1997 murder.
A 17-year-old Driver helped dispose of the body of a meth dealer, Paul Rodriguez, who had been shot to death in the driveway of Driver’s family home by his 17-year-old girlfriend, Alissa Marie Moore. Driver and another teen, Carl Herbert Dulinksy, 19, had “stuffed Rodriguez’s body into the trunk of his car and dumped it off a highway.” Driver’s sister, Sharla Renee Driver Cassidy, had also been convicted in connection to the killing. She was accused of overhearing “the trio planning to kill Rodriguez” and driving the car used to lure him to his death. She had also confessed to driving a getaway car in a series of convenience store robberies that Driver confessed to committing. RELATED: Mom Of Missing 4-Year-Old Last Seen In 2020 Arrested After Cutting Off Concerned Family Driver pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and admitted to robbing a convenience store, a service station, and breaking into a hardware store. He was sentenced to 15 years in state prison but was released after 12 years. Since getting out of prison, Driver lived in Elko County, Nevada, and had recently moved to Lyon County, where he was working in construction. According to his LinkedIn, Driver is currently employed as a project superintendent at Ledcor, a construction company operating throughout the United States and Canada.
Troy Driver is not believed to have known Naomi Irion before her death.
In an interview with Insider, Irion’s older brother, Casey Valley said there’s “no indication” that his sister had any connection to Driver, and because of his criminal history, Valley didn’t believe he’d cooperate with investigators. “We’re not counting on this guy talking so we need people to come forward,” Valley said. “This guy’s a hardened criminal, he knows how to navigate the criminal side of the legal system. Unless there’s a deal to be made … there’s no guarantee that he’s going to lead us to Naomi.” However, Irion’s body was discovered on Wednesday after missing for more than two weeks. The sheriff’s offices of Churchill and Lyon counties said investigators went to a remote part of Churchill County on Tuesday after receiving a tip. The tip had “led them to a possible gravesite” where “the body of an adult Caucasian female was recovered,” authorites said. The remains were then taken to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and identification, where it was confirmed that the remains were those of Irion. Driver was charged with kidnapping in the first degree and is being held on $750,000 bail. The judge ruled that if he posts bail, Driver will be placed under enhanced supervision with a GPS monitor, according to CBS News. RELATED: Man Who Kidnapped Bus Full Of Children & Buried Them Alive Approved For Parole Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.
