LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Police in northern Nevada said an "overwhelming amount of evidence" showed a man accused of raping and killing a teenager carefully planned the event for months.
Lyon County officials found 42-year-old Troy Driver dead in his jail cell on Aug. 6. He was facing multiple charges in the kidnapping, rape, and death of 18-year-old Naomi Irion. On Wednesday, authorities revealed the evidence against him in the case and the circumstances of his death.
Irion worked at a Panasonic industrial plant near Fernley, Nevada. Typically, she would drive to the parking lot at the Fernley Walmart and take a shuttle to the plant. On March 12, 2022, police said surveillance footage from Walmart showed that Driver arrived at 4:22 a.m. and he parked in a dirt lot on the south side of Walmart between Wells Fargo and the Greater Nevada Credit Union Bank. Surveillance video also showed Irion arrived at Walmart at 5:09 a.m and stayed in her vehicle waiting for the shuttle. Investigators said a man was observed "stalking her vehicle", approached the car, opened the door, and got in. The car then drove away.
Driver's ex-girlfriend told law enforcement that he was "infatuated with serial killers" and read books and podcasts about them. She said her daughter told her that Driver asked about the shuttle bus to the Panasonic plant including the location of shuttle stops and how many people typically ride the bus.
Driver then took the pair to the abandoned Buena Vista Mine site in Churchill County, which was 90 minutes away. Police said that Driver had an excavator delivered to that site the month before. After Churchill County officials received a tip, they responded to the mine and found "freshly turned-over dirt that wasn't consistent with mining." Investigators said they found Irion's naked body buried about four to five feet down. They state evidence showed she was sexually assaulted, shot in the head, put into the grave, and shot in the chest. Then, they stated evidence indicated Driver used the excavator to bury her.
According to investigators, Driver then took Irion's vehicle back to Fernley and dumped it in a dirt lot near a Lowe's that was four minutes down the road from the Walmart he kidnapped her from. Surveillance videos show Driver leaving her car and getting into a truck. Because of multiple distinguishing features of the truck, authorities were able to narrow it down to Driver. They said he was also previously convicted on a sexual assault charge, which gave them probable cause that he could be connected to Irion's kidnapping. He was arrested on March 25 and booked into the Lyon County jail. Police stated that when they seized his truck, they saw he had new tires on it. Based on receipt records, they state Driver bought those tires on March 19, which was the same day police released a description of the truck to the media in an attempt to find him. Police also state Driver bought the tires at a store in Winnemucca, which was two hours away from Fallon, even though Fallon had the same tires in stock.
Authorities said there was no cell phone activity on either one of this phones on March 12. Based on cell phone records, police said that was highly unusual. DNA from the crime scene as well as evidence collected from Irion's body matched Driver. During the press conference, investigators stated there were no connections revealed between Driver and Irion.
In August 2022, Driver tried to commit suicide for the first time. At that time, Driver's ex-girlfriend also contacted Lyon County authorities after a suicide note and confession from Driver were given to her. Authorities state those were snuck out of the jail in a deck of playing cards that was given to his ex-girlfriend by an inmate that had recently been released. In the letter, Driver had written "there has always been a terrible darkness inside of me", "the guilt is crushing", and "I didn't know anything about her until it was too late". He also told her that he intended on killing himself rather than exposing his loved ones to what he had done.
That attempt was not successful and led authorities to putting Driver in isolation and being checked out by mental health experts and medical staff. According to Lyon County officials, Driver was seen by staff over 20 times between Aug. 12, 2022 and Aug. 6, 2023. On Aug. 6, they state deputies were doing cell checks at 5:22 p.m. and that Driver was in his cell drinking water and "showed no sign of crisis." At 6:17 p.m., deputies found Driver hanging in his cell. He was cut down and deputies began "life-saving efforts" but weren't successful. He was pronounced dead at 6:49 p.m.
For Irion's family, the incident doesn't bring comfort.
"The person who did this took the coward's way out and now we will never have a guilty verdict or see him pay for what he has done. This incident has only added to our suffering but a trial and guilty verdict wouldn't have ended our pain either," Nomi's mother Diana wrote in a statement. "No one should have to bury their children. The hole left in our lives is enormous and can never be filled."
Despite the darkness, Naomi's brother, Casey Valley, said the family will now move forward and try to find the positives.
"I don't think the light Naomi brought to this world could ever be extinguished. We will never forget her. We will forget the person that did this. We won't let him live in our heads rent-free because he did this cowardly act," Valley said. "This whole process has been so painful. But at the same time, it's shown me and my family how good people can be because so many people helped us in every way you can imagine. We had no unfulfilled needs and it was just that level of goodness that we saw. It really does outweigh the bad."
