Police: Body of missing Nevada teenager Naomi Irion found

Naomi Irion, 18, was last seen March 12 in the parking lot of Walmart in Fernley, Nev. Photo courtesy of Lyon County Sheriff's Office/Facebook

March 31 (UPI) — The body of a Nevada teenager who went missing more than two weeks ago from a Walmart parking lot has been found, authorities said.

Naomi Irion, 18, was last seen at about 5 a.m. of March 12 in the parking lot of the Walmart in Fernley, located near the California border, where she was waiting for a shuttle bus to take her to the Panasonic Energy of North America where she worked.

Authorities said surveillance video of the scene shows a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt “lurking” about the parking lot. The suspect then gets into the front seat of Irion’s four-door sedan with her in the passenger seat before driving away in an unknown direction.

In a joint statement late Wednesday from the sheriff’s offices of Churchill and Lyon counties, authorities said a tip led investigators to a remote part of Churchill where they found a gravesite that contained the body of a White woman that was then transferred to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Investigative Services team.

On Thursday, an autopsy confirmed that the body belonged to Irion.

“We would like to extend our sympathy and condolences to the Irion family and thank all the volunteers for their hard work in trying to find Naomi and bring closure to the family,” the two sheriff’s offices said, adding they will “continue to work closely on these cases.”

Authorities said that Irion was in the parking lot at 5:09 a.m. and was active on social media until 5:23. A minute later, the suspect entered her car and drove away.

On March 15, her vehicle was recovered near the Walmart in an industrial area of Fernley, with forensic evidence recovered indicating that Irion’s disappearance as of a “criminal in nature.”

Troy Driver, 41, from Fallon, Nev., was detained Friday and being held on charges of kidnapping involved in the case.

Photo Lyon County Sheriffs OfficeFacebook

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