CHURCHILL COUNTY, Nevada — A Houston native who went missing near Reno, Nevada, earlier this month was found dead, the Churchill County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday.
Naomi Irion, an 18-year-old with ties to Houston, was found dead in a remote part of Churchill County on Tuesday when investigators were looking into a tip regarding her disappearance, the sheriff's office said. The investigation led detectives to a possible gravesite where her body was ultimately recovered.
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KHOU 11 News spoke to Irion's half-sister, Tamara Cartwright, before her body was found. Cartwright said had Naomi spent the first 13 years of her life in Houston before traveling the world with her parents.
She was living with a brother in Nevada at the time of her disappearance.
Earlier Wednesday, a 41-year-old man with a violent criminal record was charged during a brief court hearing with first-degree kidnapping. A judge in rural Lyon County left Troy Driver's bail unchanged. It had been set at $750,000 after his Friday arrest.
Driver, of Fernley, has yet to enter a plea. He was arraigned from jail Wednesday via Zoom. Authorities did not immediately say whether Driver will be charged in Irion's death.
“No further information can be released at this time as this is still an open and active investigation,” the sheriff’s office said after officials announced Irion had been found.
The day she disappeared, surveillance video outside of a Walmart shows a man forcing himself into her vehicle. Irion’s four-door sedan was later found in an industrial area where it was processed.
Justice of the Peace Lori Matheus said Driver will have to wear a GPS monitoring device if he posts a bond.
Driver has been held at the Lyon County Jail in Yerington as a suspect in what authorities say was Irion's kidnapping.
Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.