RENO, Nev. — Two families are calling for a change in how missing persons cases in Nevada are handled. They said they felt powerless when they called authorities for help and believe quicker action could've saved their loved ones' lives.
"I believe that if that missing persons case had been handled the way it was supposed to be handled from the start, then maybe we would have had the chance to bring Naomi home," said Casey Valley, brother of Naomi Irion, whose body was found after she was reported missing for more than two weeks.
According to Valley, it took 36 hours for a detective to start working on her case.
On March 29, the 18-year-old's body was found in a remote part of Churchill County when investigators were looking into a tip regarding her disappearance.
Travis Peters, the nephew of Ronnie and Beverly Barker, said his uncle was dead for 26 hours before crews got to him.
"The hurdles we had to jump through to get the Silver Alert and to get people really organized, it is really difficult because I have no doubt that if action had been taken earlier, my uncle would still be with us today," Peters said.
The family filed the initial missing persons report March 29, but according to Peters, the search didn't start until four days later on April 2.
As for when he called for an update on April 4, Peters said, "I could clear as day hear in the background the sheriff go, 'ahh, alright, I will talk to him,' you know, just kind of nonchalant. You know, like, oh gosh, now I have to deal with this guy."
Beverly and Ron Barker were found April 5 on a remote mountain, nine days after they were last seen at a Nevada gas station. Beverly was airlifted to a Reno hospital, where she was treated Tuesday night.
Her husband did not survive. He died April 4 as the couple waited for help.
As for the Irion family, Valley said after his call with a Lyon County deputy, he felt powerless and that he had to do his own detective work.
Peters reported a similar experience one week after the initial report was filed. He called Oregon officials because that's where the Barkers were before going to Nevada.
"Oregon contacted, I believe it was Esmerelda County, where the pings were located, and nothing really was happening," Peters said.
Then, Peters reached out again to Nevada State Police to see if they could issue a Silver Alert, which was unsuccessful because missing people must be residents of Nevada for the state to issue a Silver Alert on their behalf.
Eventually, Peters said a "higher-up" put out a lighter version of the alert.
As for the Nye County Sheriff's Office in Nevada, they do things a little differently.
"Our philosophy is always to get the resources started and get out to that last known area and start the search," Capt. David Boruchowitz said. "We have had so many instances where early deployment has resulted in the ability to find the people quicker, where we know if we delay and waste time, we know there is potential health risks."
What other people are reading:
- Man dead, 5 others injured after shooting at birthday party on Indy's northwest side
- Hendricks County sheriff candidate arrested Sunday for drunk driving
- Hoosiers rally in support of Ukraine, seek justice for Bucha
- Fishers mom who lost son in February crash helping son's friend recover from surgery
- Queen of Free: 7 money-saving strategies for a happy Easter