Family, Sheriff’s Office reiterate plea for help in finding Naomi Irion

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

The Lyon County Sheriffs Office and the family of Naomi Irion renewed their pleas for information regarding surveillance video of the suspect and the truck believed by the Sheriff’s Office to be involved in her kidnapping on March 12.

LCSO and Irion’s family spoke at a press conference Tuesday morning repeating the emotional pleas they made last week for anyone who may have any information about the suspect or the truck the Sheriff’s Office says he was driving, to call the Sheriff’s Office or Secret Witness.

“This is life or death for my sister,” said Tamara Cartwright. “What I need you to do right now if you know anything is to call law enforcement or Secret Witness.”

LCSO detective Erik Kusmerz said Irion arrive at the Walmart parking lot and was active on social media from 5:09 a.m. until 5:23 a.m. The suspect approached her car at 5:24 a.m. and forced her to move into the passenger’s seat, then drove away in her car at 5:25. The car was found March 15 neat Sherwin Williams.

Irion was at Walmart to catch a shuttle bus to her job at Panasonic in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.

Kusmerz showed video of the suspect walking alongside Walmart and noted the way the man walks.

“The way the suspect walks, his clothing description, all that stuff is imperative to leading us to a possible identification of this suspect,” he said.

Irion’s brother, Casey Valley, said there were other people in the parking lot at Walmart at the time, and called for them to come forward.

Kuzmers said detectives were able to map Irion’s cell phone activity from Walmart to the area near state Route 427 and Hill Ranch Road in Wadsworth. There, Kusmerz said the cell phone goes stagnant for about 10 minutes and then there is no further cell phone activity.

“It’s constantly monitored, it’s constantly being pinged, it’s just that’s what we know so far,” Kusmerz said.

He said there have been several air and ground searches, and evidence found in Irion’s car is being processed by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office crime lab.

“Everybody is doing everything they can right now to look for Naomi,” Kusmerz said.

He also urged anyone who knows someone who has a dark-colored Chevy 2500 or 3500 High Country pickup truck, or knows someone who had access to that type of vehicle during the time frame of the kidnapping, to reach out to LCSO.

Irion is 5-foot-11 and 240 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair, a pierced nasal septum and both nostrils pierced. She has a smiley face tattoo on one ankle. She was wearing a blue Panasonic shirt and a gray sweater with gray sweatpants and dark boots. She also had an iPhone and ear pods with her and is known to carry a fidget spinner. Kusmerz said the suspect is approximately 6 feet tall. In the surveillance video he was wearing jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt, and Kusmerz said he was also wearing a mask.

Several times Kusmerz said there was other information investigators have that they are not able to disclose.

Valley asked that anyone who wants to help search coordinate their efforts with the family, and he said they have set up an email at findnaomiirion@gmail.com to contact the family.

“We need your help,” he said. “We’re overwhelmed.”

Anyone who was at Walmart during that period of time, or has any information about the suspect or the truck is asked to call the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office at 775-463-6620 or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900, or email detective@lyon-county.org.