HOUSTON, Texas — An around-the-clock search for a Houston-area native continues just outside Reno, Nevada.
"We’re still looking for Naomi,” said Tamara Cartwright.
Naomi Irion is Cartwright’s half-sister.
“I constantly have pains in my chest and I’m really trying to distract myself by doing as much as I can,” said Cartwright.
Cartwright told KHOU 11 that 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 early Saturday morning outside a Walmart where a camera captured images of her.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office also shared surveillance shots of a suspect walking in her direction.
The family said in a local TV interview that the video also shows the man forcing his way into her car.
"This person did say or do something to Naomi to make her move over from the driver’s seat to the passenger’s seat,” said brother Casey Valley.
"This wasn’t chance," said Cartwright. "This was something that he was thinking about and he was very suspicious-looking.”
Irion’s four-door sedan was later found in an industrial area where it was processed. Authorities believe the suspect may have driven away in a dark Chevy pick-up.
"We have no idea where she is," said Cartwright. "She’s been missing for almost a week.”
Cartwright flew to Nevada to help in the search.
"I'm so afraid someone betrayed her trust," said Cartwright. “I can’t think about how it might end other than us finding my sister.”