In March of 2023, the life of 18-year-old Hailey Nieto, a White female from Reno, Nevada, was tragically cut short. A young mother to two girls, Luna and Mila, she was a Reno native with a passion for art, makeup, fashion, and music. Friends and family remember her as an empathetic soul who dreamed of becoming a mortician to offer comfort to grieving families.
She was a daughter, sister, and doting mother who loved taking her children to the park.
On March 23, 2023, Hailey's body was discovered on a street in a remote area of Cold Springs, northwest of Reno. The Washoe County Medical Examiner determined that she had died from a gunshot wound to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide. The investigation into her death quickly led authorities to a suspect, 39-year-old Todd Tonnochy. Investigators learned that Tonnochy had fled Nevada shortly after Hailey's death.
A multi-state manhunt ensued, culminating in Tonnochy's arrest on March 28, 2023, at a motel in Midland, Texas, by U.S. Marshals. He was extradited back to Nevada to face charges. In August 2024, a jury found Todd Tonnochy guilty of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The trial revealed the harrowing details of Hailey's final days, including that she was killed in a downtown Reno apartment. Her body was then partially dismembered to fit into a duffel bag and dumped in the desert. In December 2024, Tonnochy was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 26 years. A second man was also implicated and accused of destroying evidence. Subsequent to the criminal trial, Hailey's family filed a lawsuit alleging negligence on the part of the Washoe County Sheriff's Office and others, stating that Tonnochy had been threatening Hailey from jail prior to his release and her murder.
