Irby was on his way to a funeral when he was pulled over on May 4, 2013 by Walls Police Department. The traffic stop occurred at the corner of U.S. Highway 61 and Church Road in Walls, Mississippi. Irby was on the phone at the time of the stop and law enforcement officials state that he had marijuana and illegal narcotics in the vehicle. He was asked to step out of the vehicle several times and was subsequently tased. Police say he pulled the taser prongs and fled across the highway into a wheat field. He was pursued for a short time but eluded them. He has not been seen or heard from since.

Irby's family states that he could not have run very far considering he had a very bad case of gout and prostate cancer at the time of his disappearance. His girlfriend and family say that he would never go more than a day without making contact with them and do not believe he would be on the run without letting them know he was okay.