Inset, left to right: Tyler N. Thomas (Franklin County Jail) and Hailey Buzbee (Fishers Police Dept.). Background: The area in Indiana where Buzbee lived and was last seen alive (Google Maps).
A 17-year-old high school student in Indiana who went missing earlier this month is presumed dead after she allegedly left home with a 39-year-old man she met through an online gaming platform.
Tyler N. Thomas, of Ohio, was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of tampering with evidence and one count of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor in connection with the disappearance of Hailey Buzbee.
Local authorities announced the latest updates in the case during a Sunday afternoon news briefing that began with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness stating that after an “extensive investigation,” detectives believe “that Hailey [Buzbee] is deceased.”
According to Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart, officers on the morning of Jan. 6 responded to the Buzbee residence in the Enclave at Vermillion neighborhood after her parents reported that Buzbee had “left overnight.” The department immediately began looking into the teen”s whereabouts.
“Throughout the investigation we were able to identify an unknown vehicle that had been in Hailey’s neighborhood the night she had gone missing,” the chief said. “Using technology, our detectives identified Thomas as the suspect she had left with. We made contact with him in Ohio and he admitted to picking Hailey up at her home and told us that he dropped her off on the side of the road in western Ohio. However, through continued investigations, his initial story was determined to be untrue.”
Gebhart said officials believe Buzbee and Thomas first began speaking through an online gaming platform.
After further investigation, the Columbus, Ohio, Police Department’s homicide unit assisted in executing search warrants on Thomas’ home and the vehicle he used to pick up Buzbee. The evidence collected through the warrants apparently showed that Buzbee had been in Thomas’ home as well as a short-term rental unit in Hocking County, Ohio.
Buzbee’s body had not been discovered as of Monday morning, but Gebhart said the investigation had become a “recovery only” operation.
The evidence eventually led investigators to the conclusion that Buzbee died within a few days of being picked up by Thomas. Though Thomas has not been charged with murder, police confirmed that the current charges against him in Franklin County, Ohio, stem from his alleged role in Buzbee’s disappearance and presumed death.
Thomas is scheduled to make his initial appearance in court on Monday.
According to the criminal complaint, police conducting a forensic review of Thomas’ cellphone allegedly discovered a “cache of photos” on the device showing he had picked up an out-of-state minor — namely, Buzbee — whom he then filmed “performing a sexual act” on him. The video was discovered in a file that police say Thomas had attempted to delete.
In a Facebook post, Buzbee’s parents described her as a “smart, beautiful, kind, and caring young lady with a bright future.”
“Our family is devastated,” they wrote in a Facebook post. “We want the community and others to know that we are so thankful for the support we received. It’s been tremendous and gave us the hope and strength we needed during our darkest hours. Please continue to keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward and thank you for all the love you have shown our precious Hailey.”
A GoFundMe for Buzbee had raised more than $35,000 as of Monday.
