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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).
In a tragic turn of events, a 17-year-old high school student from Indiana, who vanished earlier this month, is now presumed dead. Authorities revealed that she allegedly left her home with a 39-year-old man she encountered on an online gaming platform.
Tyler N. Thomas, a resident of Ohio, was apprehended over the weekend. He faces charges of tampering with evidence and pandering sexually explicit material involving a minor, all in connection to the disappearance of Hailey Buzbee.
During a news briefing held on Sunday afternoon, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness announced that after an exhaustive investigation, detectives have reached the somber conclusion that Hailey Buzbee is deceased.
Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart detailed that on the morning of January 6, officers responded to the Buzbee family home in the Enclave at Vermillion neighborhood after her parents reported her missing, having left overnight. This prompted an immediate search for the teenager’s whereabouts.
Chief Gebhart explained, “Our investigation revealed an unfamiliar vehicle in Hailey’s neighborhood the night she disappeared. Leveraging technology, detectives identified Tyler N. Thomas as the individual who picked her up. When confronted in Ohio, Thomas confessed to picking Hailey up but claimed he left her on the roadside in western Ohio, a story that further investigations proved false.”
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.