FISHERS, Ind. (Scripps News Group) — The Hocking County Sheriff’s Office has revealed additional details about the death of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee.
According to Sheriff Lanny North, Columbus Police detectives began assisting the Fishers Police Department on January 16 to search for Buzbee, who was tracked to Columbus, Ohio.
Photo by: Provided by family, Fishers PD
Columbus Police detectives helped detectives from Fishers make contact with 39-year-old Tyler Thomas, who was identified as a suspect in her disappearance, at his residence in the 900 block of Hunter Avenue.
According to North, Thomas admitted to picking up Buzbee from her home in Fishers and stated that he dropped her off on the side of the road in Western Ohio. Investigations proved that his initial story was untrue.
On January 20, investigators say they tracked down Thomas at a short-term rental property in Hocking County.
Sheriff Lanny North said investigators searched the property, where Buzbee and suspect Tyler Thomas allegedly stayed together.
Thomas contacted an attorney in Columbus regarding his role in Haley’s disappearance.
Thomas, who is incarcerated in Franklin County on charges related to Buzbee’s disappearance, was transported to the location where he led the FBI and local authorities to Buzbee’s remains in Perry County, Ohio.
Buzbee’s remains were discovered Sunday near a trailhead in Wayne National Forest.
“They found some forensic evidence which they feel might be linked to a crime scene, to a death. Until it is examined by the lab, they can’t be exactly sure what it is,” North said.
The remains have been sent to the Licking County Coroner’s Office to determine the exact cause of death.
Buzbee, a Fishers teen, had been missing since January. Her case has sparked calls for new missing person alert systems and online safety education laws in Indiana. Family members have proposed “Hailey’s Law” to strengthen protections for missing children and improve response protocols.
39-year-old Tyler Thomas is in custody in Franklin County, facing charges related to her disappearance and death, including pandering obscenity and tampering with evidence.
Tyler Thomas had his initial court hearing in Franklin County Court in Ohio on Monday morning.
During Monday’s hearing, court officials set Thomas’s bond at $1.5 million cash surety.
If Thomas posts bond, he faces several conditions:
- No contact with the victim’s family
- No internet usage
- No possession of firearms
- No drug or alcohol use
- No unsupervised contact with minors
Shamansky said in court that his client has “no intention of making the bond.”
This story was originally published by Scripps News Group of Indianapolis.
