Remains believed to be those of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee, who went missing from her Fishers, Indiana, home on January 5, have been recovered in Perry County, Ohio, according to the attorney of a suspect now charged in relation to the case.
Dateline recently featured Hailey’s story in our ‘Missing in America’ series. In January, Beau Buzbee, told Dateline he and his wife were surprised their daughter left their home that night. “It just really caught us off guard,” he said. “We didn’t really see her as being in a place where this was even a remote, slight chance of a possibility.”
At the time, the Fishers Police Department issued a statement on their Facebook page saying they did not believe Hailey acted alone. “Hailey left her house willingly and with a plan, which categorized her as a runaway. We do not believe she acted alone in leaving.”
On January 31, authorities arrested 39-year-old Ohio native Tyler Thomas on charges related to Hailey’s disappearance.
On February 2, Thomas appeared remotely in an Ohio courtroom on two felony charges: pandering obscenity and tampering with evidence. His bond was set at $1.5 million. He has not been charged with Hailey’s death.
After the hearing, Thomas’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, told reporters that his client had helped investigators locate Hailey’s remains.
“At our client’s insistence, we assisted law enforcement on Saturday afternoon and later Sunday, and that goal has now been met with bringing complete closure, at least with respect to this stage of the investigation, for everybody involved, but most important, the family of Miss Buzbee,” he said.
Shamansky confirmed that Hailey’s remains were recovered in Perry County, Ohio. “We accompanied law enforcement and the FBI to Perry County, and we assisted with pinpointing the location of Miss Buzbee,” he said. “They were able to work through the evening, and have, we believe, recovered Miss Buzbee’s body.”
“This is not the outcome that any of us have wanted,” Chief Ed Gebhart of the Fishers Police Department stated at a press conference the day before. He also provided greater detail of the investigation that led to Thomas’s arrest.
According to Gebhart, early on in the investigation, detectives identified Thomas as the person Hailey went with when she left her home overnight on January 5. Investigators confirmed the two initially made contact “through gaming online.”
Gebhart said investigators “encountered the suspect” in Ohio within days of Hailey’s disappearance, and he admitted to picking Hailey up at her home and then dropping her off on the side of a road in western Ohio. “However, through continued investigations,” Gebhart said, “his initial story was determined to be untrue.”
Investigators believe Hailey died within a few days of leaving home. The Columbus Police Department’s homicide unit assisted in serving search warrants for both Thomas’s home and vehicle. Investigators determined from the evidence that Hailey had been at Thomas’s house in Columbus.
A search warrant was also served at a short-term rental property in Hocking County, Ohio. Investigators confirmed that evidence showed that Hailey had also been at that property.
Thomas has not been charged with Hailey’s death. However, “We anticipate charges will come from Hocking County,” Shamansky said. “He will be entering a not guilty plea if and when he is charged with homicide in this matter, and we will proceed accordingly.”
The Hocking County Sheriff’s office coordinated the use of aerial drones, canine, and physical search techniques to aid in the search for Hailey. Ultimately, her remains were found in nearby Perry County.
“We grieve for this tragic loss of life, and we grieve for the circumstances attendant to this loss. That is why we, along with our client, took every difficult step necessary to assist,” Shamansky said.
At the Fishers Police Department press conference over the weekend, Chief Gebhart addressed Hailey’s family and the Fishers community. “Our hearts are with her family, her friends, and our community, as we try to get through this terrible time together,” he said.
On Facebook, Beau Buzbee shared some thoughts about his daughter. “Hailey was a smart, beautiful, kind and caring young lady with a bright future. She had a deep love for her family and holds a very special place in so many hearts.”
Beau has also shared a petition to create Hailey’s Law, calling for Indiana to address what the family calls “a dangerous gap” in the current alert system for missing individuals. Because Hailey was classified as a runaway — with no confirmed physical abduction — an Amber Alert was not issued. Hailey’s Law would create a “Pink Alert” for “missing persons and children when credible risk indicators exist, even if Amber or Silver Alert criteria are not met.” The petition also calls for mandatory “predator awareness education in Indiana schools, focused on online grooming, digital manipulation, and coercive tactics.”
“Thank you for your prayers, condolences, and support,” Beau shared in another post. “We have fought together and we will heal together.”
Anyone with information about Hailey Buzbee’s case should contact the FBI Indianapolis office at (317) 595-4000 or at tips.fbi.gov.
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