Body Believed to Be Missing Fishers Teen Hailey Buzbee Found in Ohio

Body Located in Perry County, Ohio

Authorities in Ohio were led on February 1 to a body believed to be that of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee of Fishers, Indiana, in Perry County, according to an attorney involved in the case.

Attorney Sam Shamansky stated on February 2 that law enforcement officials believe they have found Buzbee's body in central Ohio. Shamansky said his client, 39-year-old Tyler Thomas, directed the FBI to the location of the body on February 1.

Background on Missing Teen from Fishers

Hailey Buzbee lived in Fishers, Indiana, and attended Hamilton Southeastern High School. Her parents last saw her on January 5. She was initially classified as a runaway, and her case was later upgraded to an "endangered missing juvenile" on January 20.

According to information provided in the case, Buzbee is believed to have met Tyler Thomas through an online gaming platform. She voluntarily left her home in Fishers to meet him. Police in the Indianapolis suburb traced a vehicle seen in the area at the time of her departure back to Thomas.

Criminal Charges Against Tyler Thomas

Tyler Thomas, who is from the Victorian Village neighborhood in Ohio and is also identified as being from Columbus, has been charged in Franklin County Municipal Court with pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and tampering with evidence. Court records indicate that a search of Thomas's phone uncovered sexually oriented videos and photos of Buzbee.

Thomas has not been charged with murder in Franklin or Perry counties, according to court records referenced in the case.

Court Proceedings and Bond Conditions

On January 31, Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Jim O'Grady set Thomas's bond at $1.5 million before Thomas appeared for any hearing. Court records state that Thomas was temporarily released, or furloughed, to the FBI for investigative purposes on February 1 and was later returned to the Franklin County jail.

Thomas appeared for a bond hearing on February 2 in Franklin County Municipal Court. Judge Jarrod Skinner kept the $1.5 million bond in place. Court records show that the judge ordered Thomas to have no Internet access or unsupervised contact with minors if he posts bond and is released.

Investigative Details

Authorities spoke with Thomas within a few days of Buzbee's disappearance. Thomas reportedly told detectives that he had dropped Buzbee off on the side of the road in western Ohio. An investigation later determined that this account was not accurate.

On January 21, law enforcement officers searched Thomas's vehicle and home. Investigators reported finding evidence that Buzbee had been in those locations, as well as at a short-term rental property in Hocking County, Ohio.

Law enforcement officials and court records continue to document the sequence of events from Buzbee's disappearance on January 5 through the recovery of a body believed to be hers in Perry County on February 1, as the criminal case against Tyler Thomas proceeds in Franklin County Municipal Court.