The Body of 17-Year-Old Hailey Buzbee Has Been Found — A 39-Year-Old Online Gamer Is a Suspect

A family and their community are navigating a devastating loss. Hailey Buzbee was last seen by her parents on Jan. 5, 2026, at approximately 10:00 p.m., per the Indy Star. The 17-year-old went missing from her home in Fishers, Ind., where she was a student at Hamilton Southeastern High School.

Buzbee's parents reported their daughter missing the following day. According to WTHR, an unknown vehicle was spotted in Buzbee's neighborhood the night she disappeared. A few days later, police identified the suspect believed to have been with Buzbee. Tyler Thomas initially told a story that investigators quickly poked holes in. Police have since confirmed Buzbee is dead. What happened to her? Here is the latest information.

Per court records obtained by ABC 6, Thomas, 39, met Buzbee through online gaming. He lives in Ohio and drove to Indiana to see the 17-year-old. When investigators first spoke with Thomas, he admitted to picking up Buzbee and then dropping her off on the side of the road somewhere in western Ohio. Evidence suggests otherwise.

A search warrant was executed at Thomas's home and his vehicle. Police learned Buzbee had been at his house in Columbus, Ohio, as well as a short-term rental property in Hocking County, Ohio. Police found child sex abuse material featuring Buzbee on devices found in Thomas's home. Investigators believe Buzbee was killed a few days after she left her home. Buzbee's body was recovered in Perry County, Ohio, on Feb. 1.

Thomas has not been formally charged with Buzbee's murder, but has been charged with pandering obscenity and tampering with evidence. In Ohio, a person charged with pandering obscenity is "accused of creating, reproducing, publishing, buying, selling, advertising for sale, publicly distributing, or publicly displaying any obscene material when the person knows the nature of or the performance depicted in the material," per the law offices of Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima.

At Thomas's hearing the judge set a bond of $1.5 million, but his lawyer, Sam Shamansky, said his client has "absolutely zero intention of making this bond." Shamansky went on to say that Thomas turned himself into authorities at the request of local police. Thomas chose to "fully cooperate with bringing closure as quickly as possible to this extraordinarily unfortunate situation," said Shamansky. Shamansky and Thomas led law enforcement and the FBI to Perry County, where Buzbee's body was located.

Buzbee's parents released a statement to Facebook, along with a video of their daughter at the beach. "Hailey was a smart, beautiful, kind, and caring young lady with a bright future," they wrote in the caption. "She had a deep love for her family and holds a very special place in so many hearts." Thomas's next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10.