Authorities now believe Hailey Buzbee, a 17-year-old who vanished after meeting an adult man through online gaming, is dead — a devastating turn in a case that has haunted her family and community for nearly a month.
The Fishers Police Department shared the update during a press conference Sunday, Feb. 1, confirming that investigators no longer believe Buzbee is alive following weeks of intensive searching across multiple states.
Hailey was last seen leaving her home in Vermillion, Ohio, on Jan. 5. At the time, police initially believed she may have run away. That assumption changed as investigators uncovered evidence showing she had left with Tyler Thomas, a 39-year-old man she met through online gaming.
Police now believe Hailey went missing “within days” of being picked up by Thomas.
“Throughout the investigation, we were able to identify an unknown vehicle that had been in Hailey’s neighborhood the night she disappeared,” Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart said. Using digital and forensic evidence, detectives identified Thomas as the driver.
Thomas admitted to picking Hailey up at her home, but initially claimed he later dropped her off along a rural road in western Ohio. Investigators say that account was false.
Instead, police uncovered evidence that Hailey and Thomas stayed together at a short-term rental property after she left home. When authorities later searched the property, Hailey was not there.
Based on the totality of evidence, police now believe Hailey died shortly after her disappearance.
Thomas has not been charged with murder, but he is currently being held without bond at the Franklin County Jail on felony charges including pandering obscenity involving a minor and tampering with evidence. Additional charges could follow as the investigation continues. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday, Feb. 2.
Hailey was a student at HSC High School, police confirmed. Friends and family described her as a teenager with her whole life ahead of her — a life now cut short under circumstances that investigators say point to exploitation and betrayal.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said Hailey’s family is “devastated” by the news.
“I am confident that our community will rally in the coming hours, days, and weeks to stand with that family in their grief,” he said. “And to help shoulder the burden of healing.”
The investigation is being assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana State Police, Columbus Police, and the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office.
