COLUMBUS, OHIO — Officials in Ohio have identified remains found in a remote section of Wayne National Forest as those of Hailey Paige Buzbee, a missing 17-year-old from Fishers. The confirmation followed an autopsy, according to the Perry County prosecutor.
Buzbee had been reported missing Jan. 6, and investigators soon focused on Tyler Thomas, 39, of Columbus, believing she left home with him after the two connected through an online gaming platform.
Law enforcement agencies in Indiana and Ohio coordinated search efforts beginning in mid-January. Records filed in Franklin County indicate the teenager spent time at Thomas’ residence in north Columbus. Thomas allegedly acknowledged picking up the teen but claimed he later dropped her along a roadway in western Ohio. Authorities later determined that account was not accurate as the investigation progressed.
During a court-authorized search of the home and electronic devices, investigators reported finding material depicting child sexual abuse material of Buzbee, leading to charges of evidence tampering and pandering obscenity with a minor…