A man from the city of Columbus has been arrested in connection with allegations involving a missing 17-year-old girl from Indiana, whom police now believe to be dead. Court records from Franklin County Municipal Court show that 39-year-old Tyler Thomas has been charged with pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and with tampering with evidence. The charges relate to Hailey Buzbee, who was reported missing earlier this month.
Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, the chief of the Fishers Police Department in Indiana, Ed Gebhart, said Thomas has not been charged in connection with Buzbee’s death but has been named a suspect.
Chief Gebhart confirmed that investigators are treating the case as a homicide. He said the department is working alongside the Columbus Division of Police Homicide Unit and the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office.
In a Facebook post on January 19, Fishers police said Buzbee’s case had been upgraded to that of an “endangered missing juvenile”.
According to court documents, Thomas is accused of collecting the teenager from another state on January 6 and bringing her to Columbus, Ohio. Investigators said videos and photographs recovered from his mobile phone show the minor engaged in sexual acts.
Police said Thomas initially told officers that he had dropped Buzbee off by the side of a road in western Ohio. That account was later determined to be false.
An affidavit states that Buzbee was last known to be in Thomas’s company. Investigators believe she had been at his home in Columbus and at a short-term rental property in Hocking County.
Chief Gebhart said officers from multiple agencies carried out coordinated searches using aerial drones, K-9 units and ground teams.
A search warrant was executed at Thomas’s home and on his electronic devices on 21 January. Police said investigators discovered what they described as child sexual abuse material involving a juvenile.
Authorities believe Thomas and Buzbee met through online gaming platforms. Indiana police said they encountered Thomas within days of Buzbee being reported missing.
Thomas was booked into the Franklin County jail and was later placed on furlough with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Sunday. His attorney, Sam Shamansky, told 10TV: “We are working closely with federal and local authorities.”
Indiana police said the investigation remains ongoing in Ohio. Thomas is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
