HOCKING COUNTY, Ohio — Authorities say human remains believed to be those of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee, who was reported missing in Indiana last month, have been recovered in Perry County, following a multi-agency investigation that led to criminal charges against a Columbus man.
According to the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, Buzbee was reported missing on Jan. 6, 2026, to the Fisher Police Department in Indiana. Investigators later identified Tyler Thomas, 39, of Columbus, as a suspect in her disappearance.
On Jan. 16, detectives with the Columbus Police Department began assisting Fisher Police after Buzbee was believed to have traveled to Columbus. Detectives made contact with Thomas at his residence on Hunter Avenue, where he admitted to picking Buzbee up from her home and claimed he later dropped her off along a roadside in western Ohio. Investigators later determined that account was false.
Columbus Police homicide detectives executed search warrants at Thomas’ property, where evidence was recovered. As a result, Thomas was charged with pandering obscenity involving a minor and tampering with evidence.
Sheriff Lanny E. North said the Fisher Police Department contacted the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 20, requesting assistance. Using technology resources, investigators tracked Thomas to a short-term rental property in Hocking County.
Detectives obtained and executed a search warrant at the rental property with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During the investigation, Thomas reportedly contacted a Columbus-area attorney and disclosed information regarding Buzbee’s disappearance, indicating he had buried her remains in Perry County.
On the evening of Feb. 1, Thomas, who was incarcerated in Franklin County, was transported to Perry County, where he led authorities to the location of the remains. Agents from the FBI, Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Forest Service, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted in the recovery.
The remains were transported to the Licking County Coroner’s Office for autopsy and official identification.
On Feb. 2, investigators executed an additional search warrant at the Hocking County rental property with assistance from the FBI Evidence Recovery Team. Officials say forensic evidence was recovered that may indicate a crime occurred at that location.
The FBI, Hocking County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Police Department, and Fisher Police Department continue to work jointly on the case. Authorities said additional information will be released through the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office.
