Columbus man arrested in case of teen’s disappearance; allegedly took her to Hocking rental & Victorian Village home

A 39-year-old Columbus man is facing several charges related to the disappearance of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee, but he has not been charged with murder, although he led police to a body.

Tyler Thomas, who resides in Columbus, is currently being held in Franklin County Jail after being charged with pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor as well as tampering with evidence, which investigators found during a search warrant on his Victorian Village property.

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Hailey Buzbee of Indiana was last seen on January 5th in Indianapolis. According to court records, Buzbee and Thomas met through an online game. On January 6th, Thomas allegedly picked up the teenager and brought her back to Ohio. Police found a video of Buzbee performing sexual acts at his home on the 900th block of Hunter Avenue here in Columbus. He attempted to delete the video.

Tracking technology also led authorities to discover he rented a unit in Hocking County. When police spoke with Thomas, he initially stated that he dropped Buzbee off on the side of the road in Western Ohio. Records state that an investigation led authorities to believe Thomas lied about dropping her off—evidence was found in his car and at the short-term rental home in Hocking that shows he brought Buzbee there.

Hocking County Sheriff Lanny North said there was evidence collected on Feb. 2 at the Hocking rental unit that could indicate a crime was committed there.

Thomas led the police to a body on Feb. 1 in Perry County, stating he allegedly killed Buzbee and that the body was hers. The remains have been sent to Licking County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy and identification. Multiple news outlets in Indianapolis have stated the body found was dismembered.

The FBI is now leading the investigation.

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