Tyler Thomas Arrested as Police Now Believe Hailey Buzbee Is Dead in Missing Teen Case

A shocking development in the Hailey Buzbee disappearance, whom authorities believe has passed away, revealed that a 39-year-old man named Tyler Thomas from Columbus, Ohio has been taken into custody.

In a Fishers Police Department press conference held on Sunday, 1 February 2026, Chief Ed Gebhart said the police believe the missing 17-year-old is dead, and while the suspect is already in custody, Thomas has yet to be charged for Buzbee's disappearance.

In a report by WTHR, Hailey Buzbee allegedly ran away from her Enclave at Vermillion neighbourhood home on Monday 5 January, at around 10:00 p.m. She was last seen in grey jeans, a white blouse, and a black jacket, with a pink duffle bag. She was considered 'an endangered missing juvenile' by the Fishers Police Department on 19 January 2026.

Press Conference: Buzbee's Case

Chief Ed Gebhart said during the press conference that recovery efforts are now underway to find the missing teen, and that they had identified Thomas as a suspect during the investigation, using technology, who later admitted to picking her up at her home, dropping her off on the side of the road in western Ohio.

At the press conference, Chief Gebhart said, 'Through continued investigations, Thomas' initial story was determined to be untrue. We continue to work diligently with the FBI, the Indiana State Police, and our Ohio partners, the Columbus Police Department, and the Hocking Sheriff's Office, and after further investigation, the Columbus Police Department's homicide unit assisted in serving search warrants where more evidence was collected at the home and the vehicle he had picked Hailey up in.'

He also said the investigation pointed to Hailey being at Thomas' Columbus home and at a short-term rental in Hocking County. He ended his statement with, 'Our hearts are with her family, her friends, and our community, as we try to get through this terrible time together.'

Special Agent Tim O'Malley of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Indianapolis said in coordinating with Ohio law enforcement that the FBI had been offering technical assistance to the investigation, and had committed to pursuing justice. He also confirmed the suspect is being held in Franklin County Jail on two felonies: pandering obscenity involving a minor and tampering with evidence, but he hasn't been charged with murder.

According to a 10TV WNBS report, authorities searched Thomas' home and electronic devices on 21 January and found child sexual abuse material. The police have reason to believe that Buzbee and Thomas met via online gaming, and that the police had an encounter with the suspect within days of Buzbee's disappearance.

Thomas' lawyer, criminal defence attorney Sam Shamansky, told 10TV, 'We are working closely with federal and local authorities.' Thomas is scheduled to appear in court today, 2 February 2026.

Hailey Buzbee's Disappearance

On the morning of 6 January, Hailey Buzbee's family reported her missing to the Fishers Police Department and to the FBI's local chapter. Buzbee's father, Beau Buzbee, said he had also gone to the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, according to NBC News. Beau Buzbee told NBC News of his daughter's disappearance, 'It just really caught us off guard. We didn't really see her as being in a place where this was even a remote, slight chance of a possibility.'

To her family, Hailey was a 'dependable' student who kept good grades while working at a local restaurant part-time. Her father said about Hailey, 'She's a very sweet girl. She has a piece of everyone's heart.'

The investigation in Hailey's case remains ongoing.