A man who allegedly admitted to investigators he drove from Columbus to Indiana to pick up a 17-year-old girl who was later found dead in southern Ohio is facing new charges.
A federal grand jury indicted Tyler Thomas, 39, on Sept. 23 on charges of committing an offense resulting in a death, kidnapping resulting in a death, obstruction of justice, traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, enticement of a minor, transportation of a minor with the intent of engaging in a criminal sexual act and sexual exploitation of a minor.
The grand jury issued special findings, which would make Thomas statutorily eligible for the death penalty.
Hailey Buzbee, 17, was last seen on Jan. 5 at her home in Fishers, Indiana.
Thomas has been held
in custody since his Jan. 31 arrest in connection with Buzbee's disappearance. He had initially been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and traveling in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Ohio is expected to provide more information at a 3 p.m. media briefing. The Dispatch will update this story afterwards.
Court records say Buzbee left her home, where she was picked up by Thomas. The two had talked online for more than a year, according to court records, and planned her departure. According to court records, Thomas told detectives he met Buzbee through Discord, an online messaging platform, and had been playing games like Roblox and League of Legends online with her.
Thomas rented a property in Logan around the same time Buzbee disappeared, but initially told investigators he was there alone, court records say.
Digital evidence obtained by police showed sexually explicit images and videos on Thomas' cell phone that involved Buzbee. Court records say some of those attempted to be deleted.
The U.S. Attorney's office previously said conversations and images found on Thomas' cell phone also included a conversation with another teenager in which Thomas referenced mutilation as a sexual desire. Suspected child pornography was also found on the device, the federal agency said.
Thomas led investigators on Feb. 1 to Wayne National Forestin Perry County. Buzbee's dismembered remains were found in the forest.
Following Buzbee's death, Ohio lawmakers introduced a bill entitled "Hailey's Law" which would require online gaming platforms and applications to have stricter barriers for minors to be able to access them. The bill would also create a more flexible alert system for regional areas to seek information about a missing person.
The bill remains in a Ohio Senate committee.
Indiana's Attorney General sued several online companies, including Roblox and Discord, about their policies. Buzbee's family has also pushed lawmakers in Indianato consider their own "Hailey's Law" legislation.
Editor Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio man faces new federal changes in death of Indiana teen he met online
