Missing 17-year-old girl found dead after the 39-year-old man she met through online gaming lured her out of her home only to kill her before dumping her body; man arrested
Indiana – In a heartbreaking turn to a weeks-long missing person investigation, a 17-year-old girl from Indiana, identified as H. Buzbee was found dead in Ohio after being lured away from her home by a 39-year-old Ohio man, identified as T. Thomas, whom she had met through online gaming.
Thomas has been arrested and is expected to face serious charges, including murder and kidnapping, in connection with Buzbee’s death. Although formal homicide charges had not yet been filed at the time of the discovery, law enforcement officials indicated they are imminent. Thomas is currently being held in the county jail on a $1.5 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court on February 10.
Buzbee was reported missing on January 6 by her parents, just one day after they say she ran away from home around 10 p.m. Surveillance footage and neighborhood reports led investigators to focus on an unknown vehicle seen near her family’s home. Buzbee, a high school junior, was described by family as a bright student who worked part-time at a local restaurant. Her disappearance quickly became the focus of a widespread search, as police designated her an “endangered missing juvenile.” According to investigators, Thomas met Buzbee through online gaming platforms, and over time developed a secret connection with her. Authorities believe he used that digital relationship to manipulate and lure her away from her home, under false pretenses.
When questioned, Thomas admitted to picking up Buzbee the night she disappeared but claimed he had dropped her off on the side of a road—a version of events that did not match digital evidence or physical findings, according to law enforcement. Further investigation revealed that Thomas and Buzbee had stayed together at a rental property in the days following her disappearance. Police Chief E. Gebhart said the direction of the investigation shifted quickly from a search to a recovery mission after damning evidence came to light. “Because of evidence obtained and the statements made by the suspect, the investigation has now moved to recovery efforts,” Chief Gebhart announced in a press conference hours before Buzbee’s body was discovered.
A search warrant executed on January 21 at Thomas’s home turned up disturbing digital evidence. Investigators uncovered deleted cache files containing se-ually explicit photos and videos of Buzbee, confirming a criminal relationship between the two. Some of the material was hidden in deleted folders, with investigators noting that Thomas had attempted to remove the files. The evidence is now being used to support child exploitation-related charges, as well as the anticipated homicide case. According to The Columbus Dispatch, these findings included child se-ual abuse material, some of which featured Buzbee and had been stored on Thomas’s devices.
On February 1, after speaking with his attorney, Thomas agreed to lead investigators to the area where he left Buzbee’s body. Working with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, law enforcement located and recovered her remains on Sunday night. While the cause and manner of death have not yet been released, officials believe Buzbee died shortly after her January 5 disappearance, based on the timeline reconstructed from interviews and evidence.
As of now, Tyler Thomas remains behind bars, and formal murder charges are expected soon. The investigation continues as detectives work to determine the full extent of what happened between the two and whether additional charges are warranted. The tragic case of Buzbee underscores the grave risks posed by online predators and the devastating consequences of digital manipulation. What began as innocent gaming communication ended in the death of a teenage girl—and the man responsible may soon face the full weight of justice.
