Overview
- The Hocking County sheriff’s office says Tyler Thomas led authorities to a burial site in Perry County, where remains believed to be the 17-year-old were recovered and sent to the Licking County coroner for autopsy and identification.
- Thomas, 39, is jailed in Franklin County on charges of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and tampering with evidence, is held on $1.5 million bond, and has not been charged with homicide.
- Investigators say Thomas and Buzbee met through online gaming, and he admitted picking her up before giving an account about dropping her on a roadside that police later determined was false.
- Evidence places Buzbee at Thomas’s Columbus home and at a Hocking County short-term rental, where officials now say new forensic findings may indicate the crime occurred.
- Authorities believe Buzbee died within days of leaving home, and the multi-agency investigation led by Indiana and Ohio authorities with FBI assistance remains active as further charges are considered.