Man charged after dismembered body of teen girl he met online found in Ohio
· Toronto Sun
A 39-year-old man who allegedly killed a missing Indiana teen reportedly exchanged disturbing photos and messages with the girl a year before kidnapping her.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio said 39-year-old Tyler Thomas was hit with federal exploitation charges for allegedly crossing state lines to bring 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee to his Ohio home to sexually exploit her before killing her.
Buzbee was last seen alive near her home in Fishers, Ind., on Jan. 5. Her dismembered remains were found in the Ohio woods on Feb. 2.
No charges about her death have been filed yet.
“The filing of these federal charges does not signal the end of the investigation,” U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace said in a media release.
“Our prosecutors continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to collect and comb through evidence in pursuit of justice for Hailey and her family. We appreciate the public’s patience as the investigation proceeds.”
Suspect allegedly met teen online
Authorities believe Thomas met Buzbee on the gaming communications app Discord, and drove 257 kilometres from Columbus, Ohio to Fortville, Ind., on Jan. 6 to pick her up at her home.
The suspect allegedly plotted the teen’s kidnapping during sexually-charged online chats, which occurred over a period of a year.
Prosecutors said phone data tracked Thomas to a Logan, Ohio Airbnb the night he picked up Buzbee and then near the North County Trail in Wayne Nation Forest the following morning.
The forest is where Buzbee’s remains were later found, according to court documents.
Thomas allegedly wiped his phone of his Snapchat messages with the teen along with sexually explicit photos taken of Buzbee at his home and the Airbnb.
Authorities took cellphones and computers from Thomas’ home and reportedly found obscene photos of a 10-year-old girl and a Discord chat with another teen who said she was in Grade 10, court documents revealed.
“Does baby carve parts of her body?” Thomas allegedly asked the teen in one message, adding that he thought she would “look so good covered in red.”
Suspect said teen was ‘alive and safe’
When cops interviewed Thomas on Jan. 21, he allegedly told them he thought Buzbee “was alive and safe” while refusing to admit that he killed her.
“No, I wouldn’t tell you,” Thomas reportedly told cops.
On Jan. 31, Thomas was charged with pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and evidence tampering.
On Feb. 2, heled authorities to the exact location where Buzbee’s body was buried, prosecutors stated.
Authorities said Thomas’ state charges will be dismissed as the federal case moves forward.
The suspect is currently behind bars at Franklin County Jail, held on a US$1.5-million cash bond.