Child Exploitation and Online Predators

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Ohio have charged 39-year-old Tyler Thomas of Columbus with sexual exploitation of a minor and interstate travel for illicit sexual conduct in the case of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee, whose dismembered remains were found in Wayne National Forest after she went missing in January. Investigators say Thomas met Buzbee online while gaming, then drove from Columbus to Indiana overnight Jan. 5–6 to pick her up and return her to Ohio intending to produce child pornography, according to a newly unsealed criminal complaint. A forensic review of his cellphone allegedly uncovered deleted Snapchat and other messages with Buzbee, sexually explicit images of her taken at his Columbus home and an Airbnb in Logan, Ohio, and separate child sexual abuse material involving a girl believed to be 7–10 years old, along with sexual exchanges with another teen on Discord. Thomas, previously arrested in connection with Buzbee’s disappearance and death, now faces up to 30 years in prison on each federal count, and local charges are expected to be dismissed as the federal case proceeds. The FBI says it is still investigating the circumstances of Buzbee’s death and is "committed to holding accountable anyone involved in the crimes against her," underscoring mounting concern about predators using gaming platforms and chat apps to target minors across state lines.