The Columbus man arrested in connection with the disappearance and death of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee from Indiana was charged in federal court on Tuesday.
Tyler Thomas, 39, is charged with sexually exploiting a minor and traveling interstate with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The indictment states Thomas met Buzbee through the messaging app Discord and the two regularly played games online together for over a year before her disappearance. The search through Thomas’s phone also found child sexual abuse material.
The indictment alleges Thomas traveled from Columbus to Fortville, Indiana on January 5 to pick up Buzbee. Thomas then drove to an AirBnB rental in Logan, Ohio.
Thomas led police to Buzbee's body near the North Country Trail Trailhead in Wayne National Forest on February 1.
Local charges against Thomas have been dropped, and the case will proceed in federal court.
