October 05, 2026
Not guilty — for now: Columbus man indicted on federal charges in death of Hailey Buzbee, 17, as death penalty goes on the table
Booking photo via media reports; Hailey Buzbee photo via Logan-Hocking Times (family photo)
A Columbus man charged in the kidnapping and death of a 17-year-old Indiana girl pleaded not guilty Monday — hours after a federal grand jury indicted him on a slate of charges that could put the death penalty on the table.
Tyler Thomas, 39, did not appear in person at the brief arraignment hearing Oct. 5. His attorney, Sam Shamansky, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
The indictment charges Thomas with committing an offense resulting in a death, kidnapping resulting in a death, obstruction of justice, traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, enticement of a minor, transportation of a minor with the intent of engaging in a criminal sexual act, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
The grand jury also issued special findings that would make Thomas statutorily eligible for the death penalty.
Hailey Buzbee, 17, was last seen alive Jan. 5 at her home in Fishers, Indiana. Her body was found in February in a wooded area off the New Straitsville Trailhead in Wayne National Forest in Perry County, Ohio. Thomas led the FBI to her remains in February, Shamansky previously said.
According to police, Thomas met the teenage girl through an online gaming platform. She left her home to meet Thomas on Jan. 6, and he drove her back to his Columbus home before taking her to a short-term rental in Hocking County. Federal prosecutors allege he dismembered and buried her body.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Hill and Emily Czerniejewski said outside the federal courthouse in Columbus that the Executive Office for United States Attorneys will decide whether to seek the death penalty, and it's not clear when that will happen. Buzbee's family will make a recommendation that the office will consider.
Buzbee's family declined to speak at length to media outside the courthouse, but said they planned to attend every hearing.
Thomas remains in federal custody and will stay there through trial. Shamansky said he does not believe the case will go to trial in 2026, citing a "mountain of evidence" to review, and said he will move to continue the trial to a later date.
Source: The Columbus Dispatch — read the original report
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