Overview
- Prosecutors charged Tyler Thomas in federal court with sexual exploitation of a minor and traveling across state lines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
- Thomas already faces Ohio charges of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and tampering with evidence, with bond set at $1.5 million cash surety.
- An FBI affidavit says Thomas led authorities on Feb. 1 to dismembered remains in Wayne National Forest, and DNA testing identified the remains as Hailey Buzbee.
- Court records describe more than a year of contact through online gaming and the encrypted Session app, plus an Airbnb rental in Logan, Ohio, that contradicts Thomas’s claim he dropped Buzbee near the state line.
- Investigators report finding sexually explicit images and videos involving Buzbee on Thomas’s devices and allege attempts to delete files; no homicide charge has been filed as the multi-agency investigation continues.