A 39-year-old man already jailed in Ohio on separate charges allegedly directed investigators to a burial site in Perry County.
LOGAN, Ohio — Authorities in southeast Ohio say remains believed to be 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee of Indiana were recovered Sunday in a wooded area of Perry County, nearly a month after she disappeared. Investigators said a man tied to the case, already in custody on unrelated felony counts, led them to the location.
Officials said the discovery marks a major turn in a multistate search that began after Buzbee was reported missing in early January. The Hocking County Sheriff’s Office described the recovery as part of an active, joint investigation with Indiana and federal partners. The remains were sent to a coroner’s office for identification and autopsy. The man linked to the case, who met the teen online, was arrested last week in Franklin County, Ohio, on charges not directly related to the death. Prosecutors and police say additional charges could follow depending on forensic results.
Investigators said Buzbee left her family home at night on Jan. 5 and was reported missing the following day. Within days, detectives identified an Ohio man she met through online gaming and said he admitted picking her up. Police searched his Columbus residence and later a short-term rental near the Hocking Hills region. After officers developed evidence suggesting Buzbee never returned home, authorities reclassified the case from a runaway to an endangered missing juvenile. The search widened across southern Ohio. On Feb. 1, while the suspect remained jailed in Franklin County, investigators followed information he provided to a secluded area near a trailhead in Wayne National Forest, where remains were recovered.
Hocking County Sheriff Lanny North said the recovery site was secured and processed by state and federal agents. The remains were transported to the Licking County Coroner’s Office for confirmation of identity and cause of death. A spokesperson for Fishers, Ind., police said the department had been working with Ohio authorities since early in the case. Court records in Franklin County show the jailed man faces felony counts related to sexually oriented material involving a minor and tampering with evidence. His attorney said the client surrendered and cooperated with investigators. Federal agents and local officers continued searches of digital devices, vehicles and a short-term rental property connected to the pair.
Records and prior statements from investigators indicate the two had contact on a gaming platform and stayed together at least part of the time in a rental near Hocking Hills, a heavily visited park region southeast of Columbus. Authorities previously said the man claimed he dropped Buzbee off along a road in western Ohio, a statement detectives later described as inconsistent with other evidence. The case drew support from volunteers in Indiana and attention from national missing-persons groups. In Fishers, school officials and neighbors described Buzbee as a bright student who worked part-time and stayed close to friends and family. Police said they are not releasing specific items recovered at the scenes while testing is underway.
Prosecutors in Franklin County said the current charges will proceed while investigators await laboratory results and the coroner’s report. Officials said any homicide-related counts would be filed in coordination with the county where the death occurred. A court hearing in Columbus is expected this week to address bond and case scheduling. Detectives plan additional interviews and searches tied to rental records, travel routes and phone data. The sheriff’s office said it will release further updates once the remains are formally identified and next of kin notifications are complete.
On Monday, residents left flowers near a trail access road not far from the recovery site. Drivers slowed on the two-lane highway as deputies came and went. “This is a heartbreaking outcome,” an FBI official said Sunday, noting the agency’s role in supporting local departments. In Fishers, a small crowd gathered outside a community center after school hours; a parent said families had followed every update for weeks and hoped for clarity about what happened. The attorney for the jailed man told reporters his client “worked with police to help find her,” adding that he would plead not guilty to the current charges.
As of Tuesday, investigators were awaiting official identification and autopsy findings. Additional public statements are expected after the coroner’s office completes its review and the court sets the next hearing date in Franklin County.
Author note: Last updated February 4, 2026.