Hailey Buzbee: Lured by an Online Predator (Happening Now) // 581

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Going West: True Crime

Episode 581: Hailey Buzbee: Lured by an Online Predator (Happening Now)
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman
Date: February 10, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode investigates the tragic disappearance and murder of 17-year-old Hailey Busbee from Fishers, Indiana, who was lured by an older online predator she met through a gaming platform. Daphne and Heath detail the timeline of Hailey’s disappearance, the investigation’s shocking developments, and ensuing efforts by her family and community to strengthen protections for children online through “Hailey’s Law” and the proposed “Pink Alert.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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The Disappearance & Initial Investigation

• Setting the Scene
  • The month has already seen “the Tepe murders,” and now news breaks of Hailey’s case ending tragically (01:29).
  • Hailey, a junior at Hamilton Southeastern High School, was last seen on the evening of January 5th, 2026, after her first day back from winter break (08:04).
  • “She had reportedly this really stable home life with her hard working parents in a beautiful newly built suburban community.” – Heath (08:38)
• Missing Person Status
  • Initially believed a runaway, police quickly reclassified Hailey as “endangered missing juvenile” as no contact was made and circumstances became suspicious (11:51).
  • Security camera footage showed Hailey willingly entering a vehicle late at night, raising immediate red flags (09:53).
  • “But very quickly...the situation seemed to be one of concern, and much more than just a simple runaway story.” – Heath (09:10)
• Community & Family Response
  • The family, knowing Hailey’s responsible nature, reported her missing quickly and felt the “runaway” label did not fit her character (12:01).
  • “She was not the type to run away.” – Daphne (12:03)

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The Online Connection & Grooming

• Suspect Identification
  • Surveillance footage led investigators to Tyler Thomas, a 39-year-old man living in Ohio (13:11).
  • Thomas confessed to picking Hailey up, claiming he simply dropped her on a road in western Ohio—a story deemed implausible (14:37).
    • “Yeah, and this is obviously a fucking lie.” – Heath (15:03)
• Digital Forensics
  • Police traced their contact to an online game—speculated as Roblox—where Hailey and Tyler communicated for over a year, starting possibly when Hailey was just 15 or 16 (15:42–15:58).
  • The pair transitioned to Session, an encrypted messenger designed for total anonymity (20:33).
    • “Session is a free encrypted messenger app that doesn’t require a phone number or an email for account creation...Which means it’s probably used for a lot of bad shit.” – Daphne (20:41)
  • Tyler groomed Hailey, convincing her to run away and plan the logistics of her escape (21:45).
    • “He’s essentially creating this idea that life is going to be so much better with him outside of her family home.” – Heath (21:45)
• Predatory Tactics & Social Media
  • Detailed discussion about online grooming, manipulation of teens longing for validation, and how current internet culture amplifies predator opportunities (18:49–19:37).
    • “I think if—like—I could have found myself in the same trap.” – Daphne (18:49)
  • The hosts highlight Roblox’s ongoing safety concerns (17:11) and lawsuits, noting how chat systems facilitate direct access to minors for predators.

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Tyler Thomas’s Background & Red Flags

• Fake Identities & Dating Profiles
  • Tyler Thomas used aliases (“James”), lied about his age, listed himself as seven years younger, and was active on multiple dating apps, evidently to lure younger women (24:03–24:57).
    • “Why are you de-aging yourself by seven years?” – Daphne (24:47)
  • 'Are We Dating the Same Guy?' Facebook communities flagged him under several names, substantiating his pattern of deception (24:57).
• Previous Relationships
  • Reports suggest Tyler was in a long-term relationship with a Columbus radiologist, possibly engaging in these predatory behaviors behind the scenes (25:19).
  • An anecdotal comment described an unsettling encounter—empty apartment, mattress on the floor—culminating in the person trusting their gut and leaving (26:00).
    • “I don’t know why, I just had to leave. Nothing bad happened, just a bad gut feeling.” – Community member, quoted by Heath (26:00)

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The Investigation Breakthrough & Evidence

• Multi-Agency Search
  • After identifying Tyler as the suspect, police from Indiana and Ohio, joined by the FBI, widened the investigation due to the pattern crossing state lines (32:16).
• Crucial Discoveries
  • Thomas owned/rented a house on Hunter Avenue (Columbus, OH) and a rental cabin near Hocking Hills, OH—both searched extensively.
  • “On a cell phone belonging to Tyler Thomas, investigators found child sexual abuse material of Hailey, both photo and video, as well as evidence that Tyler had tried to delete them and dispose of this evidence.” – Daphne (33:33)
    • “So he’s already trying to cover his tracks.” – Heath (33:46)
  • Forensic evidence indicated Hailey was alive for several days post-disappearance before her death (34:18).

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Arrest, Charges, & Legal Proceedings

• Arrest Details
  • Tyler Thomas surrendered voluntarily, initially charged with tampering with evidence and “pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor,” both serious felonies in Ohio (35:21).
  • Bond set at $1.5 million, but no attempt to make bail (37:33).
• Location of Remains & Confession
  • On February 1, Thomas, “cooperating” with police, led investigators to Hailey’s remains in Wayne National Forest, Perry County, OH—about 45 minutes from the cabin rental (37:50–38:57).
    • “Despite leading them to her remains...Tyler maintained that he was not involved in Hailey’s death.” – Daphne (38:48)
  • Hosts discuss possible legal strategies Thomas might use, including denial, accidental death claims, or blaming drug use or rough sex, referencing his BDSM interests (39:23–39:49).
• Awaiting Murder Charges
  • Murder charges not yet filed pending official determination of cause and manner of death, and discussions of proper jurisdiction (45:08).

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The Push for Hailey’s Law and the Pink Alert

• Family’s Statement
  • "Hailey was a smart, beautiful, kind, and caring young lady with a bright future. She had a deep love for her family and holds a very special place in so many hearts. Our family is devastated..." – Hailey's father, Bo (40:11)
• Legislative Effort: Hailey’s Law & Pink Alert
  • Initiative to mandate cyber safety education and establish a Pink Alert for online grooming-motivated child disappearances (41:05–41:45).
    • “Her family and local elected leaders are pushing for child cyber safety in Indiana...The Pink Alert would activate and notify your phone like an Amber Alert would if there is evidence of online grooming or predator contact nearby...” – Daphne (41:07)
  • Statement from Indiana’s Lt. Governor:
    • “Hailey’s Law actually fills a gap between the Amber Alert and the Silver Alert...Unless you see somebody physically being abducted, you can't really call for an Amber Alert. We need to call for this now so people can be on the lookout because time is of the essence." (41:25)
• Importance of Digital Stranger Danger
  • Petition emphasizes that current “stranger danger” lessons are outdated in the digital age, highlighting how easily predators can access children through digital means (43:37).
    • “In today’s digital world, a predator doesn’t need a van or a public encounter. They only need a smartphone.” – Petition statement, read by Heath (43:37)
  • Hosts urge listeners to sign and share the petition for Hailey’s Law (41:00, 47:31).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• The Power of Surveillance
  • “Having the security camera footage was so helpful in this case because right off the bat they're able to identify a vehicle.” – Heath (13:58)
• On Grooming
  • “When you’re a teenage girl, you want to be valued, you want to be seen, you want to be older. And I can absolutely see Hailey...talking to a guy, even if they know he’s older and...convince[s] her to meet up...” – Daphne (18:49)
• On Parental Vigilance
  • “...it’s so important to...put this out there for the public to know...especially parents to know that they need to monitor what their kids are doing online.” – Heath (19:37)
• On Outdated Safety Teachings
  • “For decades, we’ve taught children stranger danger and warned them not to accept candy from someone in a van. While those lessons still matter, they no longer reflect the most common threats. Today’s predators often pose as friends, peers, or mentors, reaching children through social media, gaming platforms, and online communities.” – Petition, read by Heath (43:37)
• Host Reflection
  • “Hailey didn’t sign up to be a cautionary tale.” – Daphne (20:13)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:29: Introduces troubling developments and the hosts’ emotional investment in the case
• 03:47–04:18: Announces shift in status: Hailey now believed deceased, suspect in custody
• 08:04–08:38: Background on Hailey and her supportive home
• 09:53: Security camera footage shows Hailey leaving voluntarily with an unknown person
• 13:11: Tyler Thomas identified and questioned
• 15:42–16:58: Details about meeting through an online game, grooming process, and chat platforms
• 20:33: Explanation of Session, the encrypted app used for planning
• 24:03–25:42: Tyler’s pattern of deception and background
• 33:33–34:18: Discovery of explicit materials and forensic evidence at two properties
• 35:21–37:33: Charges, arrest process, and legal maneuverings
• 37:50–39:15: Remains discovered; legal defense strategies discussed
• 40:11: Statement from Hailey’s father; launch of Hailey’s Law and Pink Alert initiative
• 41:05–41:45: Details of Hailey’s Law and Pink Alert
• 43:37: Readout of the change.org petition statement
• 45:08–45:37: Awaiting further charges and trial process

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Action & Awareness

• Call to Action:

  • Sign and share the petition for Hailey’s Law at change.org to help create stronger protections and alert systems for children targeted by online predators.
  • “The petition...reads: ‘Hailey didn’t simply run away, she was lured. In today’s digital world, a predator doesn’t need a van or a public encounter. They only need a smartphone...’” – Heath (43:37)

• Closing Thoughts:

  • The hosts emphasize the need for digital safety education, legislative updates to reflect modern risks, and continued vigilance by parents and communities.
  • “We assume that Tyler will be charged with murder imminently, but...they really just need to wait until they have the cause and manner of death confirmed...” – Daphne (45:08)

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This episode serves as a powerful, heartbreaking warning about the dangers young people face online and the urgent need for systemic, legislative, and educational reform. The hosts deliver a compassionate and thorough retelling, balancing forensic detail, empathy, and advocacy.

Transcript

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[Heath]

What is going on, true crime fans? I'm your host Teeth.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Heath]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Geez. Hello everybody. The city of Columbus is seeing a lot this month. First the Tepe murders, which of course we did a three part on. And now an arrest in an ongoing Indiana case was made in Columbus, which is what we will be diving into today. I mean, Heath and I have been following this case for weeks. We are so devastated to see such a horrific conclusion to this story coming out. So this is one that we've been checking on every day. We just can't believe how disturbing of a turn this story took.

[Heath]

Yes. And our hearts really go out to the Busby family who had to learn of all these really horrific details that have been coming out these past couple weeks because there has been an arrest made. So thank you to everybody who sent this one in to us. There was a lot of you guys who sent in this case.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And as we learned about it at first, like I truly hoped, of course, and felt like it was possible that this would be one of those stories where there would have been a safe discovery and everything would have been fine.

[Heath]

Yeah, everybody was kind of hoping that she would be recovered safely.

[Daphne]

But again, the details of this are more horrific than we imagined. And we have a lot to talk about today.

[Heath]

Yeah. And there's actually going to be a call to action at the end of this episode. So please make sure that you stay tuned and also make sure that you share this story. All right, guys, this is episode 581 of Going West. So let's get into it. Fishers police say a missing 17 year old is now considered to be an endangered missing juvenile. Haley Busby is believed to have run away from her home. Her family's been looking for her for quite some time now and officials have updated her status to NP Endangered missing juvenile. The family of a missing teen in Hamilton county says they are desperate for answers. Tonight. Fisher's police are calling Hayley Busby an endangered missing juvenile.

[Advertiser]

We'll never stop, we're never gonna stop looking for her. We just miss our girl.

[Heath]

Fisher's police are now saying a teen who went missing last month is likely dead.

[Advertiser]

Hayley Busby is believed to be dead and police now have a suspect in custody.

[Daphne]

For four weeks now, there has been an intense search for the teenager. And just within the last hour, Fishers.

[Advertiser]

Police held a news conference saying with the evidence they have today, Haley will not be coming home.

[Heath]

And I know that her family is devastated.

[Daphne]

And I'm confident that our community will.

[Heath]

Rally in the coming hours, days and weeks to stand with that family in.

[Daphne]

Their grief and share in the burden of mending and healing from this tragic loss. Haley Paige Busby was born on October 9, 2008 to parents Lindsay Simmons and Bo Busby, raised alongside her younger siblings, sister Sabria and brother Elijah. By all accounts, it appeared that she was primarily raised by her father Beau, who's an accountant and her stepmother Rania, who works in HR at a senior community in Fishers, Indiana, which is a city all its own, consisting of around 100,000 people. But it is also a north side suburb of Indianapolis. Growing up and into her teen years, Hailey loved music, books and spending time with her family and friends. And when this story takes place just a few weeks ago, Haley was a 17 year old junior at Hamilton Southeastern High School right there in Fishers. And she was also working as a server at the Kitchen on Main in nearby Fortville, Indiana because although she lived in Fishers, her family home is on the far eastern side of the city out in the suburbs right next to downtown Fortville. So this was very close to her home. So the restaurant that she worked at is described on Google as a quote, casual eatery serving burgers, tenderloin, fries and shakes plus fried Pickles. Actually this week they posted about Hailey on their Facebook page saying quote, Hailey Busby worked at the Kitchen on Main Restaurant in Fortville for nearly 16 months. I imagine it was her very first job. Almost immediately she captured the attention and support of her co workers and customers. She was a kind, generous young girl. Anyone who knew her could see she was bright, quick witted, energetic and full of life. Hailey was very dedicated to her job and no doubt she was driven to succeed. Hailey's presence at the restaurant enhanced the atmosphere and the people who came in. She had a spotless record of service and customer satisfaction. Haley went out of her way often to serve in her job and was known by many of our neighboring businesses for her thoughtfulness in gift shopping and giving. Haley once interviewed me, the owner, for her school newspaper. It was a story for the holiday season based on the importance of local community support. Hailey mentioned that journalism was a passion of hers and something she planned to pursue in college. We are deeply saddened about the horrific events that occurred and pray for justice for Haley and her family and friends and for their peace. Also for the communities that lost her bright light and youthful spirit. Hailey is gone way too soon and we will miss her infectious smile, her cheerfulness and jokes. And what the owner said about journalism was absolutely true as her parents also described her as a dedicated student who was excitedly working towards a career in journalism by being a member of the journalism team at her school. But again, Haley was a junior in high school, so she had a few months left of her 11th grade before heading into her senior year this coming August of 2026. Now her school of course had their two weeks off for winter break after three days of final exams in mid December with break starting on December 19th and ending after the holidays on Monday January 5th. And actually it was later in the evening after that first day back at school for her second semester of 11th grade that she went missing.

[Heath]

Now remember, Haley lived at home with her dad, her stepmom and her two siblings. But let's talk a little bit about her neighborhood because she lived in the beautiful Fishers neighborhood of the Enclave at Vermillion and here's how it's described on firstwalk.com's it offers unique single family homes featuring Craftsman, Italianate, Tudor and Greek revival home designs. Choose from both ranch and two story floor plans with exquisitely detailed exterior designs as well as access to shopping, dining, entertainment and community events. So she had reportedly this really stable home life with her hard working parents in a beautiful newly built suburban community. So back to January 5th. On that very evening, Hayley was reportedly last seen at 10pm and then at some point that evening, Hayley left the home. When her family woke up the next day, they noticed that she was gone. And they also reported that it seemed that she had left of her own accord, because not only were there no signs of forced entry and also no signs of a struggle, but Hayley had left with multiple everyday items. Now, right now, we don't know exactly what those items were or how much she left with, which obviously could help the public understand how long she was planning on being gone for, especially since, remember, school was just back in session. So that day, her family did report her missing. And naturally, police originally believed that Haley had just run away, because maybe for the first time in a case we've covered on going west, it kind of seems like that's what might have happened. But very quickly, based on what they would continue to find, the situation seemed to be one of concern and much more than just a simple runaway story. Cause like Daphne said, the neighborhood was newly built. And actually, Haley's family home, which has five bedrooms, was built in 2022. So her house and even the house right across the street are adorned with not only doorbell cameras, but security cameras fitted to the home's exteriors as well. And this would help tremendously, because although Hayley's house is the first at one of the ungated entrances of their neighborhood, these cameras were enough to pinpoint when Haley was picked up and also by whom. Just like in the Tepe murders case that we just did, three parts on, surveillance footage played a major role in this case. And because Hayley was a minor and police were interested in finding out who Hayley had gone off with, to obviously ensure she was safe, they tracked down the car that they found on surveillance footage picking her up from outside of her house, which was an Acura with an Indiana license plate plate. And what they found was absolutely horrific.

[Daphne]

So, like Heath is saying, this did look like a runaway case. But her family, of course, were incredibly worried from the jump, which is why they reported her missing as soon as they realized she was gone, because she was supposed to wake up that morning and go to school for another day, the second day into her second semester.

[Heath]

Right. That's just not super typical or normal. Maybe if it was on a weekend, they would be like, oh, well, I wonder if she just, like, slipped out to go do something. But this is a school day. She should have been in school.

[Daphne]

And like a lot of teenagers that we talk about on the show, Honestly, she was very, very responsible. Like I said, she was in the journalism club and she had a job. Yeah, she's, she was not the type to run away. So right away they're like, why did she leave? Like, what's going on? Obviously they looked at their own cameras and that's why they reported her missing because they were really worried about her. And also she hadn't communicated with them at all after she left. Like she didn't say she was going off with a friend, she didn't ensure that she was okay and she would be back. You know, in an age where teenagers are glued to their devices, she was totally unreachable because not only was she not reaching out, she was not responding to their calls and texts. So instead of a runaway case, police looked at Hailey's disappearance as an endangered missing juvenile. So although they believe she left voluntarily, since they could see on surveillance footage her willingly getting into this vehicle, they still suspected she was in danger, especially as the days continued to pass with no contact. So this is why police tracked down that vehicle and identified a suspect, a 39 year old man named Tyler Thomas, who is from Hawaii but has been living in Ohio.

[Heath]

And I think it's great that they were able to identify that she did leave voluntarily, but also the fact that they believed that she was in danger because sometimes we don't see that in certain cases they're just like, oh well she's, she's a runaway so oh my God.

[Daphne]

They could have easily said, well clearly she's willingly getting into that car. But I think there are, they are really listening to the parents and hearing out that this is not typical and that they don't know whose car she was getting into. Which I feel like it could have totally gone the other way, but.

[Heath]

But again, having the security camera footage was so helpful in this case because right off the bat they're able to identify a vehicle. They're like, oh yeah, that's, that's the car she got into right there.

[Daphne]

Well then they track it to this 39 year old man named Tyler Thomas and they're like, why is a fucking 40 year old guy picking up a 17 year old girl? Like, this is why it is so good that they looked into this right away because this was not her school friend picking her up. So this man of course was questioned in relation to Haley's disappearance and at some point in his interview he actually admitted to police that he had picked Haley up from her house the night she vanished. He's saying, yes, I did that. Y Because he can't deny it. Right. We don't know under what circumstances he admitted to this though, or what other details he provided yet other than the fact that he dropped her off on the side of a road in western Ohio at some point after picking her up, which would mean at a minimum, they would have been in a car together for over two hours.

[Heath]

Yeah. And this is obviously a fucking lie.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Clearly he did not pick her up just to drop her off on the side of a random road. But I'd really be interested to know what his excuse was for doing this anyway. Yeah, you know, I picked her up and I drove her two hours and then I just said, get out. Yeah, like what's your reasoning?

[Heath]

That's so stupid. Obviously he knew he was gonna get caught in a lie there.

[Daphne]

Well, through continued investigation, police found that this was not true. And with the help of Haley's devices as well as Tyler's, they were able to uncover that they had met on an online game and had been talking for over a year.

[Heath]

So this 39 year old man had been grooming this 17 year old for about a year.

[Daphne]

Well, also remember, you know, she had just turned 17 in October.

[Heath]

Right.

[Daphne]

Of 2025.

[Heath]

She was 16 when they first started talking.

[Daphne]

And if it was over a year, we don't have the date yet. She could have even been 15, which is disgusting. Now, there is a lot of speculation online that the game in question is Roblox, which police have confirmed online gaming is how they met. But in case it is Roblox that is a massive social platform, you can play this game while having private chats, voice chatting, etc. So it's not just gaming, it's kind of like virtually hanging out with friends and strangers due to its open chat ability. Actually, Roblox has been linked to many other cases of online grooming because of this. Because although Roblox chat filters and blocks you from like listing your phone number and your address, predators and people often get around this by spelling things weirdly and then asking kids to add them on discord or session or Snapchat and then that's how they take the game offline.

[Heath]

Yeah, and this is very much a known issue with a ton of public outrage that it seems like the CEO kind of glazes over. But the game is so popular amongst Gen Alpha, so a lot of impressionable kids are playing this game, not understanding the dangers and the predators that are that are lurking in there.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And then the parents think they're just playing a game and don't know what is happening behind this game.

[Heath]

And it's interesting because, Daphne, you mentioned to me that the owner of Roblox wanted to make the game like a dating site for 17 and older, which, of course, 17 is still a minor.

[Daphne]

Yeah, there's. The CEO has said a lot of. A lot of people think the CEO is, like, whacked out. Like, he is. I mean, the fact that he wanted. He has been pushing to make it a dating website, essentially, or add, like, a dating feature of, like, oh, you can meet people on here and you can date and. Yeah, yeah, 17, you're still a minor. So that is illegal, and it's a very predatory idea.

[Heath]

So obviously, it's no surprise that Roblox has faced over 100 lawsuits related to predators and child safety concerns.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So if they did meet on Roblox, it's very possible that he catfished her and they moved the conversation off game.

[Heath]

I mean, it kind of seems like that's exactly what happened.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So we want to know, did he catfish her and maybe pretend he was younger while they were talking, only to reveal that he was 39 and she's only 17 once they meet up, because obviously by looking at him, she would know, oh, you're like, twice my age.

[Heath]

Yeah. Or was this some sort of manipulation? Was he using this tactic of, oh, I am an older guy, I'm successful, I've got my shit together. Like, we, you know, like, I'm impressive. Look at me.

[Daphne]

Yes. I'm glad you bring that up, because we have talked about this in other cases of teenagers, and something that I think a lot of parents and people don't understand. Like, I was born in 1994, so I grew up on, like, MySpace and Omegle and stuff like that when I was a teenager, and I found myself in, like, chat rooms talking to strangers because you're like, oh, the Internet is so big. And I was actually telling my mom this, and I'm like, I think if, like, I could have found myself in the same trap. When you're a teenage girl, you want to be valued, you want to be seen, you want to be older. And I can absolutely see Haley or any other teenage girl talking to a guy, even if they know he's older and he sees her and thinks she's mature and convinces her to meet up to put her in a dangerous situation.

[Heath]

Well, yeah, and this can really happen to anybody. I actually know somebody. This actually happened to a friend of mine who is a guy that got catfished online. And the situation was pretty Gnarly. So, yeah, it really can happen to anybody. And that's why I think it's so important to kind of put this out there for the public to know, and especially parents to know that they need to monitor what their kids are doing online. Like, just. That's just. It has to be that way.

[Daphne]

Well, that's something that's so devastating about this story in particular and why it's such a. Unfortunately, cautionary tale. Haley didn't sign up to be a cautionary tale.

[Heath]

No, not at all.

[Daphne]

But I would imagine that her parents didn't know that she was talking to this guy online.

[Heath]

The reality of the world is that there are just predators out there and there are bad people and they are looking to take advantage of other people.

[Daphne]

Yes, all the time. That's why we were saying this about Roblox, because it is a breeding ground for predators and they're always looking for a new way to find children. Yeah.

[Heath]

I mean, 100 lawsuits is not nothing.

[Daphne]

No. And I do want to add. So they, like. Like we were just talking about how a lot of predators or people will move their conversations off game so that they can speak freely. And obviously, as we know as well, Haley and Tyler had been talking for over a year. So they met on a game. They moved it off game to an app called Session. Now Session is a free encrypted messenger app that doesn't require a phone number or an email for account creation. Actually, this app even protects users metadata and IP addresses. So it's very, very private. Which means it's probably used for a lot of bad shit.

[Heath]

Yeah, by a lot of bad people.

[Daphne]

But so he told detectives that he, you know, they were talking on session for a very long time, having these in depth conversations for months and months and months. And he essentially admitted Tyler did to detectives, that he planned her running away and her transport on Session. So they talked about how they would meet up and how he would pick her up. They planned all of this on session.

[Heath]

So he essentially, from what I'm gathering, he was explaining that, oh, this is gonna be such a better life. Like we can finally be together and you just need to run away. Let's plan this together. You know, it's like he's kind of. This is the whole thing. It's grooming. He's essentially creating this idea that life is going to be so much better with him outside of her family home.

[Daphne]

And it only makes you wonder exactly what he said. You know, obviously this is why she took her things with her, because they planned to get away together and to go away. But why she wanted to get away from her home. What he said exactly to convince a minor to leave her home, how long she planned to be gone, we just don't yet know.

[Heath]

Well, let's get a little bit more into Tyler. Let's find out who this piece of shit really is. Because he's known to be a catfish to some degree, including going by the name James on various dating apps like Boo and Field. Now Boo is a dating and friend making app and Field is a dating app that focuses on exploring kinda more alternative relationships like for those who have kinks or are polyamorous, non monogamous, etc. His field account claims that he's a 32 year old straight man named James. Though Remember he is 39 with his bio reading, love to travel, explore and experiment from an island, but soon to be hiking up some mountains or in the Midwest. His listed desires include casual friends with benefits, connection, BDSM, aftercare, aka like cuddling, etc. Foreplay and intimacy. Though if it even matters, exes of his have come out and said that he had a lot of other fetishes as well, though primarily it was bdsm. His Boo profile also lists his name as James and it states that he's an engineer who studied at UCSD so University of San Diego and that he was living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His bio reads from the west coast but thought I'd move to Ohio. It also states that he was looking for friends, that he's 36, an INFP which is a personality trait and also a Taurus. So clearly he's lying about his name and his age and actually there's a Facebook group called are we dating the same guy? Columbus Marion, Zanesville, Ohio that posted his Field page where it says that his name was James in November of 2024 with the poster stating first name is actually Tyler. And I suspect that there's a partner who may not know what he's out doing. Yeah, so it's kind of like I think this is. It's really interesting that there's actually a community for this because it's like it's holding people accountable. It's like hey, are we dating the same person? Is someone cheating on you or me?

[Daphne]

Well also the fact that they discovered his name is Tyler, he's saying his name is James. That is sus on its own. But also why are you de aging yourself by seven years?

[Heath]

Yeah, I think this guy has a particularly hard time realizing that he's 39. Like, bro, it's fine, you're getting older. Some other reports suggest that he had been in an eight year relationship with a Columbus radiologist. So if that is true, it seems that he lied about his age and his name so that he could cheat on his girlfriend.

[Daphne]

Yeah, I think that sounds about right. And maybe so that he could get younger girls to like him if. Oh well, I'm only 31, 32, you know, maybe. Because obviously with the dating apps you set your age parameters. So maybe a 20 year old would go up to 30 or 31, but not to 38 or 39. Yeah, so that kind of. I think that says a lot on its own.

[Heath]

He's definitely trying to use that to his advantage. But you know, as an almost 39 year old, my son. Just deal with it, bro. Like date people your own age, you freak.

[Daphne]

Well, clearly he's a predator and obviously now a pedophile.

[Heath]

But I will say that there is a lot of speculation about him doing this so that he can traffic young women and girls. But at this point, because we don't have anything else concrete, this is just speculation. But either way, this just kind of shows that he's more than comfortable with lying about his name and age and who knows what else. Now, before we move on, I wanted to mention another comment on this post that we found pretty interesting, assuming it's true. It says, quote, I met James. James is actually Tyler and it's 100% him. I left his apartment in quotations after 10 minutes, claimed to only have a bike and no car, met him for coffee and then went to his place, but left quickly. I don't know why I just had to leave. Nothing bad happened, just a bad gut feeling. Had a very empty apartment, mattress on the floor of his room and nobody was there. But he claimed to have three roommates.

[Daphne]

Not the mattress on the floor.

[Heath]

Oh yeah, the 39 year old mattress on the floor. My God.

[Daphne]

So with all this background information, now let's get into the next development in the case that led to the horrific findings that are captivating news headlines everywhere.

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[Daphne]

Once police identified 39 year old Tyler Thomas, they immediately feared the worst. That this man was indeed a predator, obviously, and that he had done something to Haley. Interestingly, as far as we know, he does not have a prior criminal record, but he knowingly crossed state lines with Haley and his story actually started to falter. So this quickly became a multi agency investigation with the Columbus police and the FBI assisting. The Fishers police.

[Heath]

Yeah, because now we have two different jurisdictions, so there's more than just a few agencies gathering together to solve this thing.

[Daphne]

Especially because at that point he said, yeah, I took her into Ohio and I dropped her off on the side of a road in western Ohio. So now it's like based on what he said, at first they're like, okay, so she's just out there in western Ohio perhaps. Even though of course I'm sure they.

[Heath]

Were like, right, yeah, you just left her on the side of the road. Sure, buddy, exactly.

[Daphne]

And as this large team continue to interview and investigate Tyler, they found out that after picking up Haley, they both went to a home on Hunter Avenue in Columbus, Ohio, which is in a suburban area of Victorian Village and is a three and a half hour drive away from her home in Fishers, Indiana. So on January 21, 2026, two weeks into the search for Haley, a search warrant of this Columbus home was conducted as well as one for his devices. And what they found was terrifying. On a cell phone belonging to Tyler Thomas, investigators found child sexual abuse material of Haley, both photo and video, as well as evidence that Tyler had tried to delete them and dispose of this evidence.

[Heath]

So he's already trying to cover his tracks.

[Daphne]

Yeah, so I'm Sure. After police found him, he was like, oh, my God, I better go delete this in case they look at it. But it wasn't gone completely. They still found.

[Heath]

Yeah, because they're going to be able to still get that information.

[Daphne]

So this material proved that Haley had been inside his home, that he had explicit material of her, and that he was trying to hide that fact. But this wasn't the only property police searched regarding Tyler. They also found a short term rental of his near Hocking Hills, Ohio, which is a very rural area known for its hiking trails and waterfalls. So this rental property was searched multiple times. And police have confirmed that forensic evidence was found inside that may indicate a crime occurred on that property. Especially since there was proof of Hailey being at both properties. Police believe that she may have been alive for days after she went missing, before Tyler ultimately killed her. But before they had confirmation that Hailey was deceased, police used drones and canines to search the area for any sign of her or her remains. Detectives, of course, also searched Tyler's vehicle, the one he used to pick up Hayley, which they collected DNA, a hair tie, a seat cover, and took nearly four dozen photos of. And then Tyler was arrested. Actually, at the request of local police, he surrendered and turned himself in.

[Heath]

But it was not for murder, at least not yet. Now, because he tried to delete the explicit photos and videos of Haley and potentially trying to hide other information related to the investigation. On January 31st of 2026 this year, in Columbus, Ohio, while cooperating with police, Tyler Thomas was arrested for tampering with evidence, which is a felony. Then the next day, he was charged with pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, which also had to do with those explicit images. And this is a serious felony in Ohio as well. The arrest document reads. On the 6th day of January, 2026, the complainant did alter or remove a thing, to wit, a video of Hayley Busby, the missing juvenile, performing sexual acts, which was located in his deleted file and is in the form of cache photos with purpose to impair its availability as evidence in such proceeding or investigation. Now, something that we wanted to mention that many seem to be confused about is the fact that Tyler's arrest information lists him as homeless. It also says that he's white with brown eyes and black hair, weighs 155 pounds and is 5 9. But the reasons why it would say homeless, as it doesn't appear he actually was, is because he either refused to give the arresting officer his address or he doesn't have a permanent residence currently. So Surely with time, we'll learn more about the home that he brought Hayley to in Columbus, as well as that short term rental near Hocking Hills in the small city of Logan, which, by the way, had indicated on the rental listing that that two guests would be staying there. But Tyler originally lied and told the police that he was just there by himself. And by the way, this rental was a cabin. As of Monday, February 2, 2026, the judge had set a $1.5 million cash surety bond for Tyler, though his attorney stated that Tyler has absolutely zero intention of making this bond.

[Daphne]

He's almost saying, like, he's being a good boy. He's not gonna flee. He's not gonna try to get away with this.

[Heath]

Well, his attorney added Tyler's interest in, quote, fully cooperating with bringing closure as quickly as possible to this extraordinarily unfortunate situation.

[Daphne]

Shut up.

[Heath]

I hate the language that they use in this shit. But get this, guys. Tyler actually cooperated so much that on February 1, he led police to Haley's remains in Wayne National Forest in Perry County, Ohio, which is 45 minutes away from Hocking Hills and an hour and 15 minutes from Columbus. And according to Hocking County Sheriff Lanny north, her remains were found near a trailhead in a snowy wooded area. But he added, he didn't say that he killed her or where it happened. Hence why Tyler's attorney, Sam Shymanski, stated later that if homicide charges are filed, Tyler will plead not guilty, despite leading them to her remains. Now, as we discussed in the TEPE series, the reasoning for this is so that he would have the right to defend himself against the evidence and possibly plead his case.

[Daphne]

I mean, it's just so hard to believe. But his attorney says that Tyler maintained that he was not involved in Hayley's death.

[Heath]

There's just, you know, there's just no way. The fact that he groomed a 17 year old, took her away from her house to his property, this weird little rental property in Hocking Hills, and then says that. And then they find her remains in a wooded area, and he says that he was not involved at all.

[Daphne]

Like, come on, I wonder if he'll try to pull, you know, oh, she died and I just put her there, you know?

[Heath]

Well, this. Actually, I had a thought in my mind about the BDSM thing. Like, maybe is he gonna say something like, oh, yeah, well, I mean, he could be charged with, obviously statutory rape, but if he was to say, like, oh, well, we were just having rough sex and I accidentally choked her to death, or something like that? Yeah, like, is he gonna try to pull something like that? Or, hey, we were, you know, doing drugs together and she overdosed. Is it gonna be some stupid explanation like that?

[Daphne]

Well, it's just hard because we don't know how she died yet. So it's. It's like, who knows what he'll say because he knows how she died of.

[Heath]

Well, that's the biggest thing that's going to be revealed in this case is her cause and manner of death. Because once we know that, like, they're. They're. Those excuses are going to start, you know, falling apart.

[Daphne]

Well, in light of all these horrific revelations, on February 1, 2026, Haley's father, Bo, released the following statement on Facebook. Quote, hailey was a smart, beautiful, kind and caring young lady with a bright future. She had a deep love for her family and holds a very special place and so many hearts. Our family is devastated. We want the community and others to know that we are so grateful for the support we received. It's been tremendous and gave us the hope and strength we needed during our darkest hours. Please continue to keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward and thank you for all the love you have shown our precious Haley. Please consider signing and sharing the petition below Haley's Law.

[Heath]

And this right here is going to be the call to action. So please listen up and pay attention here.

[Daphne]

Yeah, let's talk more about Haley's Law. So her family and local elected leaders are pushing for child cyber safety in Indiana. So they want to push this new initiative and create a new emergency, the Pink alert, since pink was Haley's favorite color. So this law would mandate education on online grooming in Indiana schools, which is amazing on its own. And the Pink alert would activate and notify your phone like an Amber Alert would if there is evidence of online grooming or predator contact nearby, suspicious or coercive communications, a sudden unexplained disappearance, exploitation or trafficking, risk factors, credible threats or alarming digital activity, and vulnerability due to age or circumstances. Lt. Governor Beckwith said on this law, Haley's Law actually fills a gap between the Amber Alert and the Silver Alert right now. Unless you see somebody physically being abducted, you can't really call for an Amber Alert. We need to call for this now so that people can be on the lookout because time is of the essence. I think this law should be everywhere because here's something that's really important in Haley's case. Like we're saying teenagers are so impressionable. You know, preteens Children, they are so young. And if I really believe that if Haley had known about online predators more, if she had been more informed of how manipulative people can be, including somebody like Tyler, who probably seemed like. Like a peer or an ally.

[Heath]

Yeah. Or some sort of knight in shining armor. Yeah.

[Daphne]

I mean, imagine if Haley had learned about this exact type of story in school. All of this could have been avoided because she would have known the signs and could have said, I don't know if this stranger is who I think he is.

[Heath]

Yeah, I definitely think that laws like this need to be enacted immediately. I think it's. It's been a long time coming. Obviously.

[Daphne]

Yes.

[Heath]

When we look at the Internet, the age of the Internet and how often, often this really does happen, and the fact that there haven't been laws like this put into place to keep children safe, I mean, it's just unimaginable. Like, you would think that this would have already been done.

[Daphne]

I agree. Which is why it's so important to share this story and to know about it as parents or as teens, so that stories like this don't happen anymore.

[Heath]

Well, the petition, which is on change.org and we will post for anybody else who wants to sign it, reads, quote, haley didn't simply run away, she was lured. In today's digital world, a predator doesn't need a van or a public encounter. They only need a smartphone. Indiana's current alert system leaves a dangerous gap when someone goes missing under suspicious, unusual, or high risk circumstances that don't meet existing criteria. For decades, we've taught children stranger danger and warned them not to accept candy from someone in a van. While those lessons still matter, they no longer reflect the most common threats. Today's predators often pose as friends, peers, or mentors, reaching children through social media, gaming platforms, and online communities. Our law alerts and education standards must reflect that reality. Pass Haley's Law.

[Daphne]

So well said. Because really, the stranger danger, the. The van, the creepy guy in a van who has candy, like all those, Those are so outdated. I mean, obviously that kind of stuff still happens, of course, and it's still relevant to a degree, and which is.

[Heath]

Why they're saying that this, that still matters, of course, but we've moved into a digital world, you know, and we need to keep kids safe, you know, while they're on the Internet and prevent things like this from happening.

[Daphne]

Totally agree. Well, we assume that Tyler will be charged with murder imminently, but here's why he hasn't been yet. Despite him leading investigators to her body. Right now, as we said, there are still no details available regarding her cause or manner of death, nor details pertaining to exactly how or where her remains were located and what condition they were in. Obviously, Heath said they were at a snowy trailhead.

[Heath]

Right.

[Daphne]

We talked about them being in Perry County, Ohio, but we don't know the exact condition or circumstances. During a press conference held on February 1, 2026, Fisher's Indiana Mayor Scott Fadness stated, quote, it pains me today to let you know that after extensive investigation, we feel that Haley is deceased. That was the day that they found her remains. And that's all we have at this point. Of course, the police already have Tyler Thomas in custody, so they have bought themselves some time to do this, right, and make sure that they have a very strong case against him for murder, which we know they will, you know, should be able to do based on what we already know as it is. But they really just need to wait until they have the cause and manner of death confirmed in Haley's case, which should happen very, very soon. But also, this case crosses state lines and the FBI is involved, so prosecutors have to decide which state is going to file the charges, which county has jurisdiction, and where the murder actually occurred, which tends to take a bit of time. You know, they want a slam dunk case here. In the latest, Tyler Thomas has waived his preliminary hearing, which means he isn't going to fight the current charges against him. So his case will go straight to a grand jury very soon, which means police will be able to add new and more serious charges if they can charge him in her murder or even her kidnapping. But luckily, as we wait for more, Tyler Thomas sit in the Franklin County Jail. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Heath]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. Remember, we are going to post that Change.org petition for Haley's Law, so please make sure that you sign it alongside us, us.

[Daphne]

And thank you so much to everybody again, who emailed this in, who sent it over on socials. Heath and I have been following it since the very beginning.

[Heath]

Yes, a ton of you guys sent over this recommendation.

[Daphne]

I know we are all so devastated with where this case went and obviously there are details coming out all the time. So we may be back very soon with an update episode. But make sure that you're following us on socials because any kind of quick, small update, we'll just post it there. Like there was just a tepe murder update about how many times they were shot each. And we just posted that on our socials versus of course making a whole episode about it.

[Heath]

So yeah, we're on Instagram @goingwestpodcast. We're also on Facebook and we have a TikTok. So go give us a follow. Alright guys, so for everybody out there.

[Daphne]

In the world, don't be a stranger. Sam.

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