Officials announced Monday the first part of “Hailey’s Law,” following the death of 17-year-old Indiana teen, Hailey Buzbee.
According to NBC 13, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston announced an amendment Monday morning at the Indiana State House. The amendment will help strengthen alerts sent out for missing children, and includes language surrounding Pink Alerts, “enticement” and “human trafficking.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Hailey, a Hamilton Southeastern High School student, disappeared in Fishers on January 5.
Weeks later, suspect Tyler Thomas’s lawyer, Sam Shamansky, said the FBI found Hailey’s body at the Wayne National Forest in Perry County, Ohio.
Authorities said Hailey, who reportedly left home to meet with 39-year-old Thomas, did not qualify for an AMBER Alert, since she had been initially considered a runaway.
She also did not qualify for a Silver Alert.
Hailey’s family subsequently pushed for “Hailey’s Law” and the “Pink Alert,” which addresses grooming and online predator situations, particularly online grooming in Indiana schools.
“This is a different world, and one that we’re all adapting to,” House Speaker Todd Huston said Monday, according to the Indy Star. “I think we’re in a world where this is always going to be looked at every session.”
The new language, which is currently under argument, would require social media businesses to use “commercially reasonable means” for age verification. It also would require parental permission for children under 16 to create an account.
Should a child create an account, the social media companies would be responsible for not allowing the minor to appear in search results. The companies would also be responsible for ensuring that the child does not receive direct messages from people they do not follow, and would be prohibited from allowing targeted advertising.
Parents would also have access to the account and be allowed to monitor activity.
“I beg of you, please do not let this opportunity slip away,” Hailey’s father, Beau, said. “The decisions that you are considering today have the power to save children’s lives.”
Meanwhile, Columbus Police Department’s Homicide Unit search warrant indicated that investigators found evidence that Buzbee had been with Thomas. He later claimed that they had been communicating for more than a year on the Session messaging app.
Investigators found sexually explicit images of the teen on Thomas’ phone, prompting his arrest for pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. He’s also charged with tampering with evidence.
Hailey’s cause and manner of death have not been determined, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
So far, no additional charges have been filed.
Thomas’ attorney, Sam Shamansky, said he expects murder charges to be filed, although Thomas denied involvement in Hailey Buzbee’s death.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Hailey Buzbee/Handout]
