(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)
A 17-year-old Hamilton Southeastern High School student, who has been missing since the beginning of the year, may be in “a dangerous situation,” her family said.
Hailey Buzbee is listed as a runaway by the Fishers Police Department. Her parents last saw her at 10 p.m. on Jan. 5, her father, Beau Buzbee, told IndyStar. He thinks she left her home in the Enclave at Vermillion Neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 6.
“Based on when she left, she couldn’t have done that alone,” Beau Buzbee told IndyStar. “Real progress has been made by the community because of the outreach and concern for her… We shared as much as we possibly can and put the word out. People have given us the hope and strength that we need.”
In an update on Jan. 20, 2026, Fishers Police said because of the ongoing investigation, many details about the search for her can’t be shared publicly. What they can share is that she didn’t act alone.
According to the department, she “left her house willingly, and with a plan, which categorized her as a runaway.”
Since then, however, the department have gathered information that’s led them to upgrade the investigation.
“Based on the facts of the investigation … her case has now been upgraded to an endangered missing juvenile,” Fishers Police released in a statement. “We have worked with and continue to work with our state and federal law partners to locate Hailey.”
Since going missing, community members have been distributing thousands of flyers, and Hailey’s story has been shared across social media platforms. A GoFundMe for search efforts amassed more than $15,000 six days after her disappearance.
Buzbee isn’t the only teenage girl who has been reported missing in the area since the start of the new year.
Three teenage girls have been reported missing in Noblesville, Westfield, and Fishers, around the same days. Two girls have since been found, and law enforcement officials do not believe any of the disappearances are connected or related.
Other missing girls in Hamilton County
Amber Dawn Simpson shared on Facebook that her 18-year-old daughter, Nevaeh Paige Schmidt, went missing Jan. 4.
“She left her dad’s house around 10:30 a.m. Sunday, and hasn’t been seen or heard from,” Simpson wrote in a Jan. 9 post. “Her phone last pinged in Washington, Indiana, at 5:07 p.m. has had the location and phone off since then. Please, if anyone sees or knows where she is… We are very worried, and I just want her to let us know she’s okay.”
In a news release, Westfield Police said Schmidt was reported missing from her home in the late morning hours of Jan. 5. According to the release, Schmidt was heading to a friend’s house in Indianapolis, “However, she was not located there.”
Investigators believe she left her home of her own free will.
Schmidt is described as White, with blue-green eyes. Her hair is colored blue and pink. Her left hand has two smiley face tattoos.
On Jan. 16, the Westfield Police Department announced that Nevaeh Schmidt had been located safely.
Liz Crane, a 15-year-old listed as a runaway juvenile by Noblesville Police, was last seen Jan. 3. She was suspected of leaving her home between 2 and 3 a.m. on Jan. 4. Noblesville Police announced she was found on Jan. 9.
As for Buzbee, she’s described by her parents as being “the kindest, sweetest girl,” and said online that “Hailey means the world to us, and we will go to the ends of the earth to find our precious daughter.”
Hailey Buzbee has brown eyes and curly brown hair. She was last seen wearing a white blouse, grey jeans, a black puffer jacket, and carrying a pink Vera Bradley duffle bag.”
“We have received numerous tips, and together, FPD, state, and federal partners have investigated every single one,” Fishers Police shared in a statement. “Sharing her information is helping. Calling us with pertinent information is helping. Please continue to do both!”
Anybody with information about her disappearance should call 911 or the Hamilton County non-emergency line in Noblesville at (317) 773-1282.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fishers police give update into Hailey Buzbee disappearance
Reporting by Jade Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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