FISHERS, Ind. — The family of 17-year-old Hailey Buzbee has released the first draft of "Hailey's Law," a legislative proposal aimed at strengthening Indiana's response to missing children cases.
Hailey disappeared from Fishers on Jan. 5, 2026. She was classified as a runaway, meaning neither an AMBER Alert nor a Silver Alert was issued. She was later found dead in Ohio after being lured by an online predator. The suspect, Tyler Thomas, is currently in federal custody.
Her family plans to deliver the proposal to Indiana lawmakers next week for consideration during the 2027 legislative session.
What the Law Would Do
Hailey's Law is built around three areas: modernizing the missing persons alert system, requiring grooming education in schools, and holding online platforms accountable.
1. The Pink Alert
The proposal calls for a new "Pink Alert" — a risk-based alert designed to fill the gap between AMBER and Silver Alerts.
Currently, an AMBER Alert requires confirmed evidence of abduction. A Silver Alert requires a qualifying disability. Many cases, like Hailey's, don't fit either category.
A Pink Alert would focus on one question: are credible signs of danger present? Those could include evidence of online grooming, suspicious communications, signs of trafficking, or a sudden unexplained disappearance.
Importantly, the proposal states that labeling a child a "runaway" should not end a risk assessment.
"It's more than just that alert you see on your phone or your TV," Buzbee said. "It includes practical, common-sense recommendations that I think will make a big difference."
The proposal also calls for an online Pink Alert web portal.
The portal would include: active pink alert listings, photographs and identifying information, official law enforcement contacts and more.
2. Grooming Education in Schools
Hailey's Law would require Indiana schools to teach students about online predators and grooming, something the proposal says is not currently required by state law.
Indiana Code addresses cyberbullying and human trafficking in schools. But grooming is not defined or explicitly required to be taught.
"In the law, we've seen trafficking and cyberbullying added but grooming isn't," Buzbee said. "Grooming is the beginning. That's the earliest point of intervention, so it makes sense to start there."
"It's that first contact point our children face every day — not only at home, but when they're out and about. It needs to be explicitly added to the law."
The proposal would also extend legal protections to all minors under 18.
"There needs to be protections up to the age of 18," Buzbee said. "Those older teenage kids, they're just as vulnerable."
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3. Online Platform Accountability
The third piece targets the tech companies whose platforms predators use to reach children.
Under the proposal, any company offering social media, gaming, or messaging services to Indiana users would need to maintain a 24/7 U.S.-based legal contact for law enforcement requests.
Platforms would also be required to display response time metrics — how long it takes to act on reports involving minors — at the point when parents create accounts for their children.
"We need to make sure they are responding to law enforcement in a timely manner," Buzbee said. "Ronya and I were just shocked at how long it takes to get information about your endangered child from these companies."
You can read the full Hailey's Law proposal below:
The proposal acknowledges progress made during Indiana's 2026 legislative session, including HB 1303, which expanded the definition of a missing child to include high-risk individuals.
But the Buzbees say more work is needed.
"It was an improvement, and we're very thankful for it — but there still needs to be some adjustments made so it's more effective and more consistent, applied to all children," Buzbee said.
