Missing persons’ advocate calls Indiana database inadequate

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — An advocate for missing people who is close to the family of Hailey Buzbee said Thursday Indiana’s missing-persons database doesn’t give the public enough information to work with.

The Indiana State Police maintains the state’s missing persons website. The page consists of a PDF document with an alphabetical list of missing people along with their date of birth, the investigating agency and the date they were last seen. There is no way to search or sort the list. The page contains neither photographs of the missing nor descriptions or information about the circumstances under which they were last seen. The list also contains duplicate entries.

Silver Lining of Hope founder Megan Tomlinson said it’s hard for the public to help look for someone if they don’t have that information. She said a more detailed public database might have helped locate Buzbee sooner. Buzbee, 17, left her family’s home in early January to meet a man she had met online. She was found dead in Ohio a month later.

“It’s a problem because it hurts the public because we don’t know who’s missing,” she said. “If I want to go on and see who’s missing, I don’t know where to start.”

Most states, though not all of them, have a centralized database of missing people. Many have highly detailed databases. For example, the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s database includes a search function, sorting capabilities and photographs and biographical information, when available.

Rep. Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, who represents Buzbee’s hometown in the Indiana General Assembly, said lawmakers likely will discuss possible changes to the database as part of a broader summer study committee on missing people. He said the Buzbee case highlighted deficiencies in Indiana’s alerts and other systems that are the result of the passage of time and technological progress.

“One of the things that I know we’ve heard, it’s certainly not a very friendly system as far as searching and obtaining additional information,” he said. “So, what they’re required to put in, what additions we might make to that are things that we’re looking at pretty closely.”

Jeter said summer study committee assignments, which are up to House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President pro tempore Rod Bray, should be released within the next few weeks. He said any study committee on missing people likely would begin meeting in July or August.

Tomlinson said she and the Buzbee family brought up their concerns about the database with lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session. She said she plans to continue lobbying for changes to it.

Indiana does upload some case information to a federal database called NamUs. Those entries include much more information than can be found on ISP’s website. Tomlinson said the problem with NamUs is that there are limitations on what kind of cases can be included.

The Indiana State Police turned down News 8’s request for comment on Tomlinson’s concerns.