Queensland Police have officially declared 15-year-old Hailey Buzbee presumed deceased, shifting the nine-day investigation from active rescue to a grim “recovery only” phase. The announcement, made during a somber press conference on February 6, 2026, follows mounting forensic evidence, digital footprints, and the absence of any sign of life since Hailey left her southeast Queensland home to meet a man she had known exclusively through online gaming communities.

Hailey was reported missing shortly after 8:00 p.m. on January 27, 2026. She had told her parents she was meeting a “friend” she had been talking to for nearly two years on Discord, Steam, and Snapchat. The “friend” was a 29-year-old man living about 90 minutes away in a neighboring regional city. Her parents, aware she had built a friendship through shared gaming interests, believed the meet-up was harmless—a casual in-person gaming session at a public shopping centre food court. They allowed her to go after she promised to stay in contact and return home by evening.

External CCTV captured Hailey arriving on foot at approximately 2:50 p.m., wearing a black hoodie, light-blue jeans, white sneakers, and carrying a small crossbody bag. She was seen walking toward the food court area. Moments later, she appeared with the 29-year-old man, both entering a silver sedan. The vehicle left the car park at 3:12 p.m. and was tracked on highway cameras heading west onto rural roads. Hailey’s phone last connected to a cell tower 22 km from the shopping centre at 3:41 p.m., in a remote, sparsely populated area with no nearby bus stops or public transport. The device then went permanently offline.

When Hailey failed to respond to calls or texts and did not return by 8:00 p.m., her parents contacted police. Detectives identified and interviewed the 29-year-old within hours. He claimed Hailey asked to be dropped at a nearby bus stop after only 15–20 minutes together, saying she felt unwell and wanted to go home. He stated he complied and left her at the stop entrance. No independent witness, CCTV, or bus schedule supports this account; the nominated stop has no shelter, no seating, and no services running at that hour.

A multi-agency search commenced on January 28, involving police divers, drones, helicopters, State Emergency Service volunteers, and specialist cadaver dogs. On January 31, search teams located Hailey’s crossbody bag in dense scrub approximately 14 km from the last cell ping. Inside were her wallet (containing ID and $40 cash), phone charger, lip balm, and a folded note bearing the handwritten words “I’m sorry Mum & Dad.” Scattered nearby were clothing items matching what she wore that day—some torn, others bearing stains later confirmed by forensic testing to be human blood consistent with Hailey’s DNA profile.

On February 3, police executed a search warrant at the 29-year-old’s residence, seizing his mobile phone, laptop, gaming consoles, clothing, and the silver sedan seen on CCTV. Preliminary forensic results revealed trace blood evidence in the vehicle’s boot and passenger footwell. Digital examination of his devices allegedly uncovered months of grooming behaviour: increasingly personal and intimate messages, requests for private photographs, and repeated discussions about meeting alone. Investigators have described the communications as “highly concerning” and consistent with classic predatory patterns.

At the February 6 press conference, Detective Inspector Sarah McLean stated: “After exhaustive searches and analysis of all available evidence—physical, forensic, digital, and circumstantial—we now believe Hailey is deceased. Our priority has shifted from locating a living person to recovering her remains and ensuring justice for her family.” She renewed the appeal for dashcam, private CCTV, or witness information from rural roads west of the shopping centre between 3:15 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on January 27. The existing $250,000 reward for information leading to Hailey’s location or the prosecution of any person involved remains in place.

Hailey’s parents released a short statement through police: “Our sweet, trusting girl believed she was meeting a friend from her games. We are shattered. All we want now is to bring our daughter home so we can say goodbye and begin to heal.” They pleaded with other parents to speak openly with their children about online contacts and to prohibit any in-person meetings with internet acquaintances, regardless of perceived familiarity or safety of the location.

The case has reignited nationwide alarm over online grooming in gaming communities. Discord and Steam have reiterated their existing safety tools—age verification prompts, reporting buttons, and content moderation—but critics argue these measures remain inadequate against determined predators who build trust over months or years before arranging real-world contact. The Australian eSafety Commissioner confirmed it will examine the role of these platforms in Hailey’s disappearance as part of its ongoing inquiry into online harms to children.

Hailey was remembered by friends and teachers as gentle, creative, and deeply passionate about digital art and gaming. She had recently launched a small Instagram page to share fan art from her favourite games. That account has now become a memorial space, filled with tributes, drawings, screenshots of her avatars, and messages from classmates. Nightly candlelight vigils continue outside the local community centre where Hailey used to attend youth art workshops, with gaming controllers, sketchbooks, and handwritten notes placed among the flowers.

The 29-year-old man has not been charged in connection with Hailey’s disappearance as of February 6, but police describe him as a person of significant interest. He remains on strict bail conditions while forensic examination of seized devices, clothing, and vehicle continues. Detectives have asked the public to be patient as results from DNA analysis, digital forensics, and further testing of the recovered items are finalised.

For Hailey’s family and the close-knit regional community, the shift to “recovery only” has replaced frantic hope with the crushing certainty of permanent loss. The question is no longer whether she will come home alive, but whether the full truth—and justice—will finally emerge from the silence that has engulfed her.