The Disappearance and Tragic Death of Ryan Zimmerman: A Story of Deception and Betrayal

In January 2016, an individual who was walking their dog along Coldwater Creek in West Bank State Park stumbled upon what they believed to be human bones and immediately notified the authorities.

“I may be totally off my rocker, but I was just out walking my dog and I came across some bones that look to me to be human.” The caller said.

It was confirmed that the discovered remains were indeed human, however, upon further investigation, it was determined that they were only a portion of a larger body.

The remains that were found comprised a significant portion of the torso area, but did not include any parts from the elbows or knees down. Additionally, the skull was also missing and was not among the discovered remains. The remains found showed apparent saw marks, indicating that the individual had been dismembered.

Identifying the Victim

State investigators and deputies worked together to search for clues, while a forensic anthropologist analyzed the bones and concluded that the victim was a male aged between 20 and 35 years old.

The subsequent task was to establish the victim's identity, prompting the bones to be sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation(BCI) for DNA extraction by the Forensic Biology Lab. Despite the successful DNA extraction, no match was found to identify the victim.

After four years, Criminal Intelligence Analyst Jennifer Lester was reviewing Columbus Missing Persons cases when she came across the case of a 22-year-old man who had been missing since 2015, and whose family's DNA had never been collected.

Once they obtained DNA samples from the man's parents in Corbin, Kentucky, Ryan Zimmerman was positively identified in June of 2020. However, before detectives could determine who killed him, they needed to learn more about Ryan and his life.

Ryan's Private Life

As per his family, Ryan was fond of video games, computers, cartoons,and enjoyed playing with his brother. However, there was a part of Ryan's life that none of his family members were aware of.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that Ryan had made a post on Craigslist Personals in which he expressed interest in being the submissive female in a relationship. He had also been exploring the possibility of transitioning to a female gender, including hormone therapy and voice training to facilitate the transition. Additionally, Ryan had been shopping for female clothing.

Jennifer Lester from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) provided many of these details. She analyzed Ryan's Google searches, phone records, and social media activity to uncover information about his interests and activities leading up to his disappearance and death.

The data analysis revealed that Ryan had met someone online using the screen name "Laurel Emerson." However, it was later discovered that the person behind the screen name was a married man named Corey Buzzard.

In August 2015, Ryan moved from Corbin to Columbus and began living in an apartment with Corey, his wife Sarah Buzzard, and a third person named Naira Whitaker, who was a transgender woman.

The Relationship Turns Sour

Initially, Ryan had a relationship with Corey Buzzard while Sarah Buzzard was in a relationship with Naira Whitaker. However, by late September, Corey no longer wanted Ryan to stay and asked him to leave. While Corey left the apartment for the weekend, Ryan appealed to Sarah to let him stay.

According to Sarah, she informed Ryan that he needed to leave since Corey no longer wanted him to stay. She mentioned that Ryan was only there for Corey's purpose and not hers. Sarah then discussed the conversation with Naira, and together they developed a plan to get rid of Ryan.

Sarah Buzzard strangled Ryan. The duo dismembered his body in the bathtub. They disposed his dismembered remains in several parts of Ohio

Arrest of The Criminal

In July 2021, investigators were closing in on the case. They searched the Columbus apartment where Ryan and the other three individuals had lived in 2015, as well as the Toyota Corolla that Sarah Buzzard had sold. Traces of human blood were found in both locations.

On August 25th, investigators arrested Sarah, but when they went to arrest Naira, she pulled a gun and shot himself in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sarah Buzzard pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in connection with the death of Ryan Zimmerman. She was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.

Corey on the other hand was never charged because he was not involved in killing Ryan.

A True Crime Book

Hey dear reader,

If you want to binge on some interesting and unbelievable true crime stories, check out this book on Amazon.

Horrific True Crime Stories Volume 1: The Most Terrifying and Unimaginable Cases