Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson is urging parents to take a more active role in their children’s online lives, pointing to the death of Hailey Buzbee, the 17-year-old Fishers girl whose kidnapping is now the subject of a federal prosecution.

Wilson made the remarks during a recent appearance on “The Big Picture,” a program on Columbus, Ohio television station WBNS, weeks after meeting with Buzbee’s parents. He said the family’s experience shows that no household should assume it is safe from online predators.

“Hailey’s parents are normal parents,” Wilson said.

He said that if it could happen to the Buzbee family, it could happen to any family, including his own. Wilson said neither his title nor his professional experience makes his children immune from someone trying to harm them.

Buzbee disappeared from her Fishers home earlier this year. Her remains were found weeks later in Perry County in February. Federal prosecutors allege she met the man charged in the case, a 39-year-old Columbus, Ohio, resident, online while playing video games, including Roblox and League of Legends.

On Sept. 23, a federal grand jury indicted the man on nine counts, including kidnapping resulting in death, sexual exploitation of a child resulting in death, traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and obstruction-related offenses. He pleaded not guilty to all counts at his arraignment in federal court. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Wilson encouraged parents to learn which apps their children use, read up on known safety problems with those platforms and talk openly with their kids about who they interact with online. He said those conversations should come from a place of love and concern for a child’s safety, not an effort to control them.

Wilson said Buzbee’s parents are now sharing their story to warn other families, even though reliving it is painful each time. He said they do so because they want no other parent to suffer the same loss.

The case has also drawn a response from Ohio lawmakers. Senate Bill 379, known as “Hailey’s Law,” was introduced in March by state Sens. Michele Reynolds and Kristina Roegner. The bill is among several proposals aimed at protecting children from online exploitation.

The federal case remains ongoing.

Information from Fort Wayne radio station WOWO contributed to this report.