Search for Melodee Buzzard continues as her mother faces unrelated charges
Ashlee Buzzard, mother of missing child Melodee Buzzard, will appear in court on Wednesday after she allegedly falsely imprisoned a man a month after her 9-year-old daughter's disappearance.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office said the charge is not directly related to the search for the young girl. The victim said he had been helping in the search for Melodee when Ashlee held him against his will.
Melodee was first reported missing by staff from the Lompoc Unified School District on Oct. 14. They said she had not been seen since August, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Lizabeth Meza, Melodee's paternal aunt, said she hired a private investigator to help find her niece. Meza said she has not seen her niece since 2021.
"She's a young girl," Meza said. "She doesn't deserve to be hiding and in wigs. She deserves to be playing with her friends, cousins, in school. I mean, there is just so much this innocent little girl is missing out on. It's not fair. It's not fair for her at all."
Deputies released surveillance video from Oct. 7 showing Melodee Buzzard wearing a wig at a rental car lot with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, who was also wearing a wig. Detectives said Ashlee then left California with Melodee in a rented 2024 white Chevy Malibu with the license plate 9MNG101.
Investigators believe Ashlee swapped wigs throughout the road trip, including one similar to the one her daughter was wearing in the security camera video. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said that a day into the long drive, the Malibu was observed with a New York license plate, HCG9677.
They believe the pair traveled as far as Nebraska before driving back to California.
Detectives also found another security camera video that shows the pair driving through the Colorado-Utah border on Oct. 9 in a 2024 white Chevrolet Malibu. This is the last time Melodee was seen, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff.
Investigators believe the same Malibu passed through the following regions:
- Green River, Utah
- Panguitch, Utah
- Northwest Arizona
- Primm, Nevada
- Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff released a map detailing the route Ashlee and Melodee Buzzard took from Utah to their home in Lompoc, Calif., which is 60 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.
The Chevy Malibu had the original California license plates when it was returned to the rental car dealer, according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office.
"This whole situation has been like playing a game of Jumanji," Meza said. "Every day you roll the dice and it's a whole different story."
Deputies said Ashlee has been uncooperative with their investigation.
"It's so hard to even grasp," Meza said about Ashlee. "You don't know where your child is? You don't know who you left your child with? I mean, where is she? Who is she with? Who are these people?
Since the child's disappearance, deputies have served several search warrants at the family's home, a storage locker and a rental car. The FBI has also been assisting deputies.
Detectives urged anyone with information on Melodee's disappearance to call the Sheriff's Office at (805) 681-4150. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact the tip line at (805) 681-4171 or visit the Sheriff's website at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/.
Video or image files can be submitted to the FBI through their website at http://www.fbi.gov/missingmelodeebuzzard.