The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are investigating the disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard. Surveillance shows Melodee with her mother, Ashlee, at a Lompoc rental-car facility on Oct. 7; the girl was last recorded on Oct. 9 near the Colorado–Utah border. Melodee’s grandmother says social services once placed the child with family while her mother was hospitalized and that Ashlee later isolated the child from relatives. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s tip lines.
Grandmother Says Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Was “Cut Off From the Entire World” by Her Mother — FBI Joins Search
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are investigating the disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard. Surveillance shows Melodee with her mother, Ashlee, at a Lompoc rental-car facility on Oct. 7; the girl was last recorded on Oct. 9 near the Colorado–Utah border. Melodee’s grandmother says social services once placed the child with family while her mother was hospitalized and that Ashlee later isolated the child from relatives. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s tip lines.
08:42 AM, 11/16/2025Society
Investigation into disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard continues
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (SBCSO) and the FBI are investigating the disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard after a school official in Lompoc, California, reported her prolonged absence. Authorities say Melodee had not been seen since October 2024 and was officially reported missing to police more than a month after school officials raised concerns.
What investigators have said
Surveillance footage places Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, at a rental-car facility in Lompoc on Oct. 7. The child was last captured on camera on Oct. 9 in the region between the Colorado–Utah border. The SBCSO has said detectives believe the pair traveled across state lines — possibly as far as Nebraska, with a return route through Kansas.
Deputies noted in released footage that both Ashlee and Melodee appeared to be wearing wigs; Melodee’s hair in the video looked darker and straighter than her natural curls. Authorities have described the girl as approximately 4 feet 6 inches tall, about 60 pounds, with brown curly hair and brown eyes.
Family background and the grandmother’s account
Melodee’s paternal grandmother, Lilly Denes, told Fox News that social services once placed Melodee in her care while Ashlee was hospitalized for mental health treatment so the child would avoid foster care. Denes said she began the adoption process but that Ashlee returned to her daughter’s life in 2021 after leaving treatment.
Denes described Melodee as “a very happy baby, always smiling, very smart,” and said she believes someone outside the immediate family might know where the child is. She also told reporters she felt Ashlee had effectively isolated Melodee from family and others, saying Ashlee had “cut her off from the entire world.”
Legal developments and cooperation with investigators
The SBCSO says Ashlee has been uncooperative with some investigative inquiries and has not offered an explanation for Melodee’s whereabouts. However, she has not been charged in the disappearance and has not been publicly named a formal person of interest.
Separately, Ashlee was arrested on an unrelated false-imprisonment allegation that local authorities say involved a man who alleged she prevented him from leaving her home and brandished a box cutter. She was later released and has pleaded not guilty to that charge. PEOPLE and local outlets have reported the alleged victim is a paralegal who had reached out to Ashlee while assisting with the search for Melodee.
How to help
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are involved in the inquiry. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office:
- Detectives Line: (805) 681-4150
- Anonymous tips: (805) 681-4171
- Online anonymous tip form: www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/
Physical description: Approximately 4'6", ~60 lbs, brown curly hair (may appear darker/straighter in some footage), brown eyes.
Authorities continue to piece together the timeline of travel and are appealing to the public for any information that could help locate Melodee or clarify her mother’s recent movements.