Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard: What We Know and What Comes Next

Nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard has been missing for more than a month after last being seen with her mother, 29-year-old Ashlee Buzzard, during a cross-country road trip. Authorities say Ashlee returned to their Lompoc, California, home without Melodee, did not report her daughter missing and has declined to cooperate with investigators. The FBI has joined the search.

Timeline and key facts

Officials have identified the Oct. 7–10 road trip as a critical window. Investigators say Ashlee rented a white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu and drove roughly 1,000 miles toward Nebraska, returning three days later without Melodee. Surveillance footage from the rental car location shows the pair wearing wigs on Oct. 7, and authorities say the rental car’s license plate was changed mid-trip — an action law enforcement believes may have been intended to avoid detection.

The sheriff’s office has also said Ashlee swapped wigs during travel, including a darker wig similar to the one Melodee had worn, which investigators say could have been intended to avoid recognition.

Related arrest and legal posture

On Nov. 7, law enforcement arrested Ashlee Buzzard on a felony false-imprisonment charge connected to an adult male alleged victim. Authorities allege she used a box cutter and prevented the man from leaving a location against his will. The alleged victim posted a statement on social media that he later removed, saying he went to Buzzard’s home to offer help finding Melodee and that Buzzard became visibly distressed.

Ashlee pleaded not guilty, was released under GPS monitoring, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled. She has not been charged in connection with Melodee’s disappearance, and investigators say they are still gathering evidence. Her attorney has said the defense intends to challenge the accuser’s credibility.

What investigators are doing

Authorities say they are methodically retracing the route of the trip and collecting physical evidence, digital communications and witness accounts from the Oct. 7–10 window. Investigators stress they need probable cause before bringing criminal charges related to the disappearance: an arrest for an allegedly connected crime requires evidence showing both that a crime occurred and that a specific person committed it.

“It’s not simply, ‘A kid’s missing, so let’s arrest the mother,’” said legal analyst Joey Jackson. “You need probable cause — is there reason to believe a crime was committed and the person being arrested committed it?”

Legal experts note that much of the investigation may not be public and that authorities are building a case carefully rather than rushing to charge a suspect without sufficient proof.

Context from other cases

High-profile missing-children cases show how investigations can evolve: parents have sometimes faced initial, lesser charges while evidence was developed, and in other cases homicide charges followed only after additional discoveries. Observers caution, however, that every case is different and outcomes depend on the available evidence.

Family background and current priority

Family members have said they lost touch with Ashlee and Melodee in recent years. Local reporting indicates Melodee’s father died in a motorcycle crash when she was an infant. For now, investigators say their immediate priority is locating Melodee and determining her well-being.

There are many unanswered questions, and officials urge anyone with information about the Oct. 7–10 trip, the rental car, or sightings of Melodee to contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office or the FBI.