Authorities found the decomposed body of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard on Dec. 6 in Wayne County, Utah, and identified her on Dec. 22. The child suffered gunshot wounds to the head. Her mother, 40-year-old Ashlee Buzzard, has been arrested and charged with murder after investigators said surveillance footage and other evidence tied her to the crime. The case remains under active investigation.
9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard Found Dead in Utah; Mother Arrested on Murder Charges
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office (2)Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee Buzzard
Authorities have recovered the body of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard and have arrested her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, on murder charges, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.
Discovery and Identification
Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown announced at a Dec. 23 press conference that Melodee's decomposing remains were located on Dec. 6 in Wayne County, Utah. The child sustained gunshot wounds to the head and was formally identified on Dec. 22.
Investigation Details
Investigators said surveillance footage captured Melodee with her mother on Oct. 7 and again on Oct. 9 at a rest stop near the Utah-Colorado border. Officials believe the girl was likely killed shortly after those sightings. Melodee had been reported missing on Oct. 14 after a school official flagged her "prolonged absence."
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office
The sheriff's office released security-camera images from a California car rental showing Melodee wearing a wig; investigators allege the wig was used as a disguise and say the mother also appeared to change wigs during the trip. Authorities previously said Ashlee Buzzard was not cooperating with investigators and that she had been arrested on Nov. 7 on an unrelated false-imprisonment charge.
Bill Brown, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner: "We have recovered a significant amount of evidence that clearly indicates this heinous crime was committed by Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee's mother."
Current Status
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, is in custody and faces murder charges. Authorities say evidence collected during the probe led to the arrest; the investigation remains active and additional details are expected as the case proceeds through the legal process.
Note: Authorities have not yet released a full timeline of events or all evidence publicly. Charges are allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
