It’s been over two weeks since the search was initiated for missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard and investigators have now provided an update with new details they hope will assist in her recovery.
Melodee was reported missing on October 14 by the Lompoc Unified School District when she failed to pick up assignments following her August enrolment. According to the sheriff’s office, the young girl was homeschooled and had not checked in since October 2024.
Last Friday, October 24, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance camera images of Melodee captured at a California car rental business exactly one week before she was reported missing.
In the pictures, Melodee is wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, and what looks to be a wig that is darker and straighter than her natural hair.
“Investigators also noted the wig may have been used to alter her appearance,” a statement from the sheriff’s office. “Detectives also note that [Melodee’s mother, 35-year-old Ashlee Buzzard] is known to wear wigs.”
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Melodee and her mom left the car rental business to go on a three-day road trip from Lompoc, California, to Nebraska.
When their investigation into Melodee’s disappearance began on October 14, deputies traveled to Ashlee’s home but discovered that her daughter was not there. They returned later and questioned Ashlee, only to be provided “no verifiable explanation for her whereabouts.”
In their latest update, investigators confirmed that Ashlee returned to her Lompoc home on October 10 after the aforementioned Nebraska road trip, but that “Melodee was not in the car.”
“Detectives are now focused on determining where Melodee was during those three days and where she may be now,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Our detectives are following every lead in this case. We continue to seek information from the public that could help us find Melodee,” Sheriff Bill Brown said. “We remain determined to bring her home safely.”
In a statement released on Monday, October 20, the sheriff’s office said that Ashlee is refusing to cooperate with authorities. Ashlee’s family, meanwhile, have expressed concern over the mother’s mental well being.
“Ashlee is mentally unstable, and my mom tried to get custody or at least grandparent rights to visit Melodee because [Ashlee] wasn’t letting our side of the family see her,” Vicky Shade, Melodee’s aunt, told the Times.
We’re praying that Melodee is found safe and well sooner rather than later.
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