CA MELODEE BUZZARD: Missing from Vandenberg Village, CA - 9 Oct 2025 - Age 9 (12 Viewers)

https://ktla.com/news/california/california-authorities-launch-search-for-girl-who-hasnt-been-seen-in-at-least-1-year/

California authorities launch search for girl who hasn’t been seen in at least 1 year​

Authorities in Santa Barbara County launched a search for a 9-year-old girl who has not been seen in a year, and who has not been seen in a photograph in two.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office began searching for Melodee Buzzard on Tuesday after a school administrator reported she hadn’t been at school in quite some time.

Deputies attempted to contact Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, at their home in Lompoc, but the elementary school student was not there, and “no clear explanation was provided for her whereabouts.”

Although the missing persons case is only one-day-old, detectives have been unable to confirm a single recent sighting in about a year. The most recent photograph they were able to locate was taken at least two years ago, officials said.

The Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information about Melodee, potential sightings or contact in the past year, to come forward.

“Even small details may be critical in helping investigators ensure her safety,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release.


Media - MELODEE BUZZARD: Missing from Vandenberg Village, CA - 2024 - Age 9

 

[GrandmaBear]

There are a few reporting that Melodee was seen with another woman in the car in Junction UT and a purple wig is mentioned. Supposedly Ashlee (I believe) poked her head into the store to ask them if they knew they had a bunch of kittens outside. Employee said they knew, a feral cat and her kittens were there.

It's vague and I wouldn't even count on that the other person she saw wasn't Melodee. She thinks it was an adult. So who knows.

She also wasn't clear on who popped her head into the store, I assumed she meant Ashlee.

At least that's how I took what I saw.

I have entertained the thought of another person but not convinced even with this. It was some news station out of UT who first reported. I saw it on HTC and now I see Grizzly talks of it too.

 

[Tresir]

There are a few reporting that Melodee was seen with another woman in the car in Junction UT and a purple wig is mentioned. Supposedly Ashlee (I believe) poked her head into the store to ask them if they knew they had a bunch of kittens outside. Employee said they knew, a feral cat and her kittens were there.

It's vague and I wouldn't even count on that the other person she saw wasn't Melodee. She thinks it was an adult. So who knows.

She also wasn't clear on who popped her head into the store, I assumed she meant Ashlee.

At least that's how I took what I saw.

I have entertained the thought of another person but not convinced even with this. It was some news station out of UT who first reported. I saw it on HTC and now I see Grizzly talks of it too.

Maybe that was the handover to another woman, a friend or relative?

 

[GrandmaBear]

Maybe that was the handover to another woman, a friend or relative?

Cou1d be... I haven't nixed the possibi1ity someone was with her at some point in time but I don't think the account is worth taking as fact.

I a1so thought maybe she picked the person up and was sending her and Me1odee somewhere to hide. The thing is the person does not mention seeing a chi1d but I guess she cou1d have been in the back seat. If the chi1d was not with then I see no reason she'd have another woman with.

 

[RoundPeg]

I'm just duly reporting this from a FB group.

 

[Kimster]

Oh….. so unless this person is a troll, this explains the reason that Ashlee was arrested.

 

[Tresir]

Yep this article confirms it. She will appear in court tomorrow morning.

Former FBI agent weighs in on arrest of missing Vandenberg Village girl's mother

A felony charge of false imprisonment was filed Monday against a Vandenberg Village mother whose daughter is missing.

www.ksby.com

​

Former FBI agent weighs in on arrest of missing Vandenberg Village girl's mother​

Photo by: KSBY


By: Crystal Bermudez
Posted 1:49 AM, Nov 11, 2025

and last updated 4:42 AM, Nov 11, 2025
Crystal Bermudez
Crystal Bermudez is your community news reporter covering northern Santa Barbara County, including the Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Ynez valleys.
A felony charge of false imprisonment was filed Monday against a Vandenberg Village mother whose daughter is missing.
However, the charge against Ashlee Buzzard is unrelated to her missing 9-year-old daughter, Melodee, authorities said.
KSBY spoke with the alleged victim in the case, identified in the criminal complaint as Tyler S. Brewer. He tells us he’s a local paralegal and legal document assistant and knew Buzzard years ago. He says he was at her home last week when Buzzard had a box cutter near her and wouldn’t let him leave.
He says he initially reached out to her to see if he could help find Melodee and was in communication with authorities during his talks with Buzzard. He tells us he’s now very worried about Melodee and when asked about his recent interactions with the girl's mother, he said, “The whole thing was so bizarre."
He emphasized that his intention remains to help find the missing girl.
WATCH: Mother of missing girl Melodee Buzzard arrested on unrelated charges

Santa Maria-based attorney Michael B. Clayton says false imprisonment can carry a three-year sentence. The Santa Barbara County Jail confirmed with KSBY on Monday that Buzzard has a 1275 hold on her bail.
Clayton, who is not involved in Buzzard’s case, says that means she cannot post bail and be released until she can prove where the money for the bail came from. It’s a safeguard Clayton says is usually used in higher-risk investigations.
“A 1275 hold is where you have to prove the source of the funds, so if you pony up $100,000, they’re going to want to know where the funds come from,” Clayton said.
Investigators say Melodee has not been seen since Oct. 9, five days before she was reported missing after a school administrator reported her prolonged absence.
Authorities say surveillance images from around that time show the mother and daughter traveling together across multiple states before Ashlee returned alone and has been uncooperative with authorities and provided no information as to where her daughter may be.
Former FBI agent Tom Parker shared insight about Buzzard’s recent arrest. “One reason is to get… the suspect into custody, make it easier for interviewing them and keeping track of them,” he said. “It’s also a method of putting pressure on them to get from them all the information they might have about what happened, whether they were involved or not.”
Parker spent 24 years in the FBI overseeing major criminal investigations in the Los Angeles division. “It’s not unusual in major investigations when you have a suspect and you discover other criminal activity that they’ve been involved in. It’s not unusual at all to make an arrest because it does give you control of that aspect of the investigation,” Parker said.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office says Melodee is still considered an at-risk missing child. Her mother is set to appear in court Wednesday morning to be arraigned on the latest charges against her.
Bail has been set at $100,000. Jail records show Buzzard remained in custody as of Monday evening.
Brewer released the following statement Monday evening in an effort "to ensure accuracy and to protect the integrity of the case," following "widespread public speculation" surrounding Melodee's disappearance and the active investigation.

When Melodee was reported missing, I contacted Ashlee Buzzard solely to offer assistance in locating a missing child. I am a legal document assistant, process server, mandated reporter, and perceived officer of the court. In that capacity, I immediately reported all concerning communication and inconsistencies directly to law enforcement.

On November 6th, during an interaction at her residence, the situation escalated. Ms. Buzzard became visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing. A box cutter was produced, and despite multiple requests to be allowed to exit the home, I was not immediately permitted to leave. The door was secured by several locks, which delayed my ability to exit. This incident was reported to law enforcement.

I am also in communication with Melodee’s father’s family, who share the same objective — locating her and ensuring her safety.

I will not provide further details at this time, as this remains an active investigation and search effort.

My position has never changed:

Find Melodee. Protect the investigation. Bring her home safely.

Copyright 2025 Scripps Media

 

[GrandmaBear]

So this was someone who was not even acting on beha1f of 1aw enforcement. He is in contact with the father's side, probab1y seeing her at their request, just a guess.

Says he is a mandated reporter but if not acting in an officia1 capacity, not so sure how that works.

Box cutter was "produced" and in another spot was 1ying near her.

It was recent1y, Nov 6th I think it said.

Whi1e this and the 1ocks on the door seem to fit the criteria for the charge, not sure what I think about the invo1vement of him, or the other side of the fami1y.

He is just a process server, etc. and it seems c1ear he was not serving papers. What capacity did Ash1ee think he was there in? As a friend, someone who former1y knew her or had met her?

Whi1e she MAY have provided him some info, whether it was he1pfu1 is anyone's guess, and I think both he and the other side are stirring the pot and shou1d not be if she is as unstab1e as they c1aim. A1so being her concern may be 1osing the chi1d and seeing them as the cause may antagonize her further.

Fina11y 1aw enforcement was not sharing info on the arrest and saying it may endanger the investigation to do so, so why the HECK is he sharing the info?

 

[Guess Who]

So this was someone who was not even acting on beha1f of 1aw enforcement. He is in contact with the father's side, probab1y seeing her at their request, just a guess.

Says he is a mandated reporter but if not acting in an officia1 capacity, not so sure how that works.

Box cutter was "produced" and in another spot was 1ying near her.

It was recent1y, Nov 6th I think it said.

Whi1e this and the 1ocks on the door seem to fit the criteria for the charge, not sure what I think about the invo1vement of him, or the other side of the fami1y.

He is just a process server, etc. and it seems c1ear he was not serving papers. What capacity did Ash1ee think he was there in? As a friend, someone who former1y knew her or had met her?

Whi1e she MAY have provided him some info, whether it was he1pfu1 is anyone's guess, and I think both he and the other side are stirring the pot and shou1d not be if she is as unstab1e as they c1aim. A1so being her concern may be 1osing the chi1d and seeing them as the cause may antagonize her further.

Fina11y 1aw enforcement was not sharing info on the arrest and saying it may endanger the investigation to do so, so why the HECK is he sharing the info?

Mandated reporters are not LEGALLY required to report outside of work, but are highly encouraged to and it's just the right thing to do. I do think LE is far more likely to listen to a mandatory reporter than just the general public for what they do report, no matter if they are on duty or not.

They have known each other for 14 years, so he might have just thought he could get some info from her "as a friend". She evidently willingly let him in, but also evidently she didn't like where the conversation was going.

By his cryptic wording of what he found out worried him about Melodee's safety, it seems that he either witnessed/noticed something to set off his spidey senses or she said something to alarm him.

 

[RoundPeg]

So this was someone who was not even acting on beha1f of 1aw enforcement. He is in contact with the father's side, probab1y seeing her at their request, just a guess.

Says he is a mandated reporter but if not acting in an officia1 capacity, not so sure how that works.

Box cutter was "produced" and in another spot was 1ying near her.

It was recent1y, Nov 6th I think it said.

Whi1e this and the 1ocks on the door seem to fit the criteria for the charge, not sure what I think about the invo1vement of him, or the other side of the fami1y.

He is just a process server, etc. and it seems c1ear he was not serving papers. What capacity did Ash1ee think he was there in? As a friend, someone who former1y knew her or had met her?

Whi1e she MAY have provided him some info, whether it was he1pfu1 is anyone's guess, and I think both he and the other side are stirring the pot and shou1d not be if she is as unstab1e as they c1aim. A1so being her concern may be 1osing the chi1d and seeing them as the cause may antagonize her further.

Fina11y 1aw enforcement was not sharing info on the arrest and saying it may endanger the investigation to do so, so why the HECK is he sharing the info?

He's not a process server, he's a paralegal. He can perform document services (wills, divorces, etc) outside of an attorney's firm.

 

[GrandmaBear]

He's not a process server, he's a paralegal. He can perform document services (wills, divorces, etc) outside of an attorney's firm.

I read that in one of the articles, tried to find it again quickly but did not see it, but he himself says this:

I am a legal document assistant, process server, mandated reporter, and perceived officer of the court.

I don't see paralegal in his own description here. "Perceived"? Legal doc assistant?

Just saying he is no lawyer and lol I fit the first two of those at a point in my life with no formal training or status at all.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Mandated reporters are not LEGALLY required to report outside of work, but are highly encouraged to and it's just the right thing to do. I do think LE is far more likely to listen to a mandatory reporter than just the general public for what they do report, no matter if they are on duty or not.

They have known each other for 14 years, so he might have just thought he could get some info from her "as a friend". She evidently willingly let him in, but also evidently she didn't like where the conversation was going.

By his cryptic wording of what he found out worried him about Melodee's safety, it seems that he either witnessed/noticed something to set off his spidey senses or she said something to alarm him.

I'm happy she is under arrest due to this but he isn't anything much and is trying to come across as such imo.

 

[Tresir]

I read that in one of the articles, tried to find it again quickly but did not see it, but he himself says this:

I am a legal document assistant, process server, mandated reporter, and perceived officer of the court.

I don't see paralegal in his own description here. "Perceived"? Legal doc assistant?

Just saying he is no lawyer and lol I fit the first two of those at a point in my life with no formal training or status at all.

Apparently he told KSBY he was a paralegal and legal assistant. Link in my post 326 above.

"KSBY spoke with the alleged victim in the case, identified in the criminal complaint as Tyler S. Brewer. He tells us he’s a local paralegal and legal document assistant and knew Buzzard years ago."

 

[GrandmaBear]

He told KSBY he was a paralegal and legal assistant. Link in ppst

"KSBY spoke with the alleged victim in the case, identified in the criminal complaint as Tyler S. Brewer. He tells us he’s a local paralegal and legal document assistant and knew Buzzard years ago."

Thanks. I skimmed but didn't catch it the second time but knew I had seen it. Anyone can be a paralegal, process server and legal assistant. All I'm saying is he isn't anything of the status some might think he is and I'm sticking to it. He may offer divorce filing for $1,000 too lol. It used to be $500 around here.

I'm happy she is under arrest though although she will likely end up lawyered up now.

 

[Tresir]

I'm happy she is under arrest due to this but he isn't anything much and is trying to come across as such imo.

Doesn't matter if she gets convicted and a 3 year sentence. It gives LE the upper hand for a change. Maybe now she will cough it up where Melodee is.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Doesn't matter if she gets convicted and a 3 year sentence. It gives LE the upper hand for a change. Maybe now she will cough it up where Melodee is.

Maybe. However, she will likely be given a public defender. It does keep her from fleeing and put some pressure on.

 

[Tresir]

Thanks. I skimmed but didn't catch it the second time but knew I had seen it. Anyone can be a paralegal, process server and legal assistant. All I'm saying is he isn't anything of the status some might think he is and I'm sticking to it. He may offer divorce filing for $1,000 too lol. It used to be $500 around here.

I'm happy she is under arrest though although she will likely end up lawyered up now.

Yeah anyone can be those things. I worked alongside a paralegal when i did internal review.

He probably was just wanting his name in print for the advertising LOL.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/melodee-buzzard-alive-alleged-victim-ashlee-buzzard/

Ashlee Buzzard accuser says daughter Melodee may be alive​

Tyler S. Brewer, who filed charges against Buzzard on Friday, told NewsNation she revealed to him where Melodee is and who she was left with.

He did not share any further details of her whereabouts with NewsNation, except to say he suspects the girl is in Utah. Brewer also shared concern about whether what Buzzard told him was true, given her state of mind and recent behavior.


Brewer alleges Buzzard began acting irrationally on Oct. 6 while he was visiting her home, accusing him of working with the police and the paternal side of her family to take Melodee away from her.

He said Buzzard kept shutting her eyes and making fists, and blocked the door, preventing him from leaving. She then slammed the front door and engaged four locks on that door. He said she eventually let him leave, and he went straight to the authorities to report what happened.

 

[Guess Who]

He's not a process server, he's a paralegal. He can perform document services (wills, divorces, etc) outside of an attorney's firm.

His own description of himself says he's a process server.

He is/was(?) also the owner of "By the People" which does paralegal work AND process serving. It seems to center the business on divorces, in which a process server would be needed to serve the defendant in a case. They go hand in hand in many legal entities. A small business would require one person doing many different tasks at times.

 

[Guess Who]

I'm happy she is under arrest due to this but he isn't anything much and is trying to come across as such imo.

"he isn't anything much"
What is that supposed to mean? He is all he states he is. It's easy to find.

 

[Guess Who]

https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/melodee-buzzard-alive-alleged-victim-ashlee-buzzard/

Ashlee Buzzard accuser says daughter Melodee may be alive​

Tyler S. Brewer, who filed charges against Buzzard on Friday, told NewsNation she revealed to him where Melodee is and who she was left with.

He did not share any further details of her whereabouts with NewsNation, except to say he suspects the girl is in Utah. Brewer also shared concern about whether what Buzzard told him was true, given her state of mind and recent behavior.


Brewer alleges Buzzard began acting irrationally on Oct. 6 while he was visiting her home, accusing him of working with the police and the paternal side of her family to take Melodee away from her.

He said Buzzard kept shutting her eyes and making fists, and blocked the door, preventing him from leaving. She then slammed the front door and engaged four locks on that door. He said she eventually let him leave, and he went straight to the authorities to report what happened.

So it does seem she invited him in as somebody she knew and trusted but then "something" happened and it all went south.

Possibly her trust in him made her say things she then regretted saying or she is just possibly cycling in her moods and suddenly became paranoid?

Glad she can't go anywhere or do anything for a bit, no matter if it's related or not.