CA MELODEE BUZZARD: Missing from Vandenberg Village, CA - 9 Oct 2025 - Age 9 *Found Deceased*

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

 

[Mel70]

Yeah they were, for DNA supposedly.

I hope they can determine cause of death.

I wonder to in what conditions she was in and the condition she was in.

I have to guess too that they are sure they can tie her to it. I know there is a lot of circumstantial evidence, car rental, trip, wigs, etc. but I hope there's something more to tie Ashlee.

Utah is dry to desert climate. She may have been mummified. October it's not especially cold. So probably a fair amount of decomposition.. it's terrible to think about..

 

[GrandmaBear]

I know. I saw that. Ridiculous. I can't remember who said it. His name, But he said as long as he was in office no one would be executed. Notvaxwuote. But to that effect. There again. I can't imagine the families when they heard that. But, since Sheila's found in Utah, from California. That's crossing state lines. That's a federal offense. Automatically qualifies for the death penalty. Unless I'm missing some details.

Yeah, I figured too that it would qualify for federal charges but doesn't seem like that is going to be pursued. They said it would be tried in CA in the county in which she lives.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Utah is dry to desert climate. She may have been mummified. October it's not especially cold. So probably a fair amount of decomposition.. it's terrible to think about..

It is terrible. They didn't seem to be sure until DNA came back so I'd guess she was unrecognizable (although they'd probably wait for DNA regardless). The couple seemed to realize they'd stumbled across a body so just guessing that she was largely intact if unrecognizable.

I still just can't get over this. it was so unexpected I guess. Out of the blue yesterday.

I am glad she was found and will see justice.

They did tell us more than I thought they would.

 

[Tresir]

I stopped watching the PC once i heard how she was found. I got fed up with all the prior stuff where they seemed to be patting themselves on the back, when it wasn't even them that found her. The authorities failed that young girl IMO.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I stopped watching the PC once i heard how she was found. I got fed up with all the prior stuff where they seemed to be patting themselves on the back, when it wasn't even them that found her. The authorities failed that young girl IMO.

Yeah, I'm glad of a result but in thinking on it, a couple found her and would they have? Granted these are vast areas and you can't search every inch but HAD they not had someone that found her, what would have happened? They seemed not to be pressuring her, arresting her, etc.

I did watch it all and they were not as bad at patting themselves on the back as I've seen in some cases. And I guess I was just so ready to hear everything, even the usual thanking of everyone in LE, etc. And to have a resolution to this case.

the more time that has passed since the press conference though, the more I've thought it all over. I agree.

I felt they were doing nothing and just letting her go and short of someone finding MB's body, would they have kept doing that? Although, they did have the searches and ammo info, etc....

 

[Tresir]

Yeah, I'm glad of a result but in thinking on it, a couple found her and would they have? Granted these are vast areas and you can't search every inch but HAD they not had someone that found her, what would have happened? They seemed not to be pressuring her, arresting her, etc.

I did watch it all and they were not as bad at patting themselves on the back as I've seen in some cases. And I guess I was just so ready to hear everything, even the usual thanking of everyone in LE, etc. And to have a resolution to this case.

the more time that has passed since the press conference though, the more I've thought it all over. I agree.

I felt they were doing nothing and just letting her go and short of someone finding MB's body, would they have kept doing that? Although, they did have the searches and ammo info, etc....

They found a bullet casing in the hire car right? I wonder when they found that.

 

[GrandmaBear]

They found a bullet casing in the hire car right? I wonder when they found that.

Yes. And I think one at her home. I recall the 15th? Not sure.

I need to rewatch the presser. When live I never want to rewind of course but now that it is out and not live any longer, I need to do a relisten.

 

[Tresir]

Buzzard went on a road trip with her 9-year-old daughter on October 7, when surveillance footage captured the girl at a local car rental agency dressed in what seemed to be a disguise, authorities said.
Melodee was wearing a hoodie pulled over her head and “what appears to be a wig that is darker and straighter than her natural hair,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said. “Investigators believe the wig may have been used to alter her appearance.”
Over the next three days, the rental car traveled through Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Kansas before returning home to Lompoc, about 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, authorities said.
“Investigators have confirmed that Ashlee was seen returning to her Lompoc residence on October 10, driving the same rental vehicle she departed with on October 7 – but Melodee was not in the car,” the sheriff’s office said.
The child was last seen October 9 in video surveillance in the region around the Colorado and Utah state line.
Melodee was reported missing days later on October 14 – not by a family member, but by a school administrator concerned about her long absence.

Melodee Buzzard’s mother arrested in connection with 9-year-old’s killing after her body is found

By Josh Campbell, CNN (CNN) — The mother of a missing 9-year-old California girl has been arrested on a charge of first-degree murder after her daughter’s remains were found in a rural area of southern Utah, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said Tuesday. Members of the sheriff’s...

kesq.com

They have updated this with more detail now.

See below.

(CNN) — The multi-state hunt for Melodee Buzzard, a missing 9-year-old California girl, came to a close when her remains were discovered in a rural area of southern Utah, authorities announced Tuesday.
Members of the sheriff’s office and the FBI arrested Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee’s mother, Tuesday morning on a charge of first-degree murder, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said Tuesday.
Authorities say she deliberately tried to hide her steps, such as backing a rental car at gas stations in an attempt to avoid detection by their surveillance cameras.
The body was initially discovered by a couple who were taking photos in a remote part of Wayne County, Utah, Brown said.

The remains couldn’t be immediately identified, he said, but “it was apparent that the decedent was a female who had died from gunshot wounds to the head.”
But DNA analysis found it was a familial DNA match to Melodee’s mother, he added.
“We have recovered a significant amount of evidence that clearly indicates that this heinous crime was committed by Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee’s mother, and the very person upon who she relied upon and trusted the most in this world,” Brown said at a news conference.
CNN is attempting to determine whether Buzzard has an attorney.
Investigators do not have the murder weapon and it’s unclear as to the motive of the killing as Ashlee is “uncooperative,” authorities said Tuesday.
Melodee’s paternal grandmother Lilly Denes told CNN affiliates KEYT and KSBY earlier Tuesday the sheriff’s office informed her Melodee’s body had been discovered.
“It’s really sad for us, especially that tomorrow is Christmas Eve and, you know, I have the rest of the grandkids coming home,” Denes told KEYT Tuesday.
CNN has reached out to the grandmother, who declined to comment because she was on her way to the news conference.
Brown went through a timeline on Tuesday that explained what led investigators to Melodee’s body.

Melodee was last seen October 9​

Buzzard went on a road trip with her 9-year-old daughter on October 7, when surveillance footage captured the girl at a local car rental agency dressed in what seemed to be a disguise, authorities said.
Melodee was wearing a hoodie pulled over her head and “what appears to be a wig that is darker and straighter than her natural hair,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s previously Office said. “Investigators believe the wig may have been used to alter her appearance.”
The rental car traveled through Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Kansas before returning home to Lompoc, about 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, authorities said.
At some point along the trip, Ashlee switched the license plates on the vehicle she had rented to a New York plate, Brown said Tuesday.
“Investigators have confirmed that Ashlee was seen returning to her Lompoc residence on October 10, driving the same rental vehicle she departed with on October 7 – but Melodee was not in the car,” the sheriff’s office previously said.
The young girl was last seen on video surveillance with her mother on the Colorado side of the Colorado-Utah border on October 9, 2025, according to Brown.
Detectives, Brown said, now believe Melodee was killed shortly after that stop.
Melodee was reported missing days later on October 14 – not by a family member, but by a school administrator concerned about her long absence.
The next day, on October 15, detectives served a search warrant at the home of Ashlee Buzzard, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
On October 30, sheriff’s detectives, along with the FBI Evidence Response Team, served follow up search warrants at the home of Ashlee Buzzard as well as for a storage locker and car she had recently rented, investigators said.
An expended cartridge case was recovered during the search of the Mars Avenue residence, Brown said, and during the search of the rental car a live round of similar ammunition was located, Brown said.
On December 17, the ATF found that cartridge cases from the Utah crime scene linked to a single cartridge case found at the Buzzard residence, authorities said.
“Cold-blooded and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness… went into planning” the crime, Brown said.
The “ruthlessness” that went into committing it, he added, was shocking.
This story has been updated with additional information.

 

[Tresir]

Yes. And I think one at her home. I recall the 15th? Not sure.

I need to rewatch the presser. When live I never want to rewind of course but now that it is out and not live any longer, I need to do a relisten.

She died from gunshot wounds (plural) to the head. It was a single cartridge case they found at the residence that matched the cases (plural!!!) at the crime scene. And a live round of similar ammunition in the hire car. Its in the update i just posted.

 

[GrandmaBear]

She died from gunshot wounds (plural) to the head. It was a single cartridge case they found at the residence that matched the cases (plural!!!) at the crime scene. And a live round of similar ammunition in the hire car. Its in the update i just posted.

Okay. You caught more detail on that than I did. I knew they had somehting from the car and home that matched and that then it matched her wounds or something. Unfortunately I had to use the bathroom during the presser and that ticked me off lol and I could not hear it for a bit. I meant to rewatch it anyhow but never did. Maybe today i will. Was just too heavy to listen again yesterday.

I do recall the plural with wounds to the head. I caught that. I actually caught most of it.

Man this sleep thing has to change too. I laid back down and tried to sleep and I did for a very, very short bit. Wake up and it's still dark. Of course that's like 16+ hours a day so waking up in daylight isn't very apt to happen.

 

[GrandmaBear]

They have updated this with more detail now.

See below.

(CNN) — The multi-state hunt for Melodee Buzzard, a missing 9-year-old California girl, came to a close when her remains were discovered in a rural area of southern Utah, authorities announced Tuesday.
Members of the sheriff’s office and the FBI arrested Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee’s mother, Tuesday morning on a charge of first-degree murder, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said Tuesday.
Authorities say she deliberately tried to hide her steps, such as backing a rental car at gas stations in an attempt to avoid detection by their surveillance cameras.
The body was initially discovered by a couple who were taking photos in a remote part of Wayne County, Utah, Brown said.

The remains couldn’t be immediately identified, he said, but “it was apparent that the decedent was a female who had died from gunshot wounds to the head.”
But DNA analysis found it was a familial DNA match to Melodee’s mother, he added.
“We have recovered a significant amount of evidence that clearly indicates that this heinous crime was committed by Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee’s mother, and the very person upon who she relied upon and trusted the most in this world,” Brown said at a news conference.
CNN is attempting to determine whether Buzzard has an attorney.
Investigators do not have the murder weapon and it’s unclear as to the motive of the killing as Ashlee is “uncooperative,” authorities said Tuesday.
Melodee’s paternal grandmother Lilly Denes told CNN affiliates KEYT and KSBY earlier Tuesday the sheriff’s office informed her Melodee’s body had been discovered.
“It’s really sad for us, especially that tomorrow is Christmas Eve and, you know, I have the rest of the grandkids coming home,” Denes told KEYT Tuesday.
CNN has reached out to the grandmother, who declined to comment because she was on her way to the news conference.
Brown went through a timeline on Tuesday that explained what led investigators to Melodee’s body.

Melodee was last seen October 9​

Buzzard went on a road trip with her 9-year-old daughter on October 7, when surveillance footage captured the girl at a local car rental agency dressed in what seemed to be a disguise, authorities said.
Melodee was wearing a hoodie pulled over her head and “what appears to be a wig that is darker and straighter than her natural hair,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s previously Office said. “Investigators believe the wig may have been used to alter her appearance.”
The rental car traveled through Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Kansas before returning home to Lompoc, about 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, authorities said.
At some point along the trip, Ashlee switched the license plates on the vehicle she had rented to a New York plate, Brown said Tuesday.
“Investigators have confirmed that Ashlee was seen returning to her Lompoc residence on October 10, driving the same rental vehicle she departed with on October 7 – but Melodee was not in the car,” the sheriff’s office previously said.
The young girl was last seen on video surveillance with her mother on the Colorado side of the Colorado-Utah border on October 9, 2025, according to Brown.
Detectives, Brown said, now believe Melodee was killed shortly after that stop.
Melodee was reported missing days later on October 14 – not by a family member, but by a school administrator concerned about her long absence.
The next day, on October 15, detectives served a search warrant at the home of Ashlee Buzzard, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
On October 30, sheriff’s detectives, along with the FBI Evidence Response Team, served follow up search warrants at the home of Ashlee Buzzard as well as for a storage locker and car she had recently rented, investigators said.
An expended cartridge case was recovered during the search of the Mars Avenue residence, Brown said, and during the search of the rental car a live round of similar ammunition was located, Brown said.
On December 17, the ATF found that cartridge cases from the Utah crime scene linked to a single cartridge case found at the Buzzard residence, authorities said.
“Cold-blooded and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness… went into planning” the crime, Brown said.
The “ruthlessness” that went into committing it, he added, was shocking.
This story has been updated with additional information.

I recalled sophisticated premeditation and cold blooded. I forgot ruthlessness. All those words are chilling and somethingyou don't normally hear from investigators/LE. CNN is trying to determine if she has an attorney? She will likely have a public defender and it often takes a day or two. She seems to have no assets or money that would allow for a private attorney imo.

You know it was a lot like Daybell but different too in that MB had been not that long ago seen. Now I'm back to thinking it is very like it and suspecting her reasoning was wanting her freedom from a child yet to keep collecting the SS payment due to dad's death. OR she simply hated her daughter but that would smack of mental illness. Imo the only defense they can go for is that, and I don't buy it. She planned TOO much and hid TOO much.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I don't know about anyone else but I'm thinking Ashley and Melodee did not go far from the road or a trial or some such. There is vast land there and scenery, etc. There is a state or national park, I forget which. It seems to me the odds of this couple coming across her body would be slim if she'd went far off...? And the other "tourists" if they were tourists, they were taking photos, probably did the easily accessible scenic areas too?

HTC called them photographers as if professional but the cops only said a couple taking pictures.

I really hope laziness got her, so that MB could be found before Christmas.

I hope AB has cold turkey or ham in jail and watery mashed potatoes. Serioulsy.

I am still just maddened, outraged.

HOW does anyone do this and WHY?

 

[Guess Who]

I'm still curious as to why the road trip in the first place and how often she did take them, especially since it appears she was killed when they were nearly back home in comparison to the entire trip taken.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I'm still curious as to why the road trip in the first place and how often she did take them, especially since it appears she was killed when they were nearly back home in comparison to the entire trip taken.

The PI claimed she did such trips a lot BUT I'd add that i didn't find that he seemed to really have any basis for saying that.

Personally I think it was all to confuse as to where MB might be found. Several states. She was backing into gas stations too so her plate wasn't caught.

I still wonder if something triggered her. We heard the school reported but did they try calling first or anything on that order...?

 

[Guess Who]

The backing into has stations to evade her plates being read makes little sense to me since it's obvious they know where she stopped. But are how that evades plate reading since most stations design so they can see all or most directions and you can't drive in reverse forever. She's possibly one that backs in to park nearly everywhere she goes.

 

[GrandmaBear]

The backing into has stations to evade her plates being read makes little sense to me since it's obvious they know where she stopped. But are how that evades plate reading since most stations design so they can see all or most directions and you can't drive in reverse forever. She's possibly one that backs in to park nearly everywhere she goes.

Some of these are pretty rural and small town. I doubt she backs in everywhere. It may not have saved her but I don't doubt she was doing it just like the wigs, to try to make things less obvious and cover her tracks.

In fact wasn't it said by neighbors she backed into her garage and that was very atypical of her? I think that was in this case. It was notable to them.

 

[RoundPeg]

Why is she being charged in California instead of Utah?

 

[GrandmaBear]

Why is she being charged in California instead of Utah?

They said because they believe the intent was formed in CA. I'm sure they probably had a discussion if not pi**ing match about jurisdiction.

However, it probably was formed there... The car rental, the wigs, the trip...

 

[GrandmaBear]

This one has some video of the inside of AB's house. During a search I believe.

 

[GrandmaBear]

This is mostly the same as the short I linked but a bit more in it. More of the home shown I think. i think it likely that LE caused some of the mess while searching, that's my guess.