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

 

[GrandmaBear]

Jan 7th is also the next date for Nick Reiner to appear in court. Ashlee looks so different without her wig and makeup.

Yeah I heard that too on the vid I liked. Both Nick and Ashlee, both CA, due in court the same date. Should be a big news day, not sure how much info we will get from it though.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Jan 7th is also the next date for Nick Reiner to appear in court. Ashlee looks so different without her wig and makeup.

Yeah her life now is and should be for the rest of it with no wig and no makeup. Other than maybe improvising like Lori Daybell does.

 

[ima.grandma]

Ashlee and Melodee Buzzard

Court documents obtained by ABC claim that Buzzard personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death and committed the murder by means of lying in wait.

Buzzard was in court on Friday morning when her attorney entered the not guilty plea, according to NBC LA. Her next hearing was set for Jan. 7.

Lilly Denes, Melodee's paternal grandmother, told reporters outside the courthouse in Santa Barbara County that she was outraged by the plea.

The outlets reported that the prosecutors are seeking life in prison without parole for Buzzard.

Melodee Buzzard's Mom Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, 2 Months After 9-Year-Old Went Missing

Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, has pleaded not guilty to her daughter's murder. Melodee's October disappearance from Santa Barbara County, Calif., sparked a weeks-long search spanning several states.

people.com

Ashlee Buzzard pleads not guilty to murder of daughter; DA's office won't seek death penalty

The plea and denial of special allegations of discharge of a firearm causing death and murder by lying in wait were entered during Buzzard's arraignment on Friday.

www.ksby.com

 

[Tresir]

Ashlee and Melodee Buzzard

Court documents obtained by ABC claim that Buzzard personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death and committed the murder by means of lying in wait.

Buzzard was in court on Friday morning when her attorney entered the not guilty plea, according to NBC LA. Her next hearing was set for Jan. 7.

Lilly Denes, Melodee's paternal grandmother, told reporters outside the courthouse in Santa Barbara County that she was outraged by the plea.

The outlets reported that the prosecutors are seeking life in prison without parole for Buzzard.

Melodee Buzzard's Mom Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, 2 Months After 9-Year-Old Went Missing

Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, has pleaded not guilty to her daughter's murder. Melodee's October disappearance from Santa Barbara County, Calif., sparked a weeks-long search spanning several states.

people.com

Ashlee Buzzard pleads not guilty to murder of daughter; DA's office won't seek death penalty

The plea and denial of special allegations of discharge of a firearm causing death and murder by lying in wait were entered during Buzzard's arraignment on Friday.

www.ksby.com

By "lying in wait" ? How does that work when you are travelling in a car together ?

 

[Tresir]

Ashlee and Melodee Buzzard

Court documents obtained by ABC claim that Buzzard personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death and committed the murder by means of lying in wait.

Buzzard was in court on Friday morning when her attorney entered the not guilty plea, according to NBC LA. Her next hearing was set for Jan. 7.

Lilly Denes, Melodee's paternal grandmother, told reporters outside the courthouse in Santa Barbara County that she was outraged by the plea.

The outlets reported that the prosecutors are seeking life in prison without parole for Buzzard.

Melodee Buzzard's Mom Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, 2 Months After 9-Year-Old Went Missing

Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, has pleaded not guilty to her daughter's murder. Melodee's October disappearance from Santa Barbara County, Calif., sparked a weeks-long search spanning several states.

people.com

Ashlee Buzzard pleads not guilty to murder of daughter; DA's office won't seek death penalty

The plea and denial of special allegations of discharge of a firearm causing death and murder by lying in wait were entered during Buzzard's arraignment on Friday.

www.ksby.com

Ok so it seems she was shot in Utah where she was found. "Cartridge cases found at the crime scene in Utah."

From the ksby article -

He said Melodee died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, adding that cartridge cases found at the crime scene in Utah were positively linked to an expended cartridge case that was found at Buzzard’s Mars Avenue home during one of the searches and also "a live round of similar ammunition" located inside her rental car.

Earlier this week, Sheriff Brown said the firearm used in the killing had not been recovered and a motive had also not been determined.
He states the case is being prosecuted in Santa Barbara County "since the intent was believed to have been formed here in our county prior to going on this road trip and committing the actual crime.”

 

[GrandmaBear]

All I can think of is Melodee took a walk or AB told her to, like check out that view from over there, if on a trail, or she needed to "pee" and AB told her go off over there. And she waited for her to come back, maybe around a bend and shot her? That would be lying in wait... Hiding and waiting for someone so you can kill them by surprise...

BUT how would they KNOW that??

 

[GrandmaBear]

Why the he77 did she keep the expended cartridge in her home? And miss a live round in her car too?

The expended cartridge would lead me to believe she disposed of the gun once home... They haven't found the weapon.

 

[Mel70]

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.

Uncooperative says it all. Had her dressed in a disguise. This woman is evil.

 

[Mel70]

Why the he77 did she keep the expended cartridge in her home? And miss a live round in her car too?

The expended cartridge would lead me to believe she disposed of the gun once home... They haven't found the weapon.

Idiocy. Thought she was so smart. I'm glad she messed up.

 

[Mel70]

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.

No bail! Good! Arrested before for kidnapping?. Wonderful.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Uncooperative says it all. Had her dressed in a disguise. This woman is evil.

She has moved to my list of Evil POS's. I tried to hope in this one, it was a bit unusual in that she had been seen recently. Not normally like me. Lots of people "out there" did the same.

Total shift. TOTAL.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Idiocy. Thought she was so smart. I'm glad she messed up.

She messed up a lot actually. Like most do. She thought she was so cunning and so smart. Calculated. Planned.

 

[GrandmaBear]

No bail! Good!

Yes. Even with a hearing now still on no bond.

 

[Mel70]

Unless she wanted to spend some time with her before she did it. But that still doesn't make sense if she wanted to kill her. Maybe she is a drug addict and just crazy.

Well the law is if she knew it was wrong. If she didn't then she's insane.

 

[Mel70]

Ashlee and Melodee Buzzard

Court documents obtained by ABC claim that Buzzard personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing death and committed the murder by means of lying in wait.

Buzzard was in court on Friday morning when her attorney entered the not guilty plea, according to NBC LA. Her next hearing was set for Jan. 7.

Lilly Denes, Melodee's paternal grandmother, told reporters outside the courthouse in Santa Barbara County that she was outraged by the plea.

The outlets reported that the prosecutors are seeking life in prison without parole for Buzzard.

Melodee Buzzard's Mom Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, 2 Months After 9-Year-Old Went Missing

Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, has pleaded not guilty to her daughter's murder. Melodee's October disappearance from Santa Barbara County, Calif., sparked a weeks-long search spanning several states.

people.com

Ashlee Buzzard pleads not guilty to murder of daughter; DA's office won't seek death penalty

The plea and denial of special allegations of discharge of a firearm causing death and murder by lying in wait were entered during Buzzard's arraignment on Friday.

www.ksby.com

Not guilty. Psh.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Well the law is if she knew it was wrong. If she didn't then she's insane.

I watched John Kelly last night. Well known criminal profiler. Granted he is up there in age now. And said he could be wrong of course. He didn't mention drugs to peak of or insanity but thinks she does have a shopping addiction. And more. I meant to link it, don't think I did.

She's not insane, this was planned, hid, calculated.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Not guilty. Psh.

Don't 99 percent of them these days claim NG. Even if they are thinking about just admitting and pleading guilt, defense attys get them to not imo.

 

[Mel70]

Ok so it seems she was shot in Utah where she was found. "Cartridge cases found at the crime scene in Utah."

From the ksby article -

He said Melodee died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, adding that cartridge cases found at the crime scene in Utah were positively linked to an expended cartridge case that was found at Buzzard’s Mars Avenue home during one of the searches and also "a live round of similar ammunition" located inside her rental car.

Earlier this week, Sheriff Brown said the firearm used in the killing had not been recovered and a motive had also not been determined.
He states the case is being prosecuted in Santa Barbara County "since the intent was believed to have been formed here in our county prior to going on this road trip and committing the actual crime.”

Poor girl.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Gigi does a great recap and she is thorough and the sources are always news, interviews, etc. Much in this we already know BUT I heard many things I did not know. I also saw at least one picture I had not seen before. Maybe others have heard or did know these nuggets but I did not, nor do I recall seeing that info here, in links or in posts. She is an easy listen.

I haven't watched her a ton lately as she hasn't come up a lot or had a lot in the last months. I think they suffered a loss or something and some other things she had going on.

Conversely I watched a News Nation one and the guest is Mark Geragos. It was so completely ridiculous imo I won't like that one.

Here is Gigi.

 

[GrandmaBear]

News Nation has about 2 and a half million followers but had 160 likes on their show lol. I could see why after gagging through it.