Overview
- Law enforcement sources say human remains found in Utah earlier this month were identified by DNA as 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard.
- Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody Tuesday morning in Vandenberg Village, with officials set to announce major developments at a 2 p.m. PT news conference.
- Investigators believe Melodee likely died in October during a multi-state trip, with the last confirmed sighting on October 9 near the Colorado–Utah border.
- Authorities documented wigs and a temporary license-plate switch on the rented Chevrolet Malibu, and they say the mother did not cooperate with the search.
- The case began after school officials reported Melodee’s prolonged absence on October 14; an unrelated November false-imprisonment case against the mother was later dismissed as the FBI and sheriff’s office continue the active investigation without publicly announced charges.