Overview
- A Santa Barbara County judge dismissed the felony false imprisonment complaint against Ashlee Buzzard and ended her electronic monitoring following a preliminary hearing.
- Authorities say the dismissed case is separate from the disappearance of her daughter, Melodee, and Buzzard has not been charged in the missing-person investigation.
- The FBI is assisting the sheriff’s office, which served search warrants on Buzzard’s home, a storage unit and the rented 2024 white Chevrolet Malibu used on the trip.
- Melodee’s last confirmed sighting was Oct. 9 near the Colorado–Utah border during a route that reached Nebraska and included a wig disguise and a New York plate, HCG9677, later replaced with the original California tag.
- Detectives are urging businesses and the public along the route, including Primm, Nevada, to review Oct. 9–10 surveillance footage and submit tips as the at-risk missing-person case remains open.