Overview
- Santa Barbara County records show Ashlee Buzzard, 40, is jailed without bail as the principal suspect following her Dec. 23 arrest.
- Tourists discovered the body on Dec. 6 along a road in Wayne County, Utah, and DNA testing confirmed the remains as Melodee Buzzard.
- Investigators report gunshot wounds to the child's head, information shared with local police by the FBI.
- A spent cartridge recovered from the mother's home was consistent with shell casings found at the Utah scene, according to the sheriff.
- Authorities outline a timeline in which the mother and child left Oct. 7 on a multi-state trip, the girl was last seen Oct. 9 near the Utah–Colorado line, the mother returned alone Oct. 10, and a school administrator reported the child missing on Oct. 14.