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4w ago

Mother of Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard Arrested on Unrelated False-Imprisonment Charge

Detectives are concentrating on a three-day multistate trip, requesting Oct. 9–10 surveillance from businesses along the route.

Investigators are sharing additional surveillance images of Ashlee and Melodee that were captured at a rental car location in Lompoc California at the start of the road trip on Oct. 7.
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Overview

  • Santa Barbara County deputies arrested Ashlee Buzzard, 40, on a felony false-imprisonment warrant with bail set at $100,000, which authorities say is not connected to her daughter's disappearance.
  • Investigators say Melodee was last verified on Oct. 9 on surveillance near the Colorado–Utah border during a road trip that began Oct. 7 and ended with her mother returning alone on Oct. 10.
  • Authorities released footage showing Ashlee and Melodee wearing wigs and said the appearance changes were intended to avoid recognition during travel.
  • Detectives believe the rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu’s California plate was swapped for a New York plate during the trip in an apparent effort to avoid detection.
  • The FBI is assisting as search warrants have been executed at the family home, a storage locker and the rental car, and officials report the mother has been uncooperative.