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Mother of Missing California Girl Has Brief Court Appearance Ahead of False-Imprisonment Hearing

Investigators still seek tips in Melodee Buzzard’s disappearance with FBI assistance.

Overview

  • Ashlee Buzzard made a seconds-long appearance in a Lompoc courtroom Wednesday, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning.
  • Buzzard has pleaded not guilty to a felony false-imprisonment charge tied to an encounter with Tyler Brewer at her Vandenberg Village home, and she remains on GPS monitoring.
  • Authorities state the felony case is unrelated to the search for 9-year-old Melodee, who has been missing since early October.
  • The missing-person probe centers on an October 7–10 road trip that included surveillance of wigs and a mid-trip license-plate swap, with investigators seeking corridor surveillance and tips.
  • The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reports no new public updates in the search, noting the mother has declined to cooperate as the FBI and local prosecutors assist the investigation.