Overview
- Authorities say the 9-year-old was last verified on Oct. 9 near the Colorado–Utah border during the return from a cross-country trip.
- The rented 2024 white Chevrolet Malibu initially bore California plate 9MNG101, then was seen on or before Oct. 8 with New York plate HCG9677, which investigators believe was used to avoid detection before the original plate reappeared.
- Surveillance from Oct. 7 at a Lompoc rental agency shows Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, appearing to wear wigs, suggesting efforts to conceal their identities.
- Investigators released a map of the likely return route, including Green River and Panguitch in Utah, northwest Arizona, Primm, Nevada, and Rancho Cucamonga, California, and asked for tips and video from Oct. 9–10.
- The FBI is assisting the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, which has executed searches of the home, a storage unit, and the rental car; Ashlee remains uncooperative, no arrests have been made, and the case is classified as an at-risk missing juvenile investigation.