Overview
- Ashlee Buzzard, 40, is charged with felony false imprisonment for a Nov. 6 incident in Lompoc and is being held on $100,000 bail with a 1275 hold ahead of Wednesday’s arraignment.
- Authorities say the case is not connected to Melodee’s disappearance, while a named alleged victim, Tyler S. Brewer, reports he was kept from leaving, with a box cutter produced and doors secured.
- Detectives say Ashlee and Melodee left Lompoc on Oct. 7 in a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, appeared to wear wigs, and the car was seen with a New York plate beginning Oct. 8 before the California tag reappeared on return.
- The last verified sighting of Melodee was Oct. 9 near the Colorado–Utah border; Ashlee returned to California on Oct. 10 without her and has not provided a verifiable explanation, according to officials.
- The FBI is assisting the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, which has executed search warrants at the home, a storage locker and the rental car, and is requesting tips and video from Utah, northwest Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.