The Disappearance of 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard: A Cross-Country Road Trip, Disguises, and Unanswered Questions
Status: Missing / At-Risk Child (Active Investigation)
Jurisdiction: Santa Barbara County, California (primary)
Investigating Agencies: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Child Protective Services (CPS)
Case Overview
Nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard was reported missing on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, after a school administrator in the Lompoc/Vandenberg Village area of Santa Barbara County, California raised concerns about her prolonged absence from an independent study program.
Investigators say that Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, took her on a multi-state road trip beginning on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. Surveillance images later released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office show both Ashlee and Melodee wearing wigs and hooded sweatshirts at a rental car business in Lompoc before leaving town.
Law enforcement has confirmed that the pair traveled across several states, that the vehicle’s license plate was switched from a California plate to a New York plate that did not belong to the car, and that Melodee was last seen on surveillance video on Thursday, October 9, 2025, near the Colorado–Utah border. By Friday, October 10, 2025, investigators say Ashlee had returned to California in the same rental vehicle without her daughter.
As of mid-November 2025, Melodee remains missing. Ashlee has not been charged with a crime related to her disappearance, but she has been arrested and charged with felony false imprisonment in a separate incident. She has pleaded not guilty and is under GPS monitoring while that case moves through the courts.
Who Is Melodee Buzzard?
Age: 9
Residence: Lompoc / Vandenberg Village area, Santa Barbara County, California
Description (per law enforcement releases): Approximately 4′6″, about 60 pounds, with brown curly hair
and brown eyes.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has classified Melodee as an “at-risk” missing child, due to her age and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. According to school and family accounts reported by the media, she was enrolled in an independent studies/homeschool-style program and had missed required check-ins for many months before she was formally reported missing.
Family Background and Custody History
Public reporting and family interviews provide the following background. These are important context, but where noted they reflect family statements rather than official findings:
- Melodee’s father, Rubiell Meza, died in a vehicle crash in 2016, when she was an infant.
- After Ashlee was reportedly treated in a mental health facility, social services placed Melodee with her paternal grandmother, Lilly Denes, who says she began adoption proceedings.
- Around 2021, Denes says Ashlee re-entered Melodee’s life and eventually resumed care. Denes and other relatives allege that Ashlee then began to isolate Melodee, limiting contact with extended family and controlling communication and visits.
These family accounts have been consistently reported by multiple outlets, but they are not the same as court findings. Law enforcement has not publicly released detailed information about custody orders or Ashlee’s medical history.
The Road Trip: Disguises, License Plate Switch, and Multi-State Travel
Departure from Lompoc – Tuesday, October 7, 2025
On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, surveillance at a rental car business in Lompoc captured Ashlee and Melodee together. Both appear to be wearing wigs and hooded sweatshirts. Investigators believe the wigs were used to change their appearances and avoid recognition.
The pair left in a white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu with California license plate 9MNG101. This vehicle and date have been repeatedly confirmed in official releases.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 – License Plate Change
By Wednesday, October 8, investigators say the Malibu was seen with a New York plate, HCG9677, which was not registered to the car or to Ashlee. Law enforcement has described this as a switched or false plate used to avoid detection while traveling out of state.
Law enforcement statements and media summaries indicate that Ashlee and Melodee traveled as far as Nebraska, with a return route that included Kansas, before heading back toward California.
Thursday, October 9, 2025 – Last Confirmed Sighting of Melodee
A key piece of evidence is surveillance video that shows Ashlee and Melodee together on Thursday, October 9, 2025, near the Colorado–Utah border. This is the last confirmed sighting of Melodee released by law enforcement.
The Sheriff’s Office and news outlets have listed several communities along the likely route that day, including: Green River (Utah), Panguitch (Utah), parts of northwest Arizona, Primm (Nevada), and Rancho Cucamonga (California). Authorities have asked residents, businesses, and travelers from these areas to review any surveillance or dash-camera footage that might show the Malibu or the two travelers.
Investigators and private investigators have also highlighted information that the FBI informed at least one Utah business that Ashlee’s phone pinged a tower near the intersection of State Route 20 and U.S. 89 on the evening of October 9. That detail has been reported through media and PI interviews rather than direct public FBI press releases.
Return to California – Friday, October 10, 2025
Law enforcement says that by Friday, October 10, 2025, Ashlee was back in the Lompoc area, driving the same white Malibu. Melodee was not with her.
Neighbors later told reporters that Ashlee backed the rental car into the garage, something they considered unusual. That specific behavior detail comes from neighbor interviews, not directly from official public statements.
Discovery of the Disappearance
School Report – Tuesday, October 14, 2025
On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, a school administrator reported Melodee missing after noticing she had not attended in-person sessions or checked in for an extended period. Different outlets describe her as having missed required check-ins for months in her independent study/homeschool program.
Deputies responded to the residence linked to Melodee and Ashlee, confirmed that Melodee was not in the home, and opened a formal missing at-risk child investigation.
Law Enforcement and CPS Attempts
In the days that followed, the Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services made repeated attempts to contact Ashlee and gather information about Melodee’s whereabouts. Media reports describe Ashlee as uncooperative, often declining to answer questions or avoiding contact altogether.
Law enforcement obtained and executed at least one search warrant at the residence. Investigators have not publicly shared everything they found but have continued to emphasize that Ashlee has not provided a verifiable explanation for where Melodee is or when she last saw her daughter in person.
Arrest of Ashlee Buzzard (Separate Case)
On Friday, November 7, 2025, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Ashlee Buzzard on a felony charge of false imprisonment. This charge, according to the Sheriff’s Office and court coverage, is not directly related to the missing-child investigation.
The alleged victim, identified in some reports as Tyler Brewer, is a paralegal who had contact with the family as he tried to help with Melodee’s case. Investigators allege that Ashlee prevented him from leaving her home, locked doors, and brandished a box cutter. Ashlee has pleaded not guilty.
Court records and news coverage indicate that she has been released under GPS monitoring and ordered to comply with court conditions while the case is pending, with a court date set for November 19, 2025.
Both law enforcement and media outlets consistently reiterate that this criminal charge is legally separate from the search for Melodee, even though it may provide context about Ashlee’s behavior during the same period.
Private Investigator Involvement
Multiple outlets confirm that a licensed private investigator, Bill Garcia, has joined the effort on behalf of family members. Garcia has decades of experience in missing-child cases and is reportedly working without charge for the family.
Garcia has been retracing Ashlee’s approximate 3,000-mile route, focusing especially on Junction, Utah and surrounding communities close to the Colorado–Utah border. He has spoken publicly about:
- Reports that a gas station employee in Junction saw Ashlee with a woman who had purple hair.
- The presence of a nearby small airstrip and the theoretical possibility that Melodee could have been handed off to someone else along the route.
- The need for residents and travelers to check security cameras, dash cameras, trail cameras, and even wildlife cameras along the route between Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California.
These points are presented as investigative leads and theories, not as confirmed findings. So far, law enforcement has not publicly confirmed any handoff or second suspect, nor have they released proof of life or confirmed sightings of Melodee beyond October 9, 2025.
Key Risk Factors and Concerns
Based on law enforcement statements and consistent reporting from major outlets, several key factors make this case especially concerning:
- Age and At-Risk Status: At 9 years old, Melodee has been formally labeled an “at-risk” missing child by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
- Length of Time Missing: She has been missing since at least Thursday, October 9, 2025, the date of her last confirmed appearance on video. No verified sighting or proof of life has been made public since.
- Use of Disguises and a Switched License Plate: Wigs and a false license plate suggest planning and an effort to avoid detection.
- Lack of Cooperation from the Parent: Investigators say Ashlee has not provided a clear or verifiable account of where Melodee is or when she last saw her daughter.
- Family Concerns About Isolation: Family members describe a pattern in which Ashlee kept Melodee isolated from extended relatives and tightly controlled her environment. These concerns come from family statements and interviews, not from publicly released court documents.
Verified Facts vs. Reported Concerns
Verified Through Law Enforcement or Court Records
- Melodee Buzzard is a 9-year-old missing at-risk child from the Lompoc area of Santa Barbara County.
- She left California on October 7, 2025, with her mother in a white 2024 Chevy Malibu (CA plate 9MNG101).
- The Malibu was later seen with a New York plate (HCG9677) not registered to the vehicle or to Ashlee.
- Melodee was last seen on surveillance video on October 9, 2025, near the Colorado–Utah border.
- Ashlee returned to California on October 10, 2025, driving the same rental car without Melodee.
- A school report on October 14, 2025, triggered the missing-child investigation.
- Ashlee has been charged with felony false imprisonment in a separate incident and has pleaded not guilty.
Reported by Family, Neighbors, or Private Investigators
- Claims that Ashlee “cut Melodee off from the entire world” by limiting contact with family and friends.
- Descriptions of Ashlee’s mental health history and behavior that have not been detailed in official records.
- Witness reports of a woman with purple hair and speculative scenarios involving a possible handoff.
- Neighbor accounts of unusual behavior, including backing the rental car into the garage.
These details help shape the larger picture of the case, but this site presents them clearly as allegations, concerns, or investigative leads unless and until they are confirmed in official records.