Sheriff to Share Important Updates on the Search for Missing Lompoc Girl
Search Underway for Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard
Authorities are intensifying their efforts to locate 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, who was last seen during an October road trip with her mother. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department announced plans for a news conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday to provide significant updates on the search.
The investigation began on October 14, after a school administrator reported that Melodee had not attended school for several days. Detectives revealed that Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, departed California on October 7 in a white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu and traveled as far as Nebraska. Investigators confirmed that the pair were last sighted via security camera footage on October 9, near the Colorado-Utah border.
As the search progressed, it was noted that the Malibu had changed from California license plate 9MNG101 to a New York plate reading HCG967 around October 8. The precise timing of this change and the usage of other plates during their travel remains unclear.
Following their October 9 sighting, the vehicle is believed to have passed through various locations including Green River and Panguitch, Utah; northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Detectives also released security footage showing Ashlee and Melodee at a rental car business in Lompoc on October 7, where they appeared to be wearing wigs.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, has had recent legal troubles unrelated to her daughter’s disappearance. She was arrested in November on charges of felony false imprisonment.
The upcoming news conference aims to provide further details about the ongoing search for Melodee Buzzard as investigators continue to pursue leads.
