As an investigation into a missing California girl continues, more details are emerging about Melodee Buzzard. The 9-year-old girl vanished sometime this year, and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, is being “uncooperative” with the search, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.
Last week, the sheriff’s office issued a missing person advisory for Melodee. At the time, they said they had no confirmed sightings of the girl for a year; the only reason she was reported missing was because an astute school official noticed the family had never checked in again after registering for an independent study program. Melodee is homeschooled and lives on the 500 block of Mars Avenue in Vandenberg Village, an unincorporated area near the city of Lompoc, officials said.
On Friday, sheriff’s deputies said they have narrowed the timeline of when Melodee disappeared. Lompoc Unified School District employees recalled seeing Melodee and her mother in August when they came to register for the independent study program. That is now believed to be the last known sighting of Melodee.
“Lompoc Unified School District deserves credit for recognizing that something wasn’t right, reaching out, and continuing to assist with this investigation,” said sheriff’s office Lt. Chris Gotschall in a statement.
Several family members spoke with the LA Times, describing a fraught relationship with Ashlee Buzzard. Melodee’s father died in a motorcycle crash while she was an infant, and the family members said Ashlee Buzzard has refused to let them see the girl.
“I am horrified for my little niece, I can’t imagine what she’s gone through,” Vicky Shade, Melodee’s aunt, told the Times. “This does not sound good. I just want to know if she’s OK. We need to find her.”
Court records reviewed by SFGATE show Ashlee Buzzard is in the midst of several civil cases with creditors who allege Buzzard had unpaid debts. When sheriff’s office investigators interviewed Buzzard about Melodee, they said she could not provide a “clear explanation” of where the girl is.
Anyone with details about Melodee’s whereabouts is urged to call the sheriff’s office at 805-681-4150 or the tipline at 805-681-4171.
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This article originally published at Mother uncooperative as search continues for missing California girl, officials say.