LITTLEFIELD, AZ (AZFamily) — Federal authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding Melodee Buzzard, an at-risk 9-year-old who went missing from California and likely passed through northwest Arizona.
Melodee Buzzard was reported missing from her home in Lompoc, California, after a school administrator reported her “prolonged absence” on Oct. 14. When police arrived at the home, they discovered only Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, was there, and she would not tell them where she was or if she was safe, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Melodee and Ashlee reportedly went on a road trip as far as Nebraska in a rental white Chevrolet Malibu, which had a fake plate for part of the drive, detectives say. Authorities believe the vehicle travelled along Interstate 15 through Littlefield, Arizona, as Ashlee, and potentially Melodee, drove back to California on Oct. 9 or Oct. 10.
Authorities believe Melodee and Ashlee Buzzard travelled through parts of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.(Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office)
Detectives are working to pinpoint the last time Melodee was seen on the route, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, which noted she was last seen on Oct. 9, somewhere near the Colorado-Utah border.
The girl was also photographed at a rental car agency on Oct. 7, wearing a wig and a hoodie.
Melodee has brown eyes and brown, curly hair that may be straightened or covered with a darker wig, according to law enforcement. She is between four and four-and-a-half feet tall and weighs between 60 and 100 pounds.
When she was photographed on Oct. 7 at a rental car agency, Melodee Buzzard was wearing what appeared to be a wig to disguise her natural hair and a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head.(Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, FBI via CNN Newsource)
Anyone who has seen Melodee or has had contact with Ashlee since Oct. 7 is asked to contact the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division at (805) 681-4150. You can remain anonymous by calling (805) 681-4171 or by submitting an online anonymous tip at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/.
Tips to the FBI can be sent via the FBI’s Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALLFBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.
The FBI is seeking information on the disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard.(Federal Bureau of Investigation)
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.