LOMPOC, CA — Authorities just released a new timeline and are asking for the public’s help in locating a 9-year-old girl who has been missing for more than a year from Santa Barbara County.
Before Melodee Buzzard disappeared, she lived in Vandenberg Village, near Lompoc, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
In what investigators are calling a “perplexing case,” officials said Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, may have traveled as far as Nebraska with her daughter in a white rental Chevrolet Malibu (license plate 9MNG101). The pair were reportedly seen there on Oct. 7.
Deputies said they believe Ashlee did not return to California with Melodee and that she has not cooperated with investigators.
(Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department)
On Oct. 14, a welfare check requested by the Lompoc Unified School District prompted a missing person investigation. When deputies visited the Buzzard home, Ashlee “could not provide a reasonable explanation of Melodee’s whereabouts,” the sheriff’s department said.
The following day, detectives served a search warrant at the residence, but Melodee was not found. Her mother remained “uncooperative,” according to deputies.
On Oct. 18, the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the search for the missing girl, who has been deemed an at-risk missing person.
Anyone who may have seen Melodee Buzzard is urged to contact detectives immediately via the following means:
Detectives Line: 805-681-4150Anonymous Tip Line: 805-681-4171Online tips: SBSheriff.org
The most recent verified photo of Melodee Buzzard is about two years old. She is described as a 9-year-old girl, roughly 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighing around 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Investigators said her appearance may have changed since the photo was taken.
The sheriff’s office did not specify what clothing Melodee was last seen wearing or provide details about her last confirmed location beyond noting she was last seen with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, on Oct. 7. Authorities also did not release information about where Ashlee might currently be.
While the sheriff’s department is seeking the public’s help to assist investigators in the search, authorities are “asking the public not to attempt to conduct their own searches or investigations.”
“While well-intentioned, these efforts could unintentionally interfere with investigative work already in progress,” the department’s Monday update states.