Missing nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard found dead; Mother Ashlee arrested for her murder
VANDENBERG VILLAGE, Calif. (KEYT) – Law enforcement confirmed Tuesday morning that Melodee Buzzard, the local nine-year-old missing since earlier this year, has been confirmed dead and her mother has been taken into custody in connection.
Melodee's paternal grandmother, Lilly Denes, shared with Your News Channel that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office informed her that her granddaughter's body had been recovered and that Ashlee has been taken into custody Tuesday morning.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown shared during a press conference Tuesday that Ashlee Buzzard is in custody on a charge of first degree murder and investigators have not confirmed an exact motive.
Law enforcement in Wayne County, Utah located the body of a female child with gunshot wounds to her head on Dec. 8 and on Dec. 22 DNA samples confirmed a familial relationship between the recovered remains and Ashlee Buzzard.
An alert school administrator raised the alarm about the missing nine-year-old on October 14 after the home schooler had not reported in as required.
"Lompoc Unified School District deserves credit for recognizing that something wasn’t right, reaching out, and continuing to assist with this investigation," stated Lieutenant Chris Gotschall from the Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division. "This important update helps narrow a significant gap in the timeline of when she was last known to be seen and because of that, we’re closer to understanding what happened to Melodee."
According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, Melodee's mother was, "uncooperative with investigators" and detectives did not receive any verified information about the nine-year-old's whereabouts outside of the local school district when the public search began.
During the multi-day trip, both were seen wearing wigs and at some point, the license plate on the rental car was swapped with out-of-state plates.
Investigators believe that Melodee died on Oct. 9, 2025, shared Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office during Tuesday's press conference.
In November, Ashlee Buzzard was arrested for false imprisonment by deputies, but the case was dismissed one day after her first court appearance.
Your News Channel will livestream a joint press conference with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announcing the latest information about the case at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23.
