Preliminary Hearing Set for Vandenberg Village Mother Accused of Killing Daughter

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - A preliminary hearing date has been set for the Vandenberg Village mother who is accused of killing 9-year-old daughter in 2025.

Inside a Santa Maria courtroom Monday, the preliminary hearing for Ashlee Buzzard was set for Sept. 16, 2026.

The preliminary hearing is expected to last as full day.

In Dec. 2025, Buzzard was arrested and charged with first-degree murder of her daughter Melodee after the girl's remains were found in rural Utah.

Melodee Buzzard was first reported missing in October after a three-day road trip with her mother.

Authorities later found the child's body in Wayne County, Utah in early December and said she had died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Ashlee Buzzard has pleaded not guilty in the high-profile case, which as drawn considerable media attention both locally and nationally.

Buzzard's defender Erica Sutherland announced Monday she plans to file a request for an accomodationi under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Buzzard.

Judge Stephen Dunkle, who is overseeing over the case, is expected to consider the motion during a hearing scheduled for July 7.

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