The physique of lacking 9-year-old lady Melodee Buzzard has been came upon of state two months after she went lacking in Southern California, a legislation enforcement supply confirmed to NBC Information on Tuesday, December 23.
The supply stated that Melodee’s physique was discovered earlier in December, although additional particulars in regards to the discovery haven’t but been shared.
Shortly after her physique was discovered, Melodee’s mom, Ashlee Buzzard, was reportedly taken into custody, in response to video shared with NBC Information affiliate KSBY. The household’s neighbors stated they noticed Ashlee being taken by deputies from her house early on December 23. Nevertheless, it’s not at the moment clear why she was taken into custody.
The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Workplace has not but confirmed that Melodee’s physique was discovered, although they shared that that they had an replace concerning the case in an X submit. “The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Workplace has main developments within the lacking particular person investigation for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard. Members of the media are invited to a press convention: Tuesday, December 23, 2025, 2:00 p.m.,” the submit learn.
Melodee’s disappearance in October has left many individuals in her group of Vandenberg Village feeling unsettled, whereas the case has garnered nationwide curiosity.
Officers beforehand stated that Ashlee, 40, had been “uncooperative and has not offered detectives with any details about Melodee’s present location or situation” amid the search and investigation into Melodee’s disappearance, in response to NBC Information.
In October, the Lompoc Unified Faculty District stated in an announcement that Ashlee introduced Melodee to an unbiased research program in August to enroll her as a scholar. Nevertheless, she didn’t attend via early October, and the district finally notified legislation enforcement about her absences.
Amid the investigation, authorities regarded right into a street journey the mother-daughter duo took from Southern California to Nebraska that befell between October 7 and October 10.
The sheriff’s workplace stated that one safety video captured on October 7 confirmed Melodee carrying a wig at a rental automobile enterprise, the place the duo picked up a Chevrolet Malibu. Detectives speculated she was carrying the wig to throw off makes an attempt to trace or discover her, noting that Ashlee herself was identified to sport wigs.
At one level through the journey, the rental automobile’s license plate was briefly switched to a New York plate in an alleged try and keep away from detection.
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Melodee was final seen on the return leg of the journey on October 9 when she and Ashlee have been close to the Utah-Colorado border. The younger lady was not along with her mom when she returned the rental automobile or got here again house on October 10, detectives beforehand confirmed.
Ashlee was beforehand arrested on suspicion of felony false imprisonment on November 7 in a separate case not associated to Melodee’s disappearance. A person testified that Ashlee held him in opposition to his will at her house and threatened him with a field cutter, in response to KSBY of San Luis Obispo. The cost was finally dismissed on November 20, with prosecutors citing contradictory data and inadequate proof.
