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The search for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard continues. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that they believe Melodee’s mother, Ashlee, used different wigs on a road trip with her daughter to avoid being recognized.
The Sheriff’s Office has released a nine-second video showing Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, wearing wigs at a rental car company in the Lompoc area. This video is the source of a previously released image of the pair. In the video, Melodee’s wig appears straighter and darker than her natural hair, while Buzzard’s wig has light curly hair and bangs.
Investigators said Buzzard rented a 2024 White Chevy Malibu with license plate number 9MNG101 on October 7, drove to the Nebraska area and made a return trip via Kansas. On October 8, law enforcement said that the car’s license plate changed to a New York plate (license plate number HCG9677). The plate does not belong to Buzzard or the rental, law enforcement said, and they believe Buzzard used the stolen or switched plate to avoid detection. Once Buzzard returned the rental car, the original California license plate was on the vehicle.
The Sheriff’s Office said separate surveillance footage shows Melodee somewhere near the Colorado-Utah border region on October 9, but Buzzard returned to her home in Vandenberg Village without Melodee. In the November 6 press release, investigators said they believe Ashlee swapped wigs on the trip, changing to a darker wig that is similar in color and style to the one Melodee wore in the initial footage.
“This change in appearance is believed to have been intentional to avoid recognition during travel,” the press release said.
The Sheriff’s Office said it started investigating Melodee’s disappearance on October 14, after a school district administrator reported an extended absence from school. Law enforcement said Ashlee Buzzard is not cooperating with the investigation nor has she confirmed Melodee’s location or welfare. Last week, sheriff’s detectives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which joined the search on October 18, served search warrants for three locations possibly connected to the case: Ashlee’s house on the 550 block of Mars Avenue in Lompoc, the rental car Melodee was last seen in, and a storage locker.
The investigation now focuses on where Melodee was on October 9 and 10. They ask businesses, gas stations, hotels, rest stops and community members to review surveillance footage from these days. The Sheriff’s Office said they believe the car drove through the following places on or around October 9.
- Green River, Utah
- Panguitch, Utah
- Northwest Arizona
- Primm, Nevada
- Rancho Cucamonga, California
Law enforcement says that Melodee is about 4 feet, 6 inches tall; weighs 60 pounds; and has brown hair and brown eyes. If you have any information on Melodee’s whereabouts you can contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office here:
- Detectives Line: (805) 681-4150
- Anonymous Tip Line: (805) 681-4171
- Online Tips: sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/
