Ashlee Buzzard Competency Hearing Pushed as Family Files Suits

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This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.

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The court is still deciding whether Ashlee Buzzard, the woman accused of murdering her 9-year-old daughter Melodee last year, is mentally competent to stand trial. 

Buzzard appeared in court on Monday morning in Santa Maria where Judge Stephen Dunkle rescheduled her mental competency hearing to November 30. One of two forensic psychologists evaluating Buzzard had not been able to complete her evaluation, meaning the court still did not have the evidence it needed to make a decision. 

A mental competency hearing decides whether a defendant is able to understand the case against them, as well as the court’s proceedings. Judge Dunkle paused the criminal case against Buzzard after her defense declared a doubt of her competency on September 8. 

During Monday’s court proceedings, a defense attorney said that Buzzard requested forensic psychologist Dr. Roxanne Rassti completed her evaluation over Zoom. The prosecution argued that the court should permit what she prefers, and that Dr. Rassti has requested to complete the evaluation in-person. Judge Dunkle ultimately ruled that Dr. Rassti could decide whether the evaluation would be completed over Zoom or through a cell visit. 

At the hearing, Judge Dunkle said that the other psychologist evaluating Buzzard, Dr. Laura Beltran, found that Buzzard was “not IST,” or incompetent to stand trial. 

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office began a formal search for Buzzard’s daughter Melodee last October after a Lompoc Unified School District employee reported the child’s extended absence from school to law enforcement. 

Officers visited the Buzzard residence on October 14. A press release from a day later said that the officers could find no sign of Melodee, and that Ashlee Buzzard did not provide a clear explanation of her whereabouts. The sheriff’s office announced the investigation into Melodee’s disappearance the following day, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the search four days later.

Over the course of two months, law enforcement repeatedly said that Buzzard did not cooperate in providing information as to where Melodee was. Through press releases, the Sheriff’s Office told the public it believed Buzzard left Lompoc in a rental car with Melodee on October 7, 2025, drove to the Nebraska area, and then looped back toward California, arriving home alone on October 10, 2025. Video footage from a rental car agency in Lompoc shows Buzzard and Melodee wearing wigs before departing. Law enforcement also told the public they believed Buzzard had switched license plates on the rental car. 

Melodee’s body was recovered in a remote part of Wayne County, Utah, on December 6, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Buzzard was charged later that month, on December 22, after law enforcement found ballistic evidence connected to Buzzard and received DNA evidence that suggested the body was a familial match. 

Last week, in two separate suits, Melodee’s half-sisters, Destynee Contreras and Corrinna Meza, sued Santa Barbara County, Lompoc Unified School District, and the City of Lompoc for failing to complete their legal duties to keep vulnerable children like Melodee safe. Specifically, the suits say that the government agencies did not identify, communicate and intervene on Melodee’s behalf despite warning signs that Melodee could be in danger. 

Contreras is Melodee’s half-sister on her mother’s side, while Meza is the child’s half-sister on her father’s side. Her father is deceased. Each case names the other sister as a nominal co-defendant, meaning the party is named only for technical reasons. 

Santa Barbara County, Lompoc Unified School District, and the City of Lompoc have not yet filed a response to these suits.