Case Dismissed Against Mother of Missing Child Melodee Buzzard

A district judge dismissed the false imprisonment case against Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, on Thursday. 

Law enforcement arrested Buzzard on November 10 after Tyler S. Brewer, a legal document assistant, alleged that Buzzard had not permitted him to leave her Vandenberg Village home on November 6. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that this case was not directly related to her daughter’s disappearance. 

In a social media post from last week, Brewer said that he had contacted Buzzard to offer assistance in locating Melodee. While at Buzzard’s house, Brewer said in the post, Buzzard told Brewer “information she appeared to regret disclosing” and became agitated. Brewer said Buzzard did not immediately permit him to leave and that a box cutter “was produced.” 

Buzzard was released from custody last week after her arraignment, when Judge John McGregor ordered her to wear a GPS tracking device. Buzzard was also not allowed to contact Brewer. With Buzzard’s case dismissed, she no longer needs to wear a GPS tracking device. 

After hearing testimonies this Thursday, Judge Stephen Dunkle ruled there was not sufficient evidence to continue the case. As part of the preliminary hearing, Judge Dunkle heard an audio recording of a conversation between Buzzard and Brewer from that night. KSBY News reported that a detective from the Sheriff’s Office testified in court, saying that law enforcement found two cell phones in Ashlee Buzzard’s purse after her arrest; after obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement found the recording. Judge Dunkle said that the recording did not provide sufficient evidence that Brewer was in fear during the encounter, KSBY reported. 

While the felony case against her mother has been dismissed, Melodee Buzzard remains missing. She is described as about 4’6″ tall and weighing approximately 60 pounds. She has curly brown hair and brown eyes. Law enforcement have not announced any arrests in relation to this missing person case and say that Buzzard remains uncooperative with the investigation. 

Melodee was last seen in surveillance footage from the Colorado–Utah border region on October 9. Law enforcement believes that Buzzard drove Melodee from Lompoc to the Nebraska area, and then journeyed on a return route through Kansas. Buzzard used a rented white Chevrolet Malibu (license plate 9MNG101). That vehicle was seen with both a California and New York license plate, said the Sheriff’s Office, which believes Buzzard switched the plates to avoid detection. Law enforcement has also said that Buzzard wore wigs on at least part of the trip, possibly to avoid detection.

The Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are asking that anyone with information about Melodee come forward. Contact the detective line at (805) 681-4150, the anonymous tip line at (805) 681-4171, or submit a tip online at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/.