What Happened to Melodee Buzzard? Everything We Know About the 9-Year-Old’s Disappearance

Melodee Buzzard is a 9-year-old girl from Lompoc, Calif., who has not been seen since Oct. 7.

After Melodee hadn’t been seen by school officials for a prolonged period, she was reported missing on Oct. 14, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. When officers checked in at her home, they found her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, but Melodee was nowhere to be seen. Ashlee had allegedly also not provided a “clear explanation” of Melodee’s whereabouts.

Detectives began investigating the case and determined that there was a three-day “critical timeline” where Melodee likely disappeared. The sheriff’s office shared that she went missing sometime between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10 while she and Ashlee were on a road trip from California to Nebraska.

Two weeks after she went missing, the sheriff’s office released surveillance camera photos showing Melodee seemingly wearing a wig while at a car rental business on Oct. 7. From there, the mother-daughter duo allegedly traveled across several states before Ashlee returned to Lompoc without Melodee.

“Detectives are now focused on determining where Melodee was during those three days and where she may be now,” the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators have determined that Melodee is “at-risk” because of her age and because of her prolonged absence from school. The sheriff’s office said that Melodee was previously homeschooled and had not checked in since October 2024, although their timeline later confirmed she was seen at the Lompoc School District in August 2025.

Here’s everything to know about Melodee Buzzard’s disappearance.

Melodee was with her mother as recently as Oct. 7

Melodee was last seen on surveillance video at a car rental agency near Lompoc, Calif., a city about 50 miles north of Santa Barbara, on Oct. 7, 2025, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

In the photos, which have since been released to the public, Melodee wore a gray hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and black leggings with a colored pattern.

The 9-year-old also appeared to be wearing a wig that had darker and straighter hair compared to her natural hair.

“Investigators also noted the wig may have been used to alter her appearance,” an Oct. 24 statement read. “Detectives also note that [Melodee’s mother, 35-year-old Ashlee Buzzard] is known to wear wigs.”

Melodee and Ashlee allegedly went on a road trip from California to Nebraska for three days

After Melodee was last seen on surveillance footage from the Lompoc rental business, the vehicle Ashlee rented was driven to Nebraska over three days. The car is a white Chevrolet Malibu with the license plate 9MNG101, per authorities.

The sheriff’s office announced that they believe the return trip included a stop in Kansas.

Ashlee returned to their California home – without Melodee – on Oct. 10

Investigators confirmed that Ashlee returned to her home in Lompoc — without Melodee — on Oct. 10.

She was “driving the same rental vehicle she departed with on October 7 — but Melodee was not in the car,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

A Lompoc school district official reported her “extended absence” on Oct. 14

One week after Melodee was last seen, one of the Lompoc Unified School District administrators reported her “extended absence,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Melodee had reportedly failed to pick up school assignments from an independent learning program, per the Los Angeles Times. Later that day, deputies went to Melodee and Ashlee’s home in Lompoc.

“Melodee was not at the home, and no verifiable explanation for her whereabouts was provided,” the sheriff’s office alleged of the visit.

Ashlee has been allegedly “uncooperative” in locating her daughter

As the investigation into Melodee’s disappearance heightened, authorities have claimed that Ashlee has not been cooperating with police.

“At this stage, Ashlee remains uncooperative and has not provided any information about Melodee’s current location or welfare,” the sheriff’s office said in an Oct. 20 statement.

While Ashlee has not spoken out about her daughter’s disappearance, her extended family has expressed concern over the well-being of both Ashlee and Melodee.

“Ashlee is mentally unstable, and my mom tried to get custody or at least grandparent rights to visit Melodee because [Ashlee] wasn’t letting our side of the family see her,” Vicky Shade, Melodee’s aunt, claimed to the Los Angeles Times.

Shade’s brother, Rubiell Meza, is Melodee’s late father, who died in a motorcycle accident after Melodee’s birth.

Melodee remains an “at-risk” missing child

Three weeks after Melodee was last seen on surveillance video, she is still missing and “is considered at-risk due to her age and the length of her absence,” per the sheriff’s office. They have described Melodee as being around “4 feet 6 inches tall, 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.”

“Our detectives are following every lead in this case. We continue to seek information from the public that could help us find Melodee,” Sheriff Bill Brown said in a statement. “We remain determined to bring her home safely.”

As the investigation has unfolded, authorities determined that Melodee was last seen in public in August 2025, but they did not share the details of the sighting. The most recent photograph available to the public was taken in 2023.

Melodee was reportedly homeschooled and had not checked in since October 2024, according to ABC News. However, there are no records of Ashlee filing the necessary paperwork to homeschool a child, according to a California Department of Education spokesperson.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Melodee enrolled in an independent learning program within the Lompoc Unified School District in August 2025.

Since Melodee’s disappearance, a few of her family members have come forward to plead for her safe return while also speaking about their complicated family dynamic. Family members held a vigil in Lompoc and spoke about Melodee on Oct. 24.

“This is so sad,” Bridgette Truhitte, one of Melodee’s aunts, said at the time, per the Lompoc Record. “I go to bed at night and wake up every 40 minutes. Melodee is such a sweet girl. I hope she’s okay.”

In addition, her grandmother, Lilly Denes, pleaded with her granddaughter to return if she could.

“If she’s listening, we love you. We’re here for you, and we just want you to be happy,” Denes told KSBY. “Call me. There are numbers on the TV that you can call, and I will come pick you up.”

Lizabeth Meza, who is another one of Melodee’s aunts, told NewsNation that she had not seen her niece in four years.

“She was just a little 4-year-old girl when we knew her, but that nose definitely reminds me of her dad’s, so yeah, it does look like her,” Meza said of the surveillance footage.

Sheriff’s detectives and the FBI are encouraging anyone with any information or anyone who has made contact with Melodee in the last year to contact them. You can contact investigators at (805) 681-4150, via the anonymous tip line at (805) 681-4171 or online at the sheriff’s office website.