The Body of Melodee Buzzard Has Been Found — Her Mother Has Been Taken Into Custody

The disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard has been in the news since she was last seen in October 2025. According to ABC News, Melodee and her mother were on a three-day road trip beginning in Lompoc, Calif., when the child seemingly vanished.

Ashlee Buzzard and her daughter were traveling to Nebraska, but the trip was riddled with strange occurrences, including surveillance footage of the two wearing what appeared to be wigs in a Santa Barbara-area rental car business.

During the trip, Ashlee allegedly switched the license plates in her rental car, though authorities don't know when or why. Melody was last seen Oct. 9 in surveillance footage recorded near the Colorado-Utah border. The following day, Ashlee returned to Lompoc without her daughter.

She was later arrested on an unrelated charge and was quickly released. In December 2025, Melodee's body was found. Here is the latest update.

A couple was spending the day taking photos around Wayne County, Utah, when they stumbled upon a decomposing body, reports NBC News. FBI analysis of the body confirmed it was Melodee.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said it was clear Melodee had "died from gunshot wounds to the head." Cartridge cases found at the scene matched expended cartridge cases previously found in Ashlee's home and vehicle, which were searched Oct. 30.

"Maternal filicide is rare and always difficult to comprehend," said Brown during a press conference. "This level of criminal activity is particularly shocking given the calculated, cold-blooded, and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness that went into planning it."

A murder weapon has not been found.

Ashlee was served with search and arrest warrants on Dec. 23, per a press release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. She was taken into custody without incident and is currently being held without bail on suspicion of first-degree murder.

"This is an extraordinarily tragic case involving the murder of a child by the very person she relied upon and trusted the most," said Brown. "The evidence in this case clearly indicates a calculated, deliberate, and ruthless act."

Corinna Meza, Melodee's half-sister, told KSBY of San Luis Obispo that Melodee's father died in a car crash when she was just a baby.

"It was just heartbreaking and devastating for the whole family," Melodee’s aunt, Lizabeth Meza told the outlet. "She (Melodee) had a sweet personality, just so charismatic and happy." Authorities believe Ashlee acted alone.