4 days ago
9
New images released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office connected Friday shows a miss who is believed to beryllium missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard wearing a wig astatine a car rental concern anterior to leaving the authorities with her mother.
The information camera images are the archetypal caller pictures of Melodee seen successful more than 2 years, and adds different details to instrumentality enforcement's timeline successful the days starring up to her being reported arsenic an at-risk missing person.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, rented a car and departed connected a cross-country connected Oct. 7, a week earlier Melodee was reported missing aft schoolhouse administrators noted her "prolonged absence."
Photos taken from wrong a section car rental concern shows the girl, who is assumed to beryllium Melodee, wearing a grey sweatshirt with her hood up, covering a head-full of straight, achromatic hair. Investigators judge the miss is wearing a wig, perchance to conceal her identity, arsenic erstwhile images amusement Melodee with brown, curly hair.
Missing Santa Barbara County miss Melodee Buzzard is believed to beryllium seen successful this Oct. 7, 2025, photograph taken astatine a car rental concern anterior to departing connected a roadworthy travel with her mother. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office))
Missing Santa Barbara County miss Melodee Buzzard is believed to beryllium seen successful this Oct. 7, 2025, photograph taken astatine a car rental concern anterior to departing connected a roadworthy travel with her mother. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office))
Ashlee Buzzard, officials added, has been known to regularly deterioration wigs.
The rental vehicle, a achromatic Chevrolet Malibu with the licence sheet fig 9MNG101, has been tracked to arsenic acold eastbound arsenic Nebraska, with the instrumentality travel including the authorities of Kansas.
Investigators accidental Ashlee returned to the family's location connected Oct. 10 without her daughter. The rental car has since been returned to the aforesaid rental company.
Melodee was reported missing days aboriginal connected Oct. 14, and her parent has purportedly not cooperated with the probe and has not provided an mentation oregon a satisfactory reply for her daughter’s whereabouts oregon condition.
The time aft she was reported missing, authorities served a hunt warrant astatine the family's location and surrounding areas successful Vandenberg Village successful bluish Santa Barbara County. The FBI was looped into the probe days later.
Despite her deficiency of practice and inability to supply a satisfactory reply to wherever her girl is, Ashlee Buzzard has not been arrested oregon taken into custody.
The search, meanwhile, continues.
“Our detectives are pursuing each pb successful this case. We proceed to question accusation from the nationalist that could assistance america find Melodee,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. “We stay determined to bring her location safely.”
Melodee Buzzard of Lompoc is seen successful this undated photograph provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. Buzzard has not been seen successful astatine slightest a year, and hasn't been photographed successful astatine slightest two. Melodee is described arsenic being astir 4 feet 6 inches and weighing astir 60 pounds. She has brownish hairsbreadth and brownish eyes. In the recently released information images, she's seen wearing a grey hoodie, vibrant patterned leggings and achromatic sneakers.
Officials are besides urging the nationalist not to effort to behaviour their ain “searches oregon investigations,” arsenic that could lone complicate and disrupt ongoing efforts by instrumentality enforcement.
Anyone who has seen Melodee Buzzard, oregon has had interaction with her parent since Oct. 7, is urged to interaction the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division astatine 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips tin beryllium provided online or by calling 805-681-4171.
