4 days ago
24
(NewsNation) — An aunt of missing 9-year-old miss Melodee Buzzard tells NewsNation that she believes the latest pictures believed to beryllium Melodee could beryllium her.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released new pictures Friday showing what is believed to beryllium Melodee Buzzard wearing a wig astatine a car rental concern successful California earlier leaving the authorities with her mother.
Melodee's aunt, Lizabeth Meza, joined "Banfield" connected Friday nighttime and said she had not seen Melodee for implicit 4 years.
"She was conscionable a small 4-year-old miss erstwhile we knew her, but that chemoreceptor decidedly reminds maine of her dad's truthful yeah, it does look similar her," Meza said.
Meza added that Melodee was mostly chopped disconnected from her extended household pursuing the decease of her begetter successful a motorcycle mishap erstwhile she was a baby.
Per investigators, Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, rented a car Oct. 7, and the conveyance went arsenic acold eastbound arsenic Nebraska. By Oct. 10, Ashlee had returned to the household location without Melodee.
Melodee was reported missing days later, 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.
Meza told NewsNation that Child Protective Services had small interaction with her. They asked astir Melodee's whereabouts, and Meza told them she was nether the content Melodee had been adopted out.
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 probe remains ongoing. 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.
NewsNation affiliate KTLA's Travis Schlepp contributed to this report.
