Authorities have arrested the mother of Melodee Buzzard more than three weeks after the 9-year-old girl was reported missing. But the charges, officials said, are unrelated to the ongoing search.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, of Vandenberg Village, was taken into custody by deputies with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office on Friday on a felony warrant for false imprisonment.
Officials from the Sheriff’s Office said they learned of a “recent incident” in which Ashlee Buzzard allegedly prevented a victim from leaving a location against their will. Those accusations, officials said, constituted a charge for false imprisonment.
“This crime is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee, however, detectives are unable to fully outline the crime as it would impede their ongoing investigation,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Ashlee Buzzard has since been booked into the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria, where she remains in custody with bail set at $100,000.
Melodee Buzzard was reported missing last month after Lompoc Unified School District officials noted the homeschooler had a prolonged absence. Authorities attempted to contact Melodee and her mother at their home in Vandenberg Village, a small community located adjacent to the Space Force Base that shares its name, but found only Ashlee on the property and no satisfactory explanation for her daughter’s whereabouts.
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A photo of Ashlee (right) and Melodee Buzzard (left) at a Lompoc-area rental car agency. According to authorities, both appear to be wearing wigs. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office) -
Melodee Buzzard of Lompoc is seen in this undated photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Buzzard has not been seen in at least a year, and hasn’t been photographed in at least two.
In the weeks since, more information has been collected regarding the days and weeks leading up to Melodee’s last known sighting, including security footage from a car rental business in Lompoc in which Melodee appeared to be wearing a wig with straight black hair. Previous images released by authorities showed Melodee with curly brown hair.
Detectives have confirmed that Melodee and Ashlee embarked on a cross-country road trip to the Nebraska area in that rental car, and at one point, the license plate on their rental car was swapped with an unrelated plate from New York.
When Ashlee returned home to Santa Barbara County, she was alone, and Melodee’s current location or safety remains unknown. Her last known location was along the Colorado-Utah border, officials said earlier this week.
A map of the vehicle’s reported stops has been released in the hopes that members of those communities have relevant information, including security footage, that they can provide to authorities.
While the arrest is not connected to the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Ashlee’s daughter, of which Ashlee has reportedly not cooperated, the alleged crime did take place at some point after the investigation was launched.
Detectives, sheriff’s officials said, remain “fully focused on locating Melodee and confirming her safety.”
Melodee Buzzard is described by authorities as a 9-year-old girl who stands approximately 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 60 pounds. Her natural hair is brown and curly, and she has brown eyes.
Anyone with information about Melodee’s disappearance is urged to contact detectives at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be provided online or by calling 805-681-4171.