Ashlee Buzzard dubious mom of missing Lompoc, California 9-year-old girl, Melodee Buzzard arrested after child’s body found. Pending charges.
The mother of a missing Lompoc, California 9-year-old girl, Melodee Buzzard, the subject of intense public scrutiny was on Tuesday arrested following sources stating that the missing child’s body was found.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, of note had yet to be listed as being booked into jail. It remained unclear if the mother would be charged in relation to the death of the missing girl.
Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that Melodee’s body had been found in Utah, in early December. She was reportedly found in an area that her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, traveled to.
Uncooperative mom of missing 9-year-old Lompoc, California girl arrested
The cause and manner of Melodee Buzzard’s death had yet to be revealed. Authorities now believe the missing girl had been dead since early October.
The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s County Office did not release further details, but the agency is hosting a press conference at 2 p.m. PT. to discuss a ‘major break-through’ in the case.
The parent’s arrest comes as Ashlee Buzzard has been ongoing uncooperative during the search and investigation into the missing 9-year-old girl’s whereabouts.
Melodee was last seen alive on Oct. 9 near the Colorado-Utah border, according to authorities.
Lompoc Unified School District said in a statement in October that Buzzard brought Melodee to an independent study program in August to enroll, but the girl did not attend through early October, prompting a series of responses to truancy that culminated in notifying law enforcement.
On Oct. 7, Melodee and Ashlee Buzzard had left their Lompoc, California, home for a three-day road trip that took them to the Nebraska area, the sheriff’s office said.
Ashlee Buzzard returned home to Lompoc on Oct. 10 with the car she and Melodee had rented on Oct. 7 — but Melodee was not with her, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities have claimed Ashlee Buzzard wore wigs and swapped license plates during the trip. During questioning as to the young girl’s whereabouts, Ashlee could not provide a plausible explanation for where her daughter was.
Ashlee Buzzard was allegedly just arrested…. pic.twitter.com/eLpTHcFo97
— Duchess of Meme (@DuchessOfMeme) December 23, 2025
How did 9-year-old girl, Melodee Buzzard die?
Ashlee Buzzard has consistently declined to cooperate with authorities for the search for Melodee.
On November 7, Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody on unrelated charges of false imprisonment after detectives learned of a recent incident where she prevented a victim from leaving a location. A judge granted her release on condition of GPS supervision.
A man testified that the 40-year-old held him against his will at her home and had a box cutter, KSBY reported. The charge was dismissed Nov. 20, with prosecutors later citing contradictory information and insufficient evidence, a spokesperson for the regional district attorney said.
Melodee’s disappearance stirred concern among some in her community of Vandenberg Village, about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. People have sometimes gathered outside her home and shouted questions about the girl’s whereabouts.
Video posted early Tuesday morning showed Ashlee Buzzard once again being taken into custody by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. It remained unclear what charges the mother might now face.
