“Extraordinarily Tragic”: Ashlee Buzzard Arrested Following the Murder of Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — In a case that has gripped two states and left a community in mourning, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 40-year-old Ashlee Lynn Buzzard on suspicion of first-degree murder. The arrest follows the heartbreaking discovery of her missing daughter, Melodee Elani Buzzard, whose remains were found in a remote area of rural Utah earlier this month.
Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown, speaking at a somber news conference on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, characterized the killing as a “calculated, cold-blooded, and ruthless act.” The case concludes a massive multi-state search for the young girl, who had been missing since October.
A Multistate Disappearance
The investigation into Melodee’s welfare began on October 14, 2025, when an administrator from the Lompoc Unified School District reported her “prolonged absence.” Melodee had not been seen at school since August, and when deputies initially contacted Ashlee Buzzard at her Vandenberg Village home, she was unable to provide a verifiable explanation for her daughter’s whereabouts.
Detectives soon uncovered a trail of deceptive behavior. Footage from a car rental agency in Lompoc showed Ashlee and Melodee on October 7, both wearing wigs in what investigators believe was a deliberate attempt to conceal their identities. The pair departed in a white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, embarking on a trip that spanned Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
Surveillance and Deception
Throughout the road trip, Ashlee Buzzard allegedly employed “criminally sophisticated” tactics to avoid detection:
- Switching License Plates: On October 8, the rental car was observed with New York plates that did not belong to the vehicle.
- Evading Cameras: Investigators found evidence that Ashlee backed the vehicle into gas station parking spots to prevent surveillance cameras from capturing the license plate or the car’s interior.
- Intentional Disguises: Both mother and daughter were seen wearing dark wigs, and Ashlee was later observed swapping her own wig to match the color and style of Melodee’s.
Melodee was last seen alive on security footage on October 9 near the Colorado-Utah border. Sheriff Brown stated that authorities believe she was murdered shortly after that final sighting. Ashlee Buzzard returned to her home in Lompoc on October 10—alone.
The Discovery in Wayne County
On December 6, the search took a grim turn. A man and woman taking photographs in a remote area near Caineville in Wayne County, Utah, discovered a decomposed body off the side of State Route 24.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and found that the victim had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head. On December 22, DNA analysis performed by the FBI Crime Lab confirmed the remains belonged to Melodee Buzzard.
The Forensic Link
The evidence against Ashlee Buzzard was bolstered by ballistic forensics. During a search of the Buzzard residence on October 30, investigators recovered an expended cartridge case. A live round of similar ammunition was found inside the rental vehicle.
On December 17, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) positively linked the cartridge cases found at the Utah crime scene to the ones recovered from Ashlee’s home in California.
A Pattern of Conflict
The murder investigation was not Ashlee Buzzard’s first brush with the law during this period. In early November, she was arrested on a felony charge of false imprisonment. A legal document assistant, Tyler S. Brewer, alleged that Ashlee held him against his will after he reached out to offer help in finding Melodee. Brewer claimed Ashlee had disclosed information she seemed to regret. However, a judge later dismissed those charges, citing insufficient evidence after hearing audio recordings of the encounter.
“Maternal Filicide”
Sheriff Brown described the act as “maternal filicide,” a rare and deeply disturbing crime. Despite the overwhelming physical and forensic evidence, Ashlee Buzzard has remained uncooperative with investigators.
“This is an extraordinarily tragic case involving the murder of a child by the very person she relied upon and trusted the most,” Brown said. He added that while no motive has been established and the murder weapon has not been recovered, the investigation is far from over.
Melodee’s paternal family, including her grandmother Lilly Denes and aunt Lizabeth Meza, expressed their devastation. Melodee’s father had passed away in 2016 when she was less than a year old. Her family noted they had not been allowed to see the nine-year-old for several years prior to her death.
Summary of Key Evidence
| Date | Event | Evidence Found |
| Oct 7 | Car Rental | Surveillance of wigs and disguises |
| Oct 8 | Road Trip | Switching to stolen NY license plates |
| Oct 30 | Home Search | Expended cartridge case recovered |
| Dec 6 | Utah Discovery | Body found with gunshot wounds to head |
| Dec 17 | ATF Link | Utah shell casings match those from Lompoc home |
| Dec 22 | DNA Match | Remains confirmed as Melodee Buzzard |
