Investigators in California have released new surveillance images showing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, who has been missing since October 14, potentially wearing a wig at a car rental business. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the girl was last seen with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, on a road trip that extended as far as Nebraska. Investigators are now focusing on determining Melodee’s whereabouts during the three-day trip and where she may be now, as the mother has been uncooperative with investigators.
The sheriff’s office stated that the investigation began on October 14 after a school administrator reported Melodee’s extended absence. Deputies responded to her home in Lompoc, where Ashlee Buzzard was present, but Melodee was not found there. The sheriff’s update described the surveillance images, where Melodee is seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood raised and what appears to be a wig with darker, straighter hair than her natural hair. Detectives believe the wig may have been used to alter her appearance, and they also noted that Ashlee is known to wear wigs.
The timeline of the critical events has been narrowed down to between October 7 and October 10, 2025. Investigators have confirmed that Ashlee was seen returning to her Lompoc residence on October 10, driving the same rental car she departed with on October 7—however, Melodee was not in the car. The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office is assisting in the search, and the FBI stated that Melodee was with her mother as recently as October 7, 2025, and that Ashlee may have driven with Melodee to locations outside of Santa Barbara County, including as far as Nebraska.
Authorities have identified Melodee as approximately 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighing about 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has labeled her as an ‘at-risk missing person’ while her mother remains ‘uncooperative with investigators.’ Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown emphasized that detectives are following every lead in the case and are actively seeking information from the public that could assist in finding Melodee. The agency also noted that the rental car, a White Chevrolet Malibu (Lic #9MNG101), is no longer in Ashlee’s possession.