A 40-year-old California woman has been formally charged in connection with the murder of her nine-year-old daughter, whose remains were discovered in Utah after a complex multi-state journey.
Discovery and Arrest
Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody after the body of her daughter, Melodee Buzzard, was found in early December in an area of Utah the pair had travelled through two months prior. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that DNA evidence from the remains directly linked the child to her mother.
The case began when a school administrator reported Melodee's prolonged absence on 14 October. Deputies visited the family home in Lompoc, California, but Buzzard refused to disclose her daughter's whereabouts.
A Cross-Country Journey and Disguises
Investigators revealed that Buzzard and her daughter left California on 7 October in a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. Their extensive road trip took them through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and as far as Nebraska, with a return route including Kansas.
Authorities stated that the pair actively changed their appearance to avoid detection. Surveillance video from the Lompoc rental office showed Melodee wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a wig that was darker and straighter than her natural hair. Her mother was seen wearing a long, curly wig.
Buzzard reportedly swapped wigs throughout the trip and altered the license plate on the rental car. The last confirmed sighting of Melodee alive was on 9 October, captured on video surveillance near the Colorado-Utah border.
Return Without the Child
On 10 October, Buzzard returned alone to her Lompoc residence in the originally rented car, which now bore its proper license plate. Her daughter was conspicuously absent. Buzzard was initially arrested on 7 November on unrelated charges of allegedly preventing someone from leaving a location against their will.
The sheriff's office announced the murder charges at a news conference on Tuesday, 23 December 2025, following the grim discovery of the child's remains.
