US EditionMother of Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard Is Arrested. Authorities Say It’s Not Related to Her Daughter’s Disappearance
Ashlee Buzzard faces a $100,000 bail on a false imprisonment felony unrelated to her daughter's disappearance, while the search for Melodee continues in multiple states.
- On Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody at her Lompoc home on suspicion of felony false imprisonment, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said; the arrest is not connected to Melodee’s disappearance.
- Detectives say the case began when her mother and Melodee left Lompoc on Oct. 7, after the school district reported her absence on Oct. 14, with Melodee last seen near the Colorado-Utah border.
- Security images show both mother and daughter wearing wigs in a nine-second clip at a Lompoc rental car business on Oct. 7, and authorities allege the white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu’s California plate was swapped for license plate HCG9677 .
- Booking records show Buzzard was processed at the Northern Branch Jail with bail set at $100,000, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said a booking photo was not released and detectives remain focused on locating Melodee amid Buzzard’s lack of cooperation.
- Local authorities, with FBI assistance, searched a storage locker and rental car, narrowed the probe to Oct. 9–10, and urged the public to call the detectives line at 681-4150 or submit anonymous tips.
37 Articles
37 Articles
The mother of a 9-year-old Californian girl who disappeared during a road trip last month was arrested on Friday for a serious crime of illegal deprivation of liberty, but is not directly related to the...
By Elizabeth Wolfe and Holly Yan, CNN - The mother of a 9-year-old California girl who disappeared during a road trip last month was arrested Friday on a felony charge of unlawful imprisonment, but it is not directly related to the search for her daughter, authorities said. Investigators were looking into the disappearance of Melodee, the daughter of Ashlee Buzzard, when they learned that the mother had recently “prevented a victim from leaving …
Missing California girl Melodee Buzzard’s mother arrested
Mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard arrested on an unrelated charge
Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of a 9-year-old girl who went missing in October, was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, but Santa Barbara County sheriff's officials said the arrest was unrelated to her missing daughter.
Mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard is arrested. Authorities say it’s not related to her daughter’s disappearance
The mother of a 9-year-old California girl who vanished during their road trip more than two weeks ago has been arrested on a felony charge of false imprisonment – but detectives said the charge is not related to the disappearance of her daughter.
Melodee Buzzard’s mom Ashlee arrested on false imprisonment charges unrelated to still-missing daughter’s case
Melodee Buzzard's mom, Ashlee Buzzard, was arrested by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office on false imprisonment charges that are unrelated to the case of her still-missing 9-year-old daughter.
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