US EditionThe mother of missing Melodee Buzzard is in court today on unrelated charge. Here’s how we got here
Ashlee Buzzard was released under GPS monitoring after a judge ruled her false imprisonment charge unrelated to her missing daughter's ongoing multi-state disappearance.
- On Nov. 12, 2025, Ashlee Buzzard appeared in Lompoc court and pleaded not guilty to a felony false-imprisonment charge related to a Nov. 6 incident, prosecutors said.
- Melodee Buzzard, 9, was reported missing Oct. 14 after a several-day rental-car road trip starting Oct. 7 from Lompoc that extended as far as Nebraska.
- Investigators released surveillance from a Lompoc rental car location on Oct. 7 showing Ashlee Buzzard wearing a wig and a New York license plate believed to be switched.
- The judge ordered Buzzard released with GPS monitoring and supervision, barring weapons and contact with the alleged victim; prosecutors objected citing flight risk and $100,000 bail, with Nov. 19 next court date.
- Authorities and the FBI continue an active search with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office as paternal relatives say Buzzard has blocked contact since 2021 and multiple search warrants were served at her home.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Melodee Buzzard’s mom plotted to ‘cut off’ missing 9-year-old from ‘entire world,’ grandma says
Grandmother says adoption process was underway for missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard before mother took her from Santa Barbara County school in 2021 after release from mental hospital.
Ashlee Buzzard appeared in court Wednesday, pleading not guilty to a felony charge of unlawful imprisonment, after being the subject of intense scrutiny following the disappearance of her daughter, Melodee. Lilly Denes, Melodee's paternal grandmother, said, "If I saw her on the street, to be honest, I would never recognize her. She looked so different. She lost a lot of weight and had no hair." Investigators are focusing on the three-day trip As…
Ashlee Buzzard denies false imprisonment, released under court supervision
The mother of a missing Vandenberg Village girl pleaded not guilty to a false imprisonment charge in Santa Barbara County Superior Court Wednesday, denying allegations that she armed herself with a box cutter and prevented a man from leaving her…
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