A 9-year-old girl from Santa Barbara County was found dead in a remote Utah canyon, and her mother was arrested on suspicion of murder two months after the disappearance.
A Sudden Discovery
Hikers in a remote part of Caineville, Utah, discovered the decomposing body of Melodee Buzzard on December 6. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the immediate identification of the remains was not possible, but it was clear the body had gunshot wounds. Utah authorities notified the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department on December 8, and the FBI crime lab positively identified the remains as Melodee’s through DNA analysis on December 22.
Arrest of Ashlee Buzzard
After the body was confirmed as Melodee’s, the mother, 40-year-old Ashlee Buzzard, was arrested in her Lompoc home on December 23 on suspicion of first-degree murder. A search and arrest warrant was served that morning, and she was taken into custody without incident. She was booked into the Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail and held without bail.
The Timeline of Events
- Oct. 7 – Security cameras in Lompoc captured Melodee and Ashlee wearing wigs, possibly to alter their appearances. They were seen in a white 2204 Chevrolet Malibu with a California plate 9MNG101.
- Oct. 8 – The same vehicle was spotted with a New York plate HCG967. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department (SBSO) stated, “The New York plate seen on the car does not belong to the vehicle or to Ashlee. Investigators believe it was used as a false or switched plate to avoid detection. When the vehicle was returned to the rental agency in Lompoc, California, the assigned California plate was on the vehicle.”
- Oct. 9 – Melodee was last seen near the Utah-Colorado border on a security camera.
- Oct. 10 – Ashlee returned to Lompoc in the Malibu without Melodee.
- Oct. 14 – A school administrator reported Melodee’s absence, prompting detectives to begin an investigation. The mother refused to cooperate.
- Oct. 30 – Investigators searched the Buzzard home, the rental car, and a storage locker. Ashlee was escorted to an alternate location to avoid interference with the search.
- Nov. 7 – Ashlee was arrested in an unrelated case for allegedly preventing a victim from leaving a location.
- Nov. 10 – She was charged with a single count of felony false imprisonment in that unrelated case.
- Dec. 6 – The body was found in Utah.
- Dec. 8 – Utah authorities flagged the body to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
- Dec. 22 – The FBI crime lab confirmed the identity of the remains.
- Dec. 23 – Ashlee was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Key Takeaways
- Melodee Buzzard’s body was discovered in Utah and identified by DNA.
- Ashlee Buzzard was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after the discovery.
- The case involved a complex timeline of vehicle plate changes, a school-reported disappearance, and an unrelated arrest of the mother.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no motive has been disclosed.
