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Body of Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard Found; Mother Arrested
VANDENBERG VILLAGE, Calif. (BFMG) — The body of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard has been discovered, according to her paternal grandmother. It has been reported that her remains were discovered in Utah in early December in an area she was known to have traveled with her mother in October.
The grandmother told KSBY at 10:58 a.m. Tuesday that detectives notified her of the discovery. Authorities are expected to release major developments in the case during a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday. No additional details regarding the location of the discovery or the circumstances surrounding Melodee’s death were immediately available.
Earlier Tuesday, Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, was taken back into custody following an arrest at her home in Santa Barbara County.
Video taken by neighbors and obtained by KSBY shows Ashlee Buzzard, 40, being led away from her Mars Avenue residence in Vandenberg Village by Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies.
A neighbor described the arrest as quiet and brief, beginning shortly before 7:45 a.m. Authorities knocked on the door using a metal tool and later pried it open to gain entry into the home, the neighbor said. After the arrest, the front screen door appeared damaged and unable to fully close.
Melodee Buzzard was last seen Oct. 9 during a three-day road trip authorities say she and her mother took, traveling as far east as Nebraska.
The investigation into Melodee’s disappearance began Oct. 14 after school administrators reported the child’s prolonged absence. Authorities have said Ashlee Buzzard has been uncooperative with the investigation and has not provided information about her daughter’s whereabouts.
In November, Ashlee Buzzard was arrested on a false imprisonment charge related to an incident at her home involving a man who claimed she would not allow him to leave. That charge was later dismissed after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence for the case to move forward.
Authorities have not said whether Tuesday’s arrest is directly connected to the discovery of Melodee’s body.
According to records obtained from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Buzzard is currently being held on no bail at the Southern Branch Jail.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has major developments in the missing person investigation for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard. Members of the media are invited to a press conference:
— SB Sheriff's Office (@sbsheriff) December 23, 2025
⏰Tuesday, December 23, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
📍 Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Headquarters
