An aunt of the missing 9-year-old, Melodee Buzzard, has expressed her belief that recent images, purportedly of Melodee, could indeed be her niece. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office unveiled these new images on Friday, showing a young girl believed to be Melodee, in disguise, at a car rental business in California, just before she and her mother left the state.
Appearing on “Banfield” Friday night, Melodee’s aunt, Lizabeth Meza, shared that she hasn’t seen Melodee for over four years. Reflecting on the images, Meza noted, “She was just a little 4-year-old girl when we knew her, but that nose definitely reminds me of her dad’s, so yeah, it does look like her.”
Meza elaborated that Melodee had been largely separated from her extended family following the tragic death of her father in a motorcycle accident during her infancy. This separation has made the search and identification process even more challenging for the family.
“She was just a little 4-year-old girl when we knew her, but that nose definitely reminds me of her dad’s so yeah, it does look like her,” Meza said.
Meza added that Melodee was largely cut off from her extended family following the death of her father in a motorcycle accident when she was a baby.
Per investigators, Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, rented a car Oct. 7, and the vehicle went as far east as Nebraska. By Oct. 10, Ashlee had returned to the family home without Melodee.
Melodee was reported missing days later, Oct. 14, and her mother has purportedly not cooperated with the investigation and has not provided an explanation or a satisfactory answer for her daughter’s whereabouts or condition.
Meza told that Child Protective Services had little contact with her. They asked about Melodee’s whereabouts, and Meza told them she was under the impression Melodee had been adopted out.
Despite her lack of cooperation and inability to provide a satisfactory answer to where her daughter is, Ashlee Buzzard has not been arrested or taken into custody.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who has seen Melodee Buzzard, or has had contact with her mother since Oct. 7, is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be provided online or by calling 805-681-4171.
affiliate KTLA’s Travis Schlepp contributed to this report.
