A young girl who has been largely unseen since she stopped attending school a year ago was taken on a 1,500-mile journey spanning four states by her mother before being reported missing.
The search for nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard began last Tuesday after a school official in California notified authorities about her prolonged absence from school since last October.
Melodee’s mother, Ashlee, has been uncooperative with investigators, refusing to provide any details regarding her daughter’s whereabouts, leaving authorities uncertain about Melodee’s location or safety.
The only confirmed sighting of Melodee since she left school was in August, but on Monday, police uncovered details about a mysterious road trip.
According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, detectives revealed that Melodee was last known to be with her mother on October 7 and may have been driven as far as Nebraska.
During their travels, the pair were seen making multiple stops in a rented white Chevrolet Malibu before Ashlee returned to Santa Barbara and returned the vehicle.
‘Ashlee Buzzard remains uncooperative and has not provided detectives with any information about Melodee’s current location or condition,’ police said.
‘The primary goal of this investigation is to verify the location and welfare of Melodee Buzzard and ensure that she is safe.’
Melodee Buzzard, 9, was barely seen since she stopped going to school a year ago, and is now a missing person
Her mother Ashlee refused to cooperate or even tell investigators anything about her daughter’s disappearance, so they have no idea where she is or if she is safe
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office detectives said Melodee was with her mother as recently as October 7 and may have been driven all the way to Nebraska
Police earlier searched their home on Mars Avenue in Lompoc, about 60 miles north of Santa Barbara, but didn’t find Melodee.
Police said Melodee’s most recent photograph was taken two years ago.
The sheriff’s office confirmed to the Daily Mail that the mother and daughter were the only two residents of the home, as Melodee’s father is dead.
Santa Barbara police thanked the Lompoc Unified School District for their help in the search for Melodee.
‘Lompoc Unified School District deserves credit for recognizing that something wasn’t right, reaching out, and continuing to assist with this investigation,’ Lieutenant Chris Gotschall said.
Melodee was most recently enrolled at Buena Vista Elementary School and attended a homeschooling program about a year ago.
‘This important update helps narrow a significant gap in the timeline of when she was last known to be seen and because of that, we’re closer to understanding what happened to Melodee,’ Gotschall added.
Lizabeth Meza, Melodee’s aunt, told KSBY that she had not seen the nine-year-old in more than four years because Ashlee wouldn’t let her.
‘[Melodee] has a beautiful smile. She’s very, very loving, very welcoming. She loved to be around her family,’ she said.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office detectives said Melodee was with her mother as recently as October 7 and may have been driven all the way to Nebraska
Police earlier searched their home (pictured) on Mars Avenue in Lompoc, about 60 miles north of Santa Barbara, but didn’t find Melodee
Meza posted online that the situation was ‘extremely confusing’ with a ‘wild’ timeline.
She said Child Protective Services was not ‘saying much’ due to the active nature of the investigation.
‘Unfortunately, after my brother in law passed away the family was unable to see or have contact with Melodee,’ she wrote.
‘The mom is extremely mentally unstable and last time we seen [sic] Melodee was about 4.5 years ago.’
The Daily Mail reached out to Meza for further comment.
A neighbor on the 500 block of Mars Avenue said he had not seen Melodee in at least a year.
Santa Barbara police urged anyone with information about Melodee’s whereabouts to come forward.
‘Even small details may be critical in helping investigators ensure her safety,’ they said.
