Melodee Buzzard's Murder By Mother Was 'Calculated, Deliberate, And Ruthless,' Sheriff Claims

LOMPOC, CA — A mother accused of killing her 9-year-old daughter has pleaded not guilty, Santa Barbara County prosecutors say.

Ashlee Buzzard, 40, of Lompoc, on Friday pleaded not guilty to murder and denied special allegations, including that the murder was committed by means of lying in wait, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced.

An investigation into Melodee Buzzard’s disappearnce first began on Oct. 14 when a school administrator reported her extended absence, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

In the months following her disappearance, Melodee Buzzard's story garnered national attention.

Through an investigation, deputies determined Ashlee Buzzard left her Lompoc home with her daughter Oct. 7 for a three-day trip, then took her to the Nebraska area, according to the sheriff’s office, ABC News reported.

Melodee Buzzard was last seen alive near the Colorado-Utah border on Oct. 9, deputies said, the outlet reported. Ashley Buzzard returned home to Lompoc on Oct. 10, but her daughter was missing.

More than two months later, deputies announced that Melodee Buzzard’s remains had been found in a rural area outside of Caineville, Utah, the sheriff's office said.

Ashlee Buzzard was arrested at her Lompoc home Tuesday, according to deputies.

“This is an extraordinarily tragic case involving the murder of a child by the very person she relied upon and trusted the most,” Sheriff Bill Brown said in a written statement. “While maternal filicide is rare and difficult to comprehend, the evidence in this case clearly indicates a calculated, deliberate, and ruthless act.”

District Attorney John T. Savrnoch has decided not to seek the death penalty but will instead seek life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to prosecutors.

Ashlee Buzzard, who is being held without bail. is scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 7, prosecutors said.