Crime & Safety

Strange New Details Emerge In Case Of Missing CA 9-Year-Old: FBI

The missing girl and her mother went on a sprawling road trip last month, during which their license plate was changed, the FBI said.

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Melodee and Ashlee Buzzard were captured on surveillance footage at a Lompoc car dealership in wigs, police said.
Melodee and Ashlee Buzzard were captured on surveillance footage at a Lompoc car dealership in wigs, police said. (FBI)

Missing Southern California 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard and her mother, who is not cooperating with police, may have gone as far as Nebraska during a multi-state road trip last month. On that trip their rental car’s plates were changed repeatedly, the FBI reported Tuesday.

Melodee’s prolonged absence from school was reported to police on Oct. 14 by an administrator, but her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, refused to explain where Melodee was when deputies came to her home in Lompoc, according to the FBI, which said a search of the residence came up empty.

Authorities have since released surveillance images of what appears to be Melodee in a wig at a car rental business in Lompoc, and on Tuesday, they released another, which showed Ashlee, also apparently in a wig, with the girl. The FBI also released a map of the pair’s road trip across the Western U.S.

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SEE ALSO: Missing CA Girl May Be Wearing A Wig In Newly Released Photos, Police Say

The two left California on Oct. 7 in a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu with the California plate 9MNG101, going as far as Nebraska and returning through Kansas, according to the FBI. On Oct. 8, the Malibu was spotted with the New York plate HCG9677, the FBI reported, adding that plate did not belong to the vehicle or to Ashlee. Eventually, the Malibu was returned to the rental agency with its assigned California plate.

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Melodee was last seen Oct. 9 on the return route via video surveillance in the area of the Colorado-Utah border, according to the FBI.

Based on vehicle movement, investigators believe the Malibu traveled through Green River, Utah; Panguitch, Utah; northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, all around Oct. 9, the FBI said.

The pair went on a sprawling road trip across multiple state lines, the FBI said. (FBI)

“The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is sharing a map of the vehicle’s stops and urges anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information,” the FBI said in its latest update.

“Detectives are seeking anyone who may have had contact with Ashlee or Melodee at any point from October 9-10, 2025, or any video footage from their route of travel.”

Melodee is described as about 4 feet, 6 inches tall and 60 pounds, with brown curly hair and brown eyes, according to the FBI.

The most recent verified photo of Melodee Buzzard is about two years old. (Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department)

Detectives are asking anyone who has seen her or has information about her whereabouts to contact the sheriff’s office:

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