Ashlee Buzzard, 40, faces murder charges after the remains of her missing daughter, Melodee Buzzard, were discovered in Utah, authorities said Tuesday. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office outlined how gunshot wounds to the head led investigators to suspect foul play.
Links to the crime emerged from shell casings
Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said bullet cartridges found near the girl's body were tied to a used cartridge case located in Buzzard's home.
Investigators also found similar ammunition in a car Ashlee had rented, tying the weapon to the case. The weapon itself has not been recovered, according to Brown, and the investigation remains open.
Mother and daughter vanished in October
Ashlee departed California with Melodee on 7 October, driving a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. The pair travelled through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Nebraska, with a return route that included Kansas. Melodee was last seen on 9 October on video surveillance near the Colorado-Utah border.
Detective notes indicate that the mother and daughter duo altered their appearance during travel, swapping wigs and changing the rental car’s license plate to avoid detection. Meanwhile, Melodee wore a hooded sweatshirt and a darker, straighter wig.
A troubling disappearance unfolded in Lompoc
A school administrator reported Melodee's prolonged absence on 14 October. Deputies went to the Buzzard residence in Lompoc, but the mother would not reveal Melodee’s location.
Ashlee returned home on 10 October without her daughter.
Dramatic identification and ongoing questions
The body of Melodee was found on 6 December by a couple who were taking photos along State Route 24 in a rural area of Utah. Officers could not immediately identify the remains, but the FBI’s DNA analysis produced a familial match to Ashlee.
Brown described the case as “calculated, cold-blooded” and premeditated, though investigators have not yet determined a motive.
Custody status and next steps
Ashlee is being held without bail at the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Barbara. The public defender’s office previously represented her in another case in November but did not respond to a request for comment. The public timeline for court proceedings has not been released.
Personal insights from loved ones
Lilly Denes, Melodee’s grandmother, recalled the girl as “loveable, always smiling and well-behaved.” Denes described the moment a detective informed her, saying authorities had “found the baby and the baby is with her dad.” Denes noted, “I knew he was telling me that the baby was dead.”
