Detectives on Thursday served a fresh round of search warrants related to the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard.
The search warrants were served at the home of Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, as well as at a storage locker in an undisclosed location and in the rental car that Ashlee Buzzard rented from a local business earlier this month.
With the assistance of the FBI, Ashlee Buzzard was escorted out of the area during the searches to ensure that her presence would not “interfere with their ability to conduct a thorough search.”
Melodee Buzzard has been considered a missing person since Oct. 14, after school administrators noted the home-school student had a prolonged absence.
When authorities questioned her mother at their home in Vandenberg Village in northern Santa Barbara County, Ashlee Buzzard purportedly did not provide a satisfactory explanation regarding her daughter’s current whereabouts or safety. She’s been described as “uncooperative” since.
Initially believed to have not been seen in more than a year, new evidence and confirmed sightings have led to a rough timeline of events between Melodee’s last known appearance and the present.
Last week, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released security footage images from a local car rental business which appeared to show Melodee wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt cinched tight to conceal long black hair. Investigators believe that Melodee, who was previously seen in photographs with light-brown curly hair, was wearing a wig, possibly to conceal her identity.
The photos were taken days before Melodee was reported missing, and prior to a cross-country roadtrip that took Ashlee and the rental car to as far as Nebraska with the return trip through Kansas. When Ashlee returned home in the rental, Melodee was not with her.
Investigators are trying to determine when and where the 9-year-old girl and her mother parted, in addition to whether she is safe wherever she is now.
Despite Ashlee Buzzard not cooperating in the search for her daughter, no arrests have been made at this time and the case is still identified as a missing person investigation. It is not illegal for her to refuse to cooperate with the investigation, and she cannot be compelled to answer questions unless subpoenaed.
Video obtained by NewsNation’s Ashley Banfield appeared to show Ashlee Buzzard removing missing person posters that had been placed on her property.
Officials from the Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is continuing with assistance from federal partners and resources with “specialized expertise.”
Sheriff Bill Brown has urged the public not to attempt to conduct their own “searches or investigations,” and instead encouraged them to share “factual information directly with detectives,” which he says is the most effective way to help.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be provided online or by calling 805-681-4171.
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