Melodee Buzzard’s mother was arrested Friday, more than three weeks after she allegedly went on the run with the still-missing 9-year-old girl.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, was taken into custody in Santa Barbara on false imprisonment charges. However, authorities say these charges are unrelated to the case of her missing daughter.
“Detectives learned of a recent incident where Ashlee prevented a victim from leaving a location against their will, which constitutes false imprisonment,” the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. They noted that the charge was connected to a “recent incident.”
Officials could not provide further details on the curious case out of concern that it might impede their ongoing search for little Melodee.
The young girl was officially reported missing just last month, but family members have said she hasn’t been seen for over a year. They also described Ashlee Buzzard as “extremely mentally unstable.”
The mother and daughter recently embarked on a 1,500-mile road trip that included stops in Nebraska, but it remains unclear where they were headed.
At the time of the investigation, police said Buzzard was “uncooperative and has not provided detectives with any information about Melodee’s current location or condition.”
Haunting security footage shows the last known images of the young girl before she apparently vanished. On October 7, Melodee and Buzzard donned wigs as they entered a Santa Barbara car rental outlet to obtain a Chevrolet Malibu.
The next day, their car was seen on the road with New York plates. When the vehicle was returned on October 10 in California, the original plates had been reattached. Melodee, however, was not with the car.
Buzzard was booked at the Northern Branch Jail on a $100,000 bond. Police have not released her mugshot, stating that it does not meet the criteria for public release.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/07/us-news/melodee-buzzards-mom-ashlee-arrested-on-false-imprisonment-charges/
