Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, allegedly changed license plates during her road trip in an apparent effort to avoid detection, according to authorities.
On Oct. 7, Melodee and her mother set out on a three-day road trip from Lompoc, California, to the Nebraska area, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said. Surveillance footage shows the 9-year-old boy, wearing what appears to be a wig, at a car rental business in the Santa Barbara area on Oct. 7, authorities said.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released a surveillance image showing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard missing from a car rental business in California on October 7, 2025.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
The last verified sighting of Melodee is now determined to have been on Oct. 9, sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick told ABC News on Monday. Surveillance video shows Melodee with her mother that day near the Colorado-Utah border, Zick said.
The next day, Oct. 10, Ashlee Buzzard returned to her home in Lompoc with the car she and Melodee had rented on Oct. 7, but Melodee was not with her, the sheriff’s office said.
Zick said investigators are now focusing on the Oct. 9-10 timeline.
The FBI and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are searching for missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard.
FBI
During the road trip, Ashlee Buzzard allegedly removed the California license plate from the car, Zick said, and allegedly switched back to the original license plate when she returned home.
It appears that “the license plate was changed to avoid detection… I have no other plausible reason,” Zick said.
Melodee is still considered a missing person and no arrests have been made, Zick said.
Ashlee Buzzard has not cooperated with the investigation, according to authorities. Investigators returned to Buzzard’s home last week for a follow-up search.
