Part of the FBI’s missing person flyer for Melodee Buzzard | Credit: FBI
The search for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard continues as detectives from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation served search warrants for three locations possibly connected to the case.
A press release from the Sheriff’s Office said the warrants are for Melodee and her mother Ashlee Buzzard’s house on the 550 block of Mars Avenue in Lompoc, the rental car Melodee was last seen in, and a storage locker. The press release says that, because of the anticipated duration of the search, detectives escorted Ashlee Buzzard to another location. This location was not disclosed.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Melodee was last seen on October 7 in security camera footage from a local rental car company. In the footage, she appears to wear a wig with long, straight dark hair. In previous press releases, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has shared that Buzzard has not cooperated in the investigation. Law enforcement says that Melodee is about 4 feet, 6 inches tall; weighs 60 pounds; and has brown hair and brown eyes.
Sheriff’s Lieutenant Chris Gotschall from the Criminal Investigation Division said he appreciated the FBI’s assistance in the searches. “In cases like this, every detail matters, and it is invaluable to have additional resources and specialized expertise,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Office says the case remains a missing person investigation and there have been no arrests made.
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