Sheriff searching for missing Central Coast girl, mother called ‘uncooperative’
On Monday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office shared new information about a missing 9-year-old girl from Lompoc.
The girl, Melodee Buzzard, was with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, as recently as Oct. 7, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, and may have traveled out of state.
Detectives believe Ashlee Buzzard may have driven Melodee as far away as Nebraska in a white Chevrolet Malibu, license number 9MNG101. The Sheriff’s Office determined the vehicle was a rental car and no longer being driven by Buzzard.
The Sheriff’s Office also noted that Buzzard continues to be uncooperative and “has not provided detectives with any information about Melodee’s current location or condition.”
Melodee Buzzard last seen in August
The new details came after a Santa Barbara County school district shared new information with authorities on Friday.
The Sheriff’s Office said detectives were able to confirm a sighting of Melodee in August 2025, with the assistance of Lompoc Unified School District.
“This important update helps narrow a significant gap in the timeline of when she was last known to be seen and because of that, we’re closer to understanding what happened to Melodee,” Lieutenant Chris Gotschall from the Criminal Investigations Division said.
A school administrator recently reported Melodee missing after the Vandenberg Village girl was continuously absent, according to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Raquel Zick.
Lompoc Unified School District confirmed today that Melodee was enrolled in the school district in August after she and her mother began the registration process for Melodee at Mission Valley Independent School, according to Lompoc Unified School District spokeswoman Caasi Chavez.
When detectives started an investigation, they could not confirm a recent sighting of Melodee; the last verified contact was a year ago and the most recent photo of her was from two years ago.
“Lompoc Unified School District deserves credit for recognizing that something wasn’t right, reaching out, and continuing to assist with this investigation,” Gotschall said.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office asks for help
The Sheriff’s Office continues to ask the community for help locating the young girl and to share any contact with her to the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division at 805-681-4150 or tip anonymously at 805-681-4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.
It also asked the public to refrain from conducting their own searches or investigations while acknowledging the “strong community interest” in Melodee’s case.
“While well-intentioned, these efforts could unintentionally interfere with investigative work already in progress,” the Sheriff’s Office said in its release. “Detectives have already conducted a thorough search of the family’s residence and continue to follow verified leads in a coordinated manner.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Sheriff searching for missing Central Coast girl, mother called ‘uncooperative’."