Authorities in California have announced a murder charge against a 40-year-old mother after the remains of her missing nine-year-old daughter were discovered in a remote area of Utah.
A Cross-Country Trip and a Grisly Discovery
Ashlee Buzzard of Lompoc, California, was arrested following a complex investigation that began when her daughter, Melodee Buzzard, was reported as having a prolonged absence from school on October 14. According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Buzzard and her daughter had left California on October 7 in a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu.
The pair embarked on an extensive road trip, traveling through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and as far as Nebraska before a return route that included Kansas. Melodee was last seen alive on October 9 in video surveillance footage near the Colorado-Utah border.
The tragic discovery was made on December 6 when a man and woman taking photographs off East State Route 24 in a rural part of Utah reported finding human remains. Santa Barbara County’s Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown stated that officers could not immediately identify the child but determined she had died from gunshot wounds to the head.
Evidence Links Mother to the Crime Scene
The investigation took a critical turn when the FBI performed a DNA analysis on the body, which provided a familial DNA match to Ashlee Buzzard. Further forensic evidence solidified the link.
"Bullet cartridges found near the child's body were linked to a used cartridge case discovered in Buzzard's home," Sheriff Brown explained. Detectives also found similar ammunition in the rented Chevrolet Malibu that Buzzard had used for the cross-country journey.
Authorities revealed disturbing details about the pair's attempts to avoid detection during their travels:
- Both mother and daughter changed their appearance using wigs.
- Surveillance video from the rental office showed Melodee in a hooded sweatshirt and a dark, straight wig, unlike her natural hair.
- Ashlee Buzzard was seen wearing a long, curly wig and swapped wigs throughout the trip.
- Buzzard altered the license plate on the rental car during the journey.
Significantly, when Buzzard returned to her Lompoc residence on October 10, she was alone. Her daughter was not with her.
A 'Calculated' Crime and an Ongoing Investigation
Buzzard was initially arrested on November 7 on unrelated charges of allegedly preventing someone from leaving a location against their will. The murder charge followed the discovery of her daughter's remains and the accumulating evidence.
Sheriff Brown described the crime as "calculated, cold-blooded, and premeditated," while acknowledging that a clear motive has not yet been determined. He expressed the profound difficulty in comprehending such an act, noting it is "rare for a mother to kill her own child."
"Today, we stand together in grief, but also with resolve," Brown said. "Melodee deserved a far better life than she had."
The weapon used in the killing has not been found, and the case remains under active investigation by authorities.
