CA CA - Melodee Buzzard, 9, Vandenberg Village, 14 Oct 2025

[anony5432]

I know the focus is on extracting information out of AB.

But Is there any evidence of Melodee having her own phone, tablet, or PC?

It must be traumatic to be suddenly removed from school and isolated from your friends. As a 9-year old, I’d imagine her already playing Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, or similar. All it takes is for her to login to a game or social media account to help locate her.

Is there anything resembling a profile of Melodee?

Also, is there any information or pictures of Melodee on her school’s website?

I hope she is found unharmed.

 

[truthfinder2019]

Detectives Say 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard's Appearance May Have Been Altered with a Wig Before She Disappeared

Investigators are sharing new details about the disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard. Security camera footage taken at a California car rental business on Oct. 7 shows Melodee wearing a dark wig, which police said 'may have been used to alter her appearance.'

people.com

More of the same

 

[starlightstarbright]

I still don’t quite understand how LE knows she did a 3 day round trip to Nebraska, stopping in Kansas on the way back, but doesn’t seem to know where. Surely, if she drove to a house or a parking lot, stopped for an hour and then drove back, then that’s where to start looking and blasting out information about Melodee locally. Same with the stop in Kansas.

I don’t think this woman is a criminal mastermind. She likely drove to a location and left her and drove back. So there should be a fairly obvious area to search.

Also, what is the threshold for a search warrant? Surely, this has been going on weeks now. Can parents just disappear their children? When is the tipping point when LE can enter the house and check her phone?

 

[truthfinder2019]

She did try to rent again a vehicle, and did not manage to. Was she trying to go back to where is Melodee?

 

[Doesitmakesense]

I still don’t quite understand how LE knows she did a 3 day round trip to Nebraska, stopping in Kansas on the way back, but doesn’t seem to know where. Surely, if she drove to a house or a parking lot, stopped for an hour and then drove back, then that’s where to start looking and blasting out information about Melodee locally. Same with the stop in Kansas.

I don’t think this woman is a criminal mastermind. She likely drove to a location and left her and drove back. So there should be a fairly obvious area to search.

Also, what is the threshold for a search warrant? Surely, this has been going on weeks now. Can parents just disappear their children? When is the tipping point when LE can enter the house and check her phone?

Maybe bank transactions, paying for food or fuel

 

[anony5432]

I still don’t quite understand how LE knows she did a 3 day round trip to Nebraska, stopping in Kansas on the way back, but doesn’t seem to know where. Surely, if she drove to a house or a parking lot, stopped for an hour and then drove back, then that’s where to start looking and blasting out information about Melodee locally. Same with the stop in Kansas.

I don’t think this woman is a criminal mastermind. She likely drove to a location and left her and drove back. So there should be a fairly obvious area to search.

Also, what is the threshold for a search warrant? Surely, this has been going on weeks now. Can parents just disappear their children? When is the tipping point when LE can enter the house and check her phone?

LE obviously have a lot of information they aren’t telling us. I’d figure the GPS data from the rental car is enough.

I wonder if they are worried about what happens if she says “I’m not talking about a lawyer”. With all the press the case is getting, a really good lawyer might come in to represent her and make things much more difficult.

Honestly, if police informed rental car places in the area to allow her to rent a car and provide real-time GPS data, police would be able to follow her and possibly find Melodee. That was a missed opportunity.

 

[Megnut]

LE obviously have a lot of information they aren’t telling us. I’d figure the GPS data from the rental car is enough.

I wonder if they are worried about what happens if she says “I’m not talking about a lawyer”. With all the press the case is getting, a really good lawyer might come in to represent her and make things much more difficult.

Honestly, if police informed rental car places in the area to allow her to rent a car and provide real-time GPS data, police would be able to follow her and possibly find Melodee. That was a missed opportunity.

Rbbm

Ah, if only it could work like that! But in most of the cases I've followed, LE is understandably days behind.

IMO they didn't know she was looking to rent a car until they got tips or leads they brought them there, which is how they got those cctv images of the missing girl.

It's not often IME that LE runs active surveillance on POIs/suspects, much as I wish they did/could. Instead, typically, they get returns on warrants which gives them access to tracking, which lets them see where those individuals have been, not in real time but in the past.

JMO

 

[Winterhike]

She did try to rent again a vehicle, and did not manage to. Was she trying to go back to where is Melodee?

I wonder what changed between the last car rental (earlier in October when Melodee was with her) and this time so that the first time she was able to rent the car and the second time she was unable to. Only money? Some other factor?

 

[truthfinder2019]

I wonder what changed between the last car rental (earlier in October when Melodee was with her) and this time so that the first time she was able to rent the car and the second time she was unable to. Only money? Some other factor?

The publicity around the case maybe ?

 

[TMich6811]

I wonder what changed between the last car rental (earlier in October when Melodee was with her) and this time so that the first time she was able to rent the car and the second time she was unable to. Only money? Some other factor?

Flagged in a driving record check this time?

Or possible not enough $ to cover the deposit.

Police should work with a rental company and allow her to rent and see where she ends up. IMO

 

[Mauig’ma]

Flagged in a driving record check this time?

Or possible not enough $ to cover the deposit.

Police should work with a rental company and allow her to rent and see where she ends up. IMO

Great idea

 

[Tealgrove]

I wonder what changed between the last car rental (earlier in October when Melodee was with her) and this time so that the first time she was able to rent the car and the second time she was unable to. Only money? Some other factor?

Did she go back to the same car rental place? If so, they probably knew what was going on. My guess is that LE had already looked at the rental she had previously and requested info. Don’t need a warrant if there is co-operation.

Also, don’t you need a credit card to rent a vehicle? With her financial situation, maybe she doesn’t have one. Could someone else have rented the car for her previously using their card? This time she was on her own?

 

[tlcya]

Are you forgetting that Ashlee also needs to be identified on the road trip? Almost moreso than Melodee because she made the trip back to Santa Maria without her and could have made Melodee stay in the car at stops along the way there, or dropped her off at any point in between California & Nebraska/Kansas.

If she too was wearing a wig, we need to see what she looked like. How can people call in tips otherwise?

The dribbling out of information is odd, they had those pictures for a couple days now?

agreed, we know now that pains were taken to alter Melodee's appearance. In the interest of locating potential witnesses who saw Melodee and/or her mother during this road trip, they need to show what Ashlee may have looked like, because it seems as if she may have taken pains to alter her own appearance as well. Agree about the drip drop nature of information. I can only assume LE have their reasons, but that creates it's own type of concern for seasoned case followers. Often more is learned by what they aren't sharing than by what is. JMO

 

[tlcya]

Maybe bank transactions, paying for food or fuel

or they've gotten back response to subpoenaed info from her phone that shows various cell tower connects along the way? But then they should have at least a general idea of her route?

 

[TMich6811]

Flagged in a driving record check this time?

Or possible not enough $ to cover the deposit.

Police should work with a rental company and allow her to rent and see where she ends up. IMO

Replying to myself but -

Or someone else’s credit card was used the first time

 

[charminglane]

Rental car may have been impounded. Flagged in business record, therefore no more rentals to her.
I would assume inspected for signs of violence, blood, etc.

 

[Knox]

agreed, we know now that pains were taken to alter Melodee's appearance. In the interest of locating potential witnesses who saw Melodee and/or her mother during this road trip, they need to show what Ashlee may have looked like, because it seems as if she may have taken pains to alter her own appearance as well. Agree about the drip drop nature of information. I can only assume LE have their reasons, but that creates it's own type of concern for seasoned case followers. Often more is learned by what they aren't sharing than by what is. JMO

If Ashlee met someone in any one of the States from California to Nebraska and dropped off/exchanged Melodee in a rural area with no cameras. LE could because of telematics know where she stopped, but not what occurred. Particularly if she had her cell phone turned off.

I think they are tracking plate reader hits, cell ohone data, vehicle telematics, maybe even a laptop in multiple states. Thank God the FBI is involved.

There was a picture of Ashlee in the DM when she tried to rent another car last week. She was carrying a small tablet. No cell phone in sight, just a tablet. Her cell phone and any other electronics were seized I’m sure. But what about that one?

Neighbors are saying she hasn’t left the home in three days. What is she doing with herself all day alone in that house, waiting to be arrested?

 

[Knox]

Rental car may have been impounded. Flagged in business record, therefore no more rentals to her.
I would assume inspected for signs of violence, blood, etc.

Two weeks ago, a few days after this hit the news. She had another rental car, the KSBY reporter noted that when it came back to the house after a few trips to wherever she went. She had hit something and the car was damaged. There was yellow paint transfer and body damage like she hit a post somewhere in a parking lot.

Also, she has active collection accounts pending for unpaid credit cards. But let’s call it what it is, this case has national coverage. Would any agency rent to her now? What’s she going to do, sue them?

 

[TMich6811]

I guess my next question is - how is she affording all of these rental cars?

 

[Teche]

Can’t LE/CPS bring Ashlee in for questioning since she’s failed to produce Melodee?