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

[Knox]

This is a possibility, but do we know that there actually was any recent custodial issues? The only information I can find is from the grandmother Lilly Dene:

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"Denes said that back in 2021, one of her sons (Melodee's uncle) temporarily took care of Melodee while Ashlee was hospitalized for several weeks. During this time, Denes said, she initiated the process to adopt Melodee because of concerns she had over Buzzard’s mental health and ability to care for the girl."

"But before legal proceedings began, Buzzard was discharged from the hospital, picked up Melodee from school and left Santa Maria"

"Ashlee legally changed Melodee’s last name to match her own and cut off physical contact with the girl’s father’s family."

"The grandmother has little clue what Melodee’s life has looked like since then, but said Buzzard had occasionally asked her for money over the years." (LA Times article)
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If that is the case, why would Ashlee, four years later, suddenly want to send Melodee interstate to hide?

Because of the action the school was taking against her.

 

[Knox]

What the heck?!! So I wondered what Ashlee did with those posters, according to this - she cut Melodee's face out?

 

[Knox]

 

[Knox]

The discussion in this episode talks about the possibility of drug trafficking. IMO, this could make sense.

 

[hoodunnit]

DBM

 

[alexwood]

What the heck?!! So I wondered what Ashlee did with those posters, according to this - she cut Melodee's face out?

At 6:13, the PI (Bill Garcia), who is being interviewed here by Brian Entin, says that Ashlee placed the cut out pictures of Melodee on a table in her home. The table he said was sort of an "altar" and the pictures were placed there in memory of Melodee -- I'd call it a shrine to Melodee. [How he knows that she did this, he doesn't say.]

 

[Knox]

Judge dismisses false imprisonment charge against Ashlee Buzzard

A judge dismissed a felony false imprisonment charge against a Vandenberg Village mother who is also at the center of a missing child investigation.

www.ksby.com

Highlights recapped in my own words below:

• Brewer made five visits to the home between November 1-6.
• He met Ashlee back in 2014, through her roomate he was friends with.
• Brewer recorded Ashlee on his last visit, but the Judge said it didn't show enough evidence for Brewer to have been in fear.
• A detective testified Ashlee had two phones in her purse the night she was arrested. One of her phones had a recording of the conversation she had with Brewer.

 

[Knox]

A judge dropped the charges after a recording taken by Ashlee did not reflect Brewer's side of the story that same day. An audio recording showed no locations were mentioned, there was no change in demeanor, even Ashlee opening the door for Brewer to leave her home.

While the judge acknowledged not wanting to make light of anxiety disorders, which Brewer does have, his story is not an accurate depiction of what happened that day as shown in the recording.

Judge Dismisses Felony Case Against Ashlee Buzzard | News Channel 3-12

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Today, a Lompoc judge dismissed a felony case against Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard, one day

keyt.com

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Hey @BlaiseFinlay.
Can you please post where you found out she went missing because of a welfare check? I have thought that was possible, but I have not seen it confirmed.
Thank you.
Tricia

Sorry I should have clarified that was an inference on my part, and I was using the term welfare check informally to include contact by the school. All I meant is that we now know that she didn’t go missing until after the school had begun inquiring about her not being in contact.

This sets forth the timeline well:

Melodee Buzzard: Timeline of investigation into missing 9-year-old girl from Santa Barbara, California | abc7ny.com

The%20FBI%20has%20joined%20the%20search%20for%20Melodee%20Buzzard%2C%20missing%20from%20Santa%20Barbara%20County.%20Authorities%20released%20the%20timeline%20of%20their%20investigation.

abc7ny.com

October 2024 was the last time Melodee checked in with the homeschool program. Then on October 14, 2025, the school requests a welfare check, saying they haven’t seen Melody in a long time, and a missing persons investigation is commenced.

October 7, 2025, is when the road trip happened and the last time it is known that Melodee was alive and (physically) well.

It’s been discussed generally that schools have procedures they follow for students who are absent. Contacting the sheriffs would not be their first step, and we can assume those initial contacts would have happened before October 7th (procedures tend to escalate, and people are usually given time to respond). So, there is a correlation.

It’s MOO that there is a causation. We know that it was only 7 days before the report to the sheriffs that Ashlee took the trip with Melodee, after having been out of compliance with the homeschool procedures for a year. It is my guess that she was aware of the next steps in the school’s procedures (or feared what the next steps might be), and that influenced her decision to go on that road trip.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

You have to go back to the genesis of the case. It all started as a truancy concern with Lompoc Unified. The school's last resort was a door knock from the truancy officer.

It was after that action, we believe Ashlee disappeared Melodee. Likely in response to the escalating action from the school. The letters would have stated that LE/CPS would be notified if she didn't respond. All JMO.

Yes thank you for clarifying, that is what I meant.

 

[Knox]

In post #1214 above. The PI Bill Garcia believes the Nebraska trip is not the only one Ashlee has made. He’s said this a couple different times now. Alao mentions drug trafficking.

I can’t shake the feeling that LE is not making any moves for a very specific reason. Perhaps because as they began investigating Melodee’s disappearance, they uncovered something else.

Starting to think the trip had nothing to do with Melodee, she was only along for the ride. But did she see and know things that put Ashlee and/or others at risk?

 

[Beans]

In post #1214 above. The PI Bill Garcia believes the Nebraska trip is not the only one Ashlee has made. He’s said this a couple different times now. Alao mentions drug trafficking.

I can’t shake the feeling that LE is not making any moves for a very specific reason. Perhaps because as they began investigating Melodee’s disappearance, they uncovered something else.

Starting to think the trip had nothing to do with Melodee, she was only along for the ride. But did she see and know things that put Ashlee and/or others at risk?

Trafficking is Bill Garcia's go-to theme I think. I'm sure I remember him insisting Sherry Papini had been trafficked as well.

 

[LadyL]

A judge dropped the charges after a recording taken by Ashlee did not reflect Brewer's side of the story that same day. An audio recording showed no locations were mentioned, there was no change in demeanor, even Ashlee opening the door for Brewer to leave her home.

While the judge acknowledged not wanting to make light of anxiety disorders, which Brewer does have, his story is not an accurate depiction of what happened that day as shown in the recording.

Judge Dismisses Felony Case Against Ashlee Buzzard | News Channel 3-12

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Today, a Lompoc judge dismissed a felony case against Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard, one day

keyt.com

nice of him to waste everyone's time

 

[truecrimel]

Banfield tonight had the recording of Ashlee and Tyler’s conversation. Definitely doesn’t seem to match his story.

 

[iamshadow21]

nice of him to waste everyone's time

Yeah, nothing he said seemed to make sense. I am unsurprised it all fell apart. He seems like a classic attention seeker.

MOO

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Wonder why Ashlee let him in and talked with him, when her goal seems to be to not share information.

Also wondering LE’s motives. Not my area, but I have a hard time believing LE has no power to bring charges relating to the disappearance. I know in the Madalina case, there was a relatively recently enacted state law that they charged the parents under. So maybe in the absence of such a law, there are no grounds. And even if California had that law, it wouldn’t necessarily apply because Ashlee hasn’t admitted Melodee is missing. The real question is whether a judge can force Ashlee to cooperate (paving the way for contempt charges). Anyway, I haven’t researched this, but there are so many laws on the books, they can usually find one. Especially with the FBI involved. (Though options will be limited if Ashlee has literally stayed silent.)

So based on that assumption, I was originally guessing that they were not arresting her, because they thought they would have a better shot of finding Melodee by surveilling Ashlee. But then that theory was shot when they arrested her for false imprisonment. So maybe my assumption is wrong and their hands really are tied until they get more evidence. Otherwise, I’m puzzled.

 

[TMich6811]

Imagine making up a story, public ally being dramatic to defend said story and then finding out it was recorded

I wonder what prompted her to record it

 

[TMich6811]

Also - she’s so quick to hand over a recording to get her self out of trouble, just reinforced to me that nothing good happened to Melodee

 

[tricia]

Brian Entin has a recording of the incident that led to Ashlee's arrest

 

[iamshadow21]

Imagine making up a story, public ally being dramatic to defend said story and then finding out it was recorded

I wonder what prompted her to record it

Maybe he was being weird and she was creeped out by it. Maybe she suspected he was trying to entrap her, or maybe it was a safeguarding reaction that most women and femme presenting people have had to resort to in their lives when a man is acting in a way that makes them uncertain of his intentions.

MOO