Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of the missing child Melodee Buzzard, has been taken into custody on separate charges unrelated to her daughter’s disappearance.

Buzzard was apprehended on Friday and faces charges of false imprisonment.

While these charges are not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has withheld specific details to ensure the investigation remains uninterrupted.

Investigators have uncovered an incident in which Buzzard allegedly restrained a victim, preventing them from leaving a specific location, thereby constituting false imprisonment.

Meanwhile, authorities continue their efforts to locate Melodee, with the search still actively underway.

Melodee Buzzard disappeared sometime between Oct. 9 and Oct. 10. Authorities were alerted to her disappearance by a school employee and said Buzzard’s mother has not cooperated in the investigation.

Buzzard took a trip with her daughter, leaving California on Oct. 7 and traveling as far as Nebraska, with a return route that went through Kansas. Melodee Buzzard was seen on surveillance footage at the Utah-Colorado border on Oct. 9. When Buzzard returned Oct. 10, Melodee was not with her.

Investigators recently released surveillance video from a rental car place in Lompoc, California, on Oct. 7, where Buzzard and Melodee, both wearing wigs, rented a car.

The pair was traveling in a 2024 white Chevrolet Malibu. The car was rented with California license plate 9MNG101, but investigators believe Buzzard swapped plates with New York plate HCG9677 for part of the trip.

Investigators are asking people along the route to review surveillance footage from Oct. 9 and Oct. 10. They say Buzzard and Melodee traveled through areas including Green River, Utah; Panguitch, Utah; Northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Anyone with information on Melodee should call detectives at (805) 681-4150 or submit an anonymous tip at (805) 681-417