California officials unveiled new surveillance photos on Friday in the ongoing search for a 9-year-old girl, whom the FBI suspects may have traveled with her mother to Nebraska before disappearing.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into Melodee Buzzard’s disappearance on October 14 after a school official reported her prolonged absence. Officers visited her Lompoc home and encountered her 35-year-old mother, Ashlee Buzzard. However, Melodee was not present, and no credible explanation was given for her missing status.

In a recent update, detectives disclosed surveillance footage showing Melodee at a car rental location on October 7. The image reveals her dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, with the hood up, and wearing a wig darker and straighter than her natural hair, possibly to disguise her appearance. It’s noted that Ashlee has a history of wearing wigs as well.

Through their investigation, authorities have pinpointed a crucial timeline between October 7 and October 10, 2025. Evidence confirms Ashlee returned to her Lompoc home on October 10, driving the same rental car she left with on October 7, yet Melodee was absent from the vehicle.

The FBI released this image of Melodee Buzzard, which they say was taken in 2023. (FBI)

“Investigators understand that this three-day road trip went from Lompoc to the Nebraska area, with the return trip including the state of Kansas. Detectives are now focused on determining where Melodee was during those three days and where she may be now,” it also said.

Melodee Buzzard is described by police as being around 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing approximately 60 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Melodee Buzzard was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and “what appears to be a wig that is darker and straighter than her natural hair.” (Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office)

“Our detectives are following every lead in this case. We continue to seek information from the public that could help us find Melodee,” Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown said in a statement. “We remain determined to bring her home safely.”

The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office is assisting in the search.

“The investigation indicates that Melodee was with her mother as recently as October 7, 2025. It has also been determined that Ashlee may have driven with Melodee in a White Chevrolet Malibu (Lic #9MNG101) to locations outside of Santa Barbara County, California, to include as far as the state of Nebraska,” the agency said. “The vehicle was determined to be a rental car and is no longer in Ashlee’s possession.”

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office released a new image of Melodee Buzzard “captured at a local car rental business” on Oct. 7, 2025. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office )

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Melodee remains an “at risk-missing person,” while her mother has been “uncooperative with investigators.”