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The FBI has intensified efforts to locate a missing 9-year-old girl from Santa Barbara County, California, by joining the ongoing search.
Investigators are working with a photograph of Melodee Buzzard that is two years old. Described as 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighing around 60 pounds, Melodee has brown hair and brown eyes. Officials note that her appearance may have evolved since the photo was taken.
Melodee, who receives home-schooling, has not reported any progress with her independent studies program since October of the previous year, according to detectives.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported on Monday that evidence suggests Melodee was last seen with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, on October 7.
Authorities suspect that Melodee accompanied her mother on a journey reaching as far as Nebraska. Ashlee Buzzard is believed to be driving a rented white Chevrolet Malibu, bearing the license plate 9MNG101.
Investigators say her mother remains uncooperative and hasn’t given authorities any information about Melodee’s whereabouts.
SEE ALSO: Santa Barbara authorities looking for 9-year-old girl who hasn’t been seen in at least 1 year
Authorities announced last week they were looking for Melodee, initially saying she hadn’t been seen since October 2024. The department later said she had been spotted as recently as August 2025, and a sheriff’s spokesperson described her disappearance as “suspicious.” It appears Melodee was homeschooled for at least the last few years, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office urges anyone who has seen Melodee or has had contact with Ashlee Buzzard since Oct. 7 to call the department at 805-681-4150. Tips can be submitted anonymously at 805-681-4171 or www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip.
Timeline of Melodee Buzzard’s disappearance from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office:
2023
Most recent photo and verified sighting available at the onset of investigation.
August 2025
Lompoc Unified School District verified sighting.
Oct. 7 2025
Verified sighting of Melodee and Ashley Buzzard at beginning of road trip to Nebraska, where Ashlee Buzzard returned to Lompoc without Melodee.
Oct. 14, 2025
Wellfare check requested by Lompoc Unified School District prompts onset of missing person investigation. Ashlee Buzzard was contacted at the residence on Mars Avenue in Lompoc, but could not provide a reasonable explanation of Melodee’s whereabouts.
Oct. 15, 2025
Detectives serve search warrant at the residence. Melodee is not located, and Ashlee Buzzard remains uncooperative.
Oct. 18, 2025
FBI joins the investigation into Melodee’s disappearance.
Oct. 22, 2025
Melodee remains an at-risk missing person. Ashlee Buzzard remains uncooperative with investigators.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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