The FBI and a sheriff’s office in California executed multiple search warrants this week as an “at-risk” nine-year-old girl remains missing Friday.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said its investigation into the disappearance of Melodee Buzzard began on Oct. 14 after a school administrator reported her extended absence. Deputies then responded to her home in Lompoc and encountered her 35-year-old mother, Ashlee Buzzard, but “Melodee was not at the home, and no verifiable explanation for her whereabouts was provided,” according to the office.
The FBI said Melodee Buzzard may have been with her mother on a road trip “as far as the state of Nebraska” before vanishing.
“On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Sheriff’s detectives along with the FBI served follow-up search warrants at the home of Ashlee and Melodee Buzzard… as well as a storage locker and the rental car that Melodee was last seen in,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said. “In anticipation of the need for access to the residence during the search for an extended time, detectives escorted Ashlee to an alternate location that would not interfere with their ability to conduct a thorough search.”
