Ashlee Buzzard pleads not guilty to murder charges in death of her daughter

By Santa Ynez Valley Star · Fri Jan 16 2026

Lompoc resident was arrested Dec. 23 after Melodee Buzzard’s remains were discovered in Utah

Ashlee Buzzard of Lompoc entered a not guilty plea to murder charges on Friday, Dec. 26, in the death of her daughter Melodee Elani Buzzard, the subject of an over-two-month search that ended when her remains were found in Utah.

KSBY-TV reported that the plea and denial of special allegations of discharge of a firearm causing death and murder by lying in wait were entered during Ashlee Buzzard's arraignment in a Santa Maria courtroom before Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge John McGregor on Dec. 26.

Prosecutor Jordan Lockey announced at the hearing that the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office would not be seeking the death penalty against Buzzard, 40, but would be seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to KSBY.

Three days earlier, on Dec. 23, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown had announced that the remains of Melodee, a 9-year-old child reported missing from the Lompoc area in October 2025, had been located in a rural area outside of Caineville, Utah, and that her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, had been arrested for her murder.

At approximately 7:51 a.m., members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, served search and arrest warrants at the Buzzard residence in Lompoc. Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody without incident and booked at the Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail for first-degree murder. She is currently being held without bail.

“This is an extraordinarily tragic case involving the murder of a child by the very person she relied upon and trusted the most,” Sheriff Brown said. “While maternal filicide is rare and difficult to comprehend, the evidence in this case clearly indicates a calculated, deliberate, and ruthless act.”

Investigation overview

From the moment Melodee Buzzard was reported missing, Sheriff’s detectives pursued every investigative lead with urgency, discipline, and compassion. Detectives worked simultaneously on multiple fronts, including continuous tracking of Ashlee Buzzard’s movements, while other investigators focused on the exhaustive collection and analysis of physical, digital, and forensic evidence.

Throughout the investigation, detectives encountered deliberate efforts to prevent them from locating Melodee and uncovering the truth. Despite these obstacles, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigators remained  methodical and relentless, relying on evidence when cooperation was withheld and overcoming barriers placed in their path. Their unwavering commitment ultimately led to today’s arrest.

Timeline of key investigative milestones

While this remains an active criminal case, investigators shared the following confirmed milestones:

• Oct. 14, 2025: A school administrator reported Melodee’s prolonged absence. Deputies responded to the family’s residence in the 500-block of Mars Avenue in Lompoc and contacted her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, who provided no verifiable explanation for Melodee’s whereabouts.
• Oct. 15, 2025: Detectives served a search warrant at the Mars Avenue residence. Investigators learned Ashlee Buzzard had recently rented a vehicle, and surveillance images showed her and Melodee at the rental office wearing wigs, apparently to conceal their identities. These images were released publicly on Oct. 22.
• Oct. 24, 2025: Detectives released a detailed travel timeline documenting a multi-state round-trip travel route that included California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska with a return route including Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Investigators learned Ashlee Buzzard switched license plates and backed into gas stations to avoid surveillance cameras. Melodee was last seen on video with Ashlee on Oct. 9, 2025, near the Colorado-Utah border. Investigators now believe Melodee was murdered shortly after that point.
• Oct. 30, 2025: Sheriff’s detectives and the FBI Evidence Response Team served additionalsearch warrants at the Mars Avenue residence, at a storage unit, and upon the rental vehicle. An expended cartridge case was recovered from the residence, and a live round of similar ammunition was located in the vehicle. The cartridge case was submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for entry into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, a firearms-related evidence database.
• Dec. 6, 2025: The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office in Utah responded to a report of a decomposed body discovered off the roadway near the 3300-block of East State Route 24 in a remote area of Wayne County.
• Dec. 8, 2025: Wayne County authorities notified the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office of the unidentified remains. The decedent was determined to be female and had died from gunshot wounds to the head.
• Dec. 17, 2025: Cartridge cases recovered in Utah were compared by the ATFE and determined to be linked to the cartridge case recovered from the Mars Avenue residence.
• Dec. 22, 2025: FBI Crime Lab analysis confirmed that the remains discovered in Utah were a familial DNA match to Ashlee Buzzard.
• Dec. 23, 2025: Ashlee Lynn Buzzard was arrested for the murder of her daughter, Melodee Buzzard.

Partner agencies

This investigation required extensive coordination across multiple jurisdictions. The Sheriff’s Office recognized the contributions of numerous partner agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, California Department of Justice, Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services, Lompoc Unified School District, Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue, and multiple law enforcement agencies across Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska.

Community and family acknowledgment

“The loss of Melodee Buzzard is heartbreaking,” Brown said. “We hoped against hope that she would be found alive. This outcome is devastating.”
The Sheriff’s Office extended its deepest condolences to the Meza and Buzzard families and thanked members of the public and media nationwide for their engagement, tips, and continued attention to the case.
“This investigation does not end here,” Brown said. “We remain committed to working closely with prosecutors to ensure justice is pursued with integrity, care, and compassion. Melodee deserved a far better life, and she will never be forgotten.”
Because this case is now proceeding through the court system, additional details are limited at this time.