Who Is Ashlee Buzzard? Woman Arrested In Cold-Blooded Murder Of Her Nine-Year-Old Daughter Melodee

Melodee Buzzard is the name reverberating across the US right now. From social media platforms to newspapers and television channels, almost everyone is talking about the nine-year-old girl named Malodee Buzzard from Lompoc, California. For the uninitiated, she was born on February 10, 2016, to her parents, Ashlee Buzzard and Rubiell “Pinoy” Meza. Her family and relatives described her as a cheerful, obedient child who was deeply loved by her extended family. When she was just six months old, Melodee’s father, Rubiell Meza, passed away after he died in a motorcycle accident in 2016.

Melodee Buzzard’s murd** case: Inside the disappearance, cold-blooded death, and Ashlee Buzzard’s arrest that shocked California

It was a heartbreaking moment for Melodee Buzzard’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, who lost her husband months after they embraced parenthood for the first time in their life together. After Rubiell Meza’s demise, family members and relatives were worried about the well-being of his daughter, Melodee, as his wife, Ashlee's behavior and mental stability weren’t promising, and there were concerns within the family about Melodee’s behavior.

According to multiple reports, after Rubiell Meza’s death, his side of the family attempted to secure custody or increased visitation as they weren’t convinced that his wife, Ashlee Buzzard, would be able to provide a stable environment that is needed for their daughter, Melodee’s growth. Unfortunately, the concerns from Melodee’s paternal family were never resolved in court, and Melodee continued living with her mother, Ashlee. However, over time, several family members noticed a significant decline in their communication with Melodee.

Ashlee Buzzard’s multi-state road trip, rental car surveillance, and the early warning signs in Melodee Buzzard’s disappearance

In early October 2025, Ashlee Buzzard went on a multi-state road trip with her daughter, Melodee Buzzard. The mother-daughter duo was spotted in surveillance footage from the Lompoc car rental agency, where Ashlee rented a white Chevrolet Malibu. What’s interesting is that both of them were wearing wigs, which were later described as an attempt to hide their identities. According to the authorities, the rental car’s license plates were swapped with those of another vehicle to avoid detection. On October 10, 2025, Ashlee returned the vehicle to the rental agency, but her daughter wasn’t seen with her in the surveillance footage.

On October 14, 2025, staff at Lompoc Unified School notified authorities that Melodee Buzzard was not attending school and that her family could not be contacted. Soon, the deputies conducted a welfare check at Ashlee Buzzard’s residence in Vandenberg Village, but she didn’t provide clear information about her daughter’s whereabouts. After this, the law enforcement classified Melodee as an “at-risk missing child”. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office launched an extensive search that included search warrants at Ashlee Buzzard’s home.

How the FBI-assisted search led to the discovery of Melodee Buzzard’s remains and Ashlee Buzzard’s murd** charge

The search was assisted by the FBI, but no confirmed sightings of Melodee Buzzard were reported. As a result, her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, was arrested, reportedly on unrelated felony charges. The authorities admitted that the charges against Ashlee were not directly connected to her daughter’s disappearance. However, in December 2025, a team of searchers located human remains in a remote area of Wayne County, Utah, a region identified by the investigators as Ashlee’s travel route.

After the mortal remains were sent for forensic testing, on December 22, 2025, the authorities confirmed that the remains belonged to Melodee Buzzard. As per the report by the medical examiner, the nine-year-old suffered fatal g*nshot wounds to the head, and she was believed to have been killed in October, possibly during or shortly after the road trip. After the investigators started the identification, Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, was arrested and charged with first-degree murd**. As per the Law Enforcement, the killing was intentional, citing evidence recovered from her home and ammunition.

How Sheriff Bill Brown’s statement and family reactions highlighted custody failures after Melodee Buzzard’s murd**

Santa Barbara County Sheriff, Bill Brown has publicly labeled the murd** as “deeply disturbing” and revealed that Ashlee Buzzard is currently being held without bail, and they’re preparing for the formal court hearings. The cold-bl**died murd** of Melodee has once again raised concern over child custody, as her paternal relatives have reiterated time and again, but couldn’t save her due to the law. Melodee’s paternal grandmother reacted to her granddaughter’s chilling murd**, saying, “She is with her dad now”. All the relatives are mourning the loss of the little girl, who could’ve been saved if the warning signs had been noticed earlier.

What are your thoughts on the cold-bl**died murder of nine-year-old innocent girl, Melodee Buzzard, at the hands of her own mother, Ashlee Buzzard? Let us know.

Also Read: Who Was Epic Gamer Grandma? Passed Away At 78, Suffered From Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

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