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A 9-year-old girl, Melody Buzzard, has vanished. And the timeline of her disappearance just doesn't add up. She's
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4 to 4 and 1/2 ft tall, 60 to 100 lb, brown hair, brown eyes, and the last verified photo of her is from 2023. Now,
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the FBI is involved in what's quickly becoming one of California's most chilling recent missing child cases.
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Melody was homeschooled in Lompoc, California as part of an independent study program. But according to
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administrators, she hadn't checked in with the affiliated independent study school for months. And when someone
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finally noticed this, they sounded the alarm. That was October 14th, 2025, when the Lompoc Unified School District
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officially reported her for prolonged absence and triggered a welfare check. But here's where things get strange,
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because just a week earlier, on October 7th, surveillance footage shows who authorities say is Melody at a
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California car rental business. She's wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a large dark wig. Investigators believe the wig
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may have been used to alter her appearance. Melody's mom, 35-year-old Ashley Buzzard, rented a white Chevrolet
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Malibu and started driving from Lompoc toward Nebraska. Three days later, on October 10th, Ashley returned home, but
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Melody didn't. It's believed that the critical window of her disappearance is super recent, between October 7th and
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October 10th, 2025. The rental car? No longer in Ashley's possession. Ashley? Back home with no insights that she's
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willing to offer around where Melody is. When deputies showed up to the family home for a welfare check on October
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15th, Melody was nowhere to be found. And when Ashley was asked where her daughter was, she couldn't give a clear
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explanation for her whereabouts. A search warrant was executed at her home, but no sign of Melody was found. And
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Ashley has not exactly been cooperative. And because the trip crossed state lines, the FBI has now joined the case.
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Ashley Buzzard hasn't been charged or arrested. Authorities have classified Melody as an at-risk missing person,
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citing her age, unexplained disappearance, and the multi-state journey that ended with her mother
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returning alone. Investigators note that Ashley is known to regularly wear wigs,
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which could connect to what police suspect is the disguise Melody was seen wearing in that surveillance footage.
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According to KSBY, CPS and authorities could be seen at Ashley's home on Monday, October 20th. And a neighbor
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even reported that she'd been served with papers, although we don't know what kind. We were able to speak to Melody's
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aunt, Elizabeth Meza, and she shared with us that Melody's family has not seen her since around April of 2021. And
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that they were shocked and confused when CPS reached out to them about Melody's whereabouts. Elizabeth also shared with
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us that a detective has let her know Melody's disappearance is not currently being treated as a criminal
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investigation, but that authorities are looking into different leads. If you've seen Melody or have any information
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about her or Ashley Buzzard's whereabouts between October 7th and October 10th, contact the Santa Barbara
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County Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division or the FBI's tip line. And this
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is important, do not attempt your own search. Investigators say it could interfere with the case. If you know
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anything, help bring Melody Buzzard home.