A California mother is accused of shooting her 9-year-old daughter, dumping her body across state lines, and spending weeks pretending nothing happened.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, stood before a Santa Barbara County judge on Friday, December 27, 2025, and entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Melodee Buzzard. The judge ordered her held without bail.
Melodee’s body was discovered in rural Utah on December 6, 2025 — more than two months after she vanished.
This is the timeline investigators say reveals a calculated, cold-blooded crime.
You’ll Never Forget Me: A Novel (Hardcover) – January 13, 2026
THE TIMELINE
October 7, 2025 — Lompoc, California
Buzzard rents a 2024 Chevrolet Malibu and leaves town with Melodee.
October 7–9, 2025 — Multi-State Trip
They travel through Nevada, Arizona, Kansas, Utah, and as far as Nebraska.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows both wearing wigs to disguise their identities.
October 9, 2025 — Colorado-Utah Border
Melodee is last seen alive on surveillance video.
October 10, 2025 — California
Buzzard returns the rental car alone.
October 14, 2025 — Lompoc
Melodee is officially reported missing — not by her mother, but by a school administrator.
December 6, 2025 — Rural Utah
Photographers stumble upon a child’s remains. FBI DNA later confirms the body is Melodee Buzzard.
December 27, 2025 — Santa Barbara County Court
Buzzard pleads not guilty to first-degree murder. Prosecutors seek life without parole.
Jigsaw: An Alex Delaware Novel (Hardcover) – February 3, 2026
THE EVIDENCE
FACT:
• Ballistic evidence links a spent cartridge in Buzzard’s home to bullet casings found near Melodee’s body.
• DNA testing by the FBI confirms Melodee’s identity.
• Investigators find matching ammunition inside Buzzard’s rented vehicle.
• Surveillance shows wigs, plate swaps, and repeated attempts to evade detection.
• Authorities say Melodee was shot to death.
The Hard Line (Gray Man) (Hardcover) – February 17, 2026
NOT FOUND:
• The murder weapon has not been recovered.
OFFICIAL CHARACTERIZATION:
Sheriff Bill Brown calls it a “premeditated, calculated, cold-blooded killing.”
Revenge Prey (A Prey Novel) (Hardcover) – April 7, 2026
RUMOR vs. FACT
FACT: Prosecutors have not publicly established a motive.
SPECULATION: Online theories range from custody issues to financial stress — none confirmed.
FACT: Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty but will pursue life without parole.
The Crossroads (A Joe Pickett Novel) (Hardcover) – February 24, 2026
THE HUMAN COST
Melodee vanished on October 7.
For nearly two months, a little girl lay dead while her mother returned home and said nothing.
The silence is the part that haunts investigators most.
The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives Hardcover – March 3, 2026
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Authorities continue reconstructing Buzzard’s return route from Utah to California.
More charges are possible.
The case remains active.
What do YOU think happened inside that car after October 9?
Drop your thoughts below. The truth is still unfolding.
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