VANDENBERG VILLAGE, CA – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its search for a 9-year-old girl who has not been seen in over a year, while her mother remains uncooperative with investigators, authorities said Friday.
Melodee Buzzard was last confirmed to have been seen in August 2025, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick. The homeschooled child had not been previously seen for more than a year and had not been photographed in at least two years before that sighting.
Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, has been uncooperative throughout the investigation, detectives said. Authorities have yet to receive any verified explanation for the child’s current whereabouts or prolonged absence from public view.
In a significant development, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that its recent public appeal for information has generated at least one potential lead and a confirmed sighting earlier this year. Officials did not disclose where or by whom Melodee was seen in August.
“This important update helps narrow a significant gap in the timeline of when she was last known to be seen and because of that, we’re closer to understanding what happened to Melodee,” said Chris Gotschall from the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division.
The investigation began after the Lompoc Unified School District brought Melodee’s prolonged absence to the attention of authorities. Gotschall praised the district for recognizing potential danger and taking action.
“Lompoc Unified School District deserves credit for recognizing that something wasn’t right, reaching out, and continuing to assist with this investigation,” he said.
Melodee lived in Vandenberg Village, a small community adjacent to Lompoc in northern Santa Barbara County near Vandenberg Space Force Base. As a homeschooled student, she was not enrolled in traditional classes, which may have contributed to the delay in reporting her absence.
The Sheriff’s Office has not indicated whether foul play is suspected in Melodee’s disappearance or whether the case is being treated as suspicious. The child continues to be classified as “at-risk.”
Anyone with information about Melodee’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be submitted online or by calling 805-681-4171.
