What started as concern over a young girl’s unexplained school absence would culminate weeks later in a shocking roadside discovery and a murder arrest.At first, there was nothing dramatic about it. A school district administrator noticed that nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard had stopped showing up and had not been heard from in weeks. The absence was flagged, and a welfare check was requested. It was the kind of concern meant to prevent tragedy.

Instead, it marked the beginning of one. When investigators contacted Melodee’s mother, Ashlee Buzzard, they expected answers. Authorities say Ashlee could not provide clear or verifiable information about where her daughter was or when she had last been seen. Days passed, and Ashlee did not cooperate with investigators.A Child Vanishes as Silence and Secrecy Set InAccording to authorities, Melodee was last seen on October 7, 2025, the day she left her Lompoc, California, home with Ashlee. That same day, the two rented a vehicle and began what investigators later described as a three-day road trip toward the Nebraska area.