Melodee Buzzard’s grandmother has raised alarming concerns about her granddaughter, weeks after she went missing.
In October, nine-year-old Melodee vanished after setting off on what seemed like a road trip with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard. Three days later, Buzzard returned without her daughter, and authorities report that she has yet to give a ‘verifiable explanation’ for Melodee’s whereabouts.
The mystery deepens as CCTV footage captured during the journey shows both Melodee and her mother traveling over 1,000 miles from their California home, both appearing in wigs.
Additionally, the license plate on the rental vehicle Buzzard used appeared to change during the trip, only to be returned to the rental agency with its original plates intact.
Regarding the footage, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office stated: “The footage corresponds to previously released still images and shows both Ashlee and Melodee wearing wigs. Investigators also believe that Ashlee swapped wigs throughout the trip, changing to a darker wig that is similar in color and style to the one Melodee was seen wearing. This change in appearance is believed to have been intentional to avoid recognition during travel.”
They continued, “The plate does not belong to the vehicle or Buzzard and is believed to have been used as a false or switched plate to avoid detection.”
Following Melodee’s disappearance, her grandmother, Lilly Denes, has shared her perspective, revealing she was asked to care for Melodee while Buzzard was allegedly receiving treatment in a mental facility.
Denes disclosed that the process to adopt Melodee began when Buzzard was released in 2021. “We were so happy when social services called us and told us that they were gonna place the baby with us. You know, we were so happy,” Denes told Fox News, alleging that Buzzard isolated Melodee from the outside world upon her return.
Describing her first encounter with Buzzard, Denes remarked, “When I met her, my son brought her to the house. She looked so quiet, and she was following me with her eyes back and forth, and I told my son. ‘Son, is this girl OK? She doesn’t look like she’s normal. Something’s wrong with this lady’.”
She further pleaded, “I know that maybe somebody out there in the world knows where my baby is. Somebody has to know.”
Melodee was last seen on October 9. Her school later reported her absence after noticing her inactivity in the remote learning program that Buzzard enrolled her in August.
School administrators requested a police welfare check due to the extended absence.
However, when police visited the family home, there was no trace of Melodee. Buzzard has not provided a ‘verifiable explanation’ for her daughter’s location, and authorities state that she ‘has remained uncooperative and has not confirmed Melodee’s location or welfare’.
In a peculiar development, Buzzard was arrested earlier this month for allegedly imprisoning a man named Tyler Brewer.
Brewer, who visited Buzzard’s residence on November 6, claims Buzzard brandished a box cutter and prevented him from leaving.
Brewer stated, “Ms. Buzzard became visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing. A box cutter was produced, and despite multiple requests to be allowed to exit the home, I was not immediately permitted to leave.”
Buzzard has pleaded not guilty and is expected back in court next week.
UNILAD has contacted Buzzard’s legal representative for a comment.