😱 A 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL VANISHES AFTER A MYSTERIOUS CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP WITH MOM — THEN FBI AGENTS STORM THEIR HOME AND MOM STARTS RIPPING DOWN HER MISSING POSTERS…

Sweet little Melodee Buzzard, last photographed two years ago, was spotted on Oct. 7 wearing a strange wig at a car rental… next thing anyone knows, mom Ashlee drives her halfway to Nebraska in a white Chevy Malibu. Swaps license plates mid-trip “to avoid detection”? Returns alone on Oct. 10 — no Melodee.

Days later, school reports her absent, cops show up… mom gives ZERO answers. Family begs for info, but she’s “uncooperative.” Then bombshell: Video catches her tearing down posters of her own daughter while FBI raids the house, storage unit, and that rental car with K-9s.

Three weeks later…

In a escalating probe that’s gripped the nation, FBI agents and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives executed dramatic search warrants on the home of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, escorting her mother Ashlee Buzzard off the property while K-9 units scoured for clues — just days after video surfaced of the mom ripping down her own daughter’s missing person posters.

The raids hit Ashlee’s Vandenberg Village residence on Mars Avenue, a storage locker, and the white Chevrolet Malibu rental car she used earlier in October — the same vehicle believed to have carried Melodee on a bizarre three-day dash to Nebraska and back. Ashlee, 35, was removed “to ensure her presence would not interfere with their ability to conduct a thorough search,” officials said, stressing no arrests have been made yet.

This all exploded on October 14, 2025, when a Lompoc Unified School District administrator flagged Melodee’s “prolonged absence” from an independent study program she’d enrolled in just months earlier. Deputies knocked on the door — Ashlee answered, but Melodee was gone. No clear explanation. From day one, authorities labeled her “uncooperative,” and the case quickly went federal with FBI involvement.

Melodee, described as 4’6″, 60 pounds, with curly brown hair and eyes, hadn’t been photographed since 2023 — until surveillance popped up showing her on October 7 at a rental agency, hood up, sporting a dark straight wig that altered her look dramatically. Ashlee, known to wear wigs herself, grabbed the Malibu (plate 9MNG101) and hit the road.

Investigators tracked it blasting east: California through Nevada, Arizona, Utah, into Nebraska, then back via Kansas. Bombshell drop November 4: Somewhere en route — likely Utah or Colorado — plates swapped to a fake New York one (HCG9677) “to avoid detection,” per the Sheriff’s Office.

Last verified sighting? October 9 video near the Colorado-Utah border — Melodee in the passenger seat. Ashlee rolled back solo on October 10, ditched the car. Gaps in the timeline? Massive. What happened those three days?

Family’s in agony. Aunt Lizabeth Meza and sister Corinna told NewsNation they’re “in the dark” — no calls returned from detectives. Watching Ashlee yank down posters? “Extremely hard,” Meza said. Corinna visited — Ashlee complained about “attention” and mental health, dodged all questions about Melodee.

Relatives haven’t seen the girl in 4-5 years, claim Ashlee cut them off after her partner’s 2016 motorcycle death. Past suicide attempts, hospitalizations — mental health red flags everywhere. Civil debt cases pile up against Ashlee too.

October 30 footage from NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield: Ashlee casually tearing posters off her property. Next day? Raids. FBI appreciative of the assist, but details sealed.

No body, no charges — still a missing persons case, Melodee “at-risk.” Tips flood in, but leads fizzle. Social media sleuths map routes, scrutinize Ashlee’s past.

Experts weigh in: Ex-FBI Brad Garrett says probe that Nebraska connection hard — family? Friends? Purpose? Legal analysts buzz: Could courts force Ashlee to talk? Contempt? Juvenile dependency?

Three weeks deep, nation’s watching. FBI poster blasts Melodee’s face nationwide. Grandma “numb and in shock.” Aunts post pleas.

Ashlee lawyered up? Silent. Car gone from her possession. Wig, plates, posters — pattern of evasion?

As November hits, search intensifies: Nevada tips, Utah sightings. One thing’s clear: That road trip holds the key. Where did Melodee get off? Or worse?