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Authorities in California arrested the mother of a missing “at-risk” 9-year-old girl on a charge unrelated to her daughter’s disappearance.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said Ashlee Buzzard, the 40-year-old mother of Melodee Buzzard of Lompoc, was taken into custody on Friday for a felony charge of false imprisonment.
A video captured by a witness showed law enforcement leading Ashlee Buzzard away from a home.
“Detectives learned of a recent incident where Ashlee prevented a victim from leaving a location, against their will, which constitutes false imprisonment. This crime is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee. However, detectives are unable to fully outline the crime as it would impede their ongoing investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.
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Melodee was last seen via video surveillance in early October during a road trip with her mother. The pair is believed to have traveled as far as Nebraska, officials said. The rental car she was traveling in had its license plates swapped “to avoid detection,” authorities previously revealed.
Ashlee Buzzard had her bail set at $100,000 after being booked into the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Barbara County.
“Although this arrest occurred during the course of the missing person investigation, it is not directly related to Melodee’s disappearance. Sheriff’s detectives remain fully focused on locating Melodee and confirming her safety,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators also released video Thursday showing Ashlee and Melodee Buzzard at a rental car location in Lompoc, California, Oct. 7.
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“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,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office previously said its investigation into the disappearance of Melodee Buzzard began Oct. 14 after a school administrator reported her extended absence. Deputies then responded to her home in Lompoc and encountered her mother, Ashlee, but “Melodee was not at the home, and no verifiable explanation for her whereabouts was provided,” according to the office.
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Melodee Buzzard is described by police as being “around 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing approximately 60 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office is assisting in the search, and detectives have described the child as being “at-risk.”
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