Car Carrying Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard Had License Plate Swapped to Avoid Detection, Say Police By Becca Longmire 13

Authorities are releasing new details amid the ongoing search for missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, who has not been seen for nearly a month.

Melodee was last captured on video surveillance on Oct. 9 in the region between the Colorado–Utah border, two days after a security camera showed her and her mom, Ashlee, at a rental car location in Lompoc, California, on Oct. 7, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Monday, Nov. 3.

The sheriff’s office began investigating Melodee’s disappearance on Oct. 14, when a school administrator reported her prolonged absence.

“Deputies attempted to locate Melodee and her mother, Ashlee at their residence in Lompoc, California, but were only able to speak with Ashlee who provided no verifiable explanation for Melodee’s whereabouts,” the release stated.

Officers continued, “A search of the residence confirmed that Melodee was not there. Ashlee has remained uncooperative and has not confirmed Melodee’s location or welfare.”

In Monday’s update, the sheriff’s office explained that the license plates on the white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu that Ashlee and Melodee had been traveling in were switched on or before Oct. 8.

The release stated, “Through their investigation, detectives have confirmed that Ashlee left California with Melodee in a white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, initially bearing California license plate 9MNG101, on October 7, 2025.” 

“Detectives believe that Ashlee and Melodee [traveled] as far as Nebraska, with a return trip that included Kansas. Beginning Oct. 8, 2025, the Malibu was observed with a New York license plate HCG9677,” the sheriff’s office added.

Officers said it wasn’t known “when the plate was installed or whether additional plates were used at other times during travel.” 

“The New York plate seen on the car does not belong to the vehicle or to Ashlee. Investigators believe it was used as a false or switched plate to avoid detection. When the vehicle was returned to the rental agency in Lompoc, Calif., the assigned California plate was on the vehicle,” the release said.

Detectives confirmed that Melodee “was last seen along the return route via video surveillance on October 9, 2025, in the region between the Colorado–Utah border,” adding that investigators were now “working to fill gaps in the timeline.” 

Officers are also working with law enforcement agencies in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Southern California “for assistance in reaching the members of their communities,” the release stated.

It’s believed that the vehicle the mother and daughter were in had traveled through Green River and Panguitch in Utah, Northwest Arizona, Primm in Nevada and Rancho Cucamonga in California on or around Oct. 9.

“The Sheriff’s Office is sharing a map of the vehicle’s stops and urges anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information. Detectives are seeking anyone who may have had contact with Ashlee or Melodee at any point from October 9-10, 2025, or any video footage from their route of travel,” the release continued.

Authorities have said that both Ashlee and Melodee appeared to be wearing wigs in the surveillance footage captured at the car rental in Lompoc on Oct. 7, with Melodee’s hair “appearing darker and straighter than her natural hair,” per Monday’s release.

The missing girl is described as a 9-year-old female, approximately 4 feet 6 inches tall, 60 pounds, with brown curly hair and brown eyes.

Investigators previously said the “at-risk” girl hadn’t been seen in a year, PEOPLE previously reported. According to the sheriff’s office, Melodee was homeschooled and had not checked in since October 2024.

She was reported missing by the Lompoc Unified School District when she failed to pick up assignments following her August enrollment in an independent learning program at the school, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a statement from the school.

Despite the sheriff’s office saying Melodee had been homeschooled, a California Department of Education spokesperson told ABC News that there was no record of Melodee’s mother filing a yearly private school affidavit, which is necessary for homeschooling.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

As the search for Melodee continues, relatives have claimed Ashlee barred the child’s paternal family from seeing her for years, PEOPLE previously reported.

Bridgett Truitt, Melodee’s paternal aunt, was among those speaking out, telling local outlet KEYT of Ashlee, “She hasn’t let us see her for a few years. And all of us have tried. But we never stopped thinking about her or loving her or praying for her.” 

Melodee’s father, Rubiell Meza, died in a vehicle accident in 2016 when Melodee was a baby, the family said.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.