License Plates Changed on Car Carrying Missing 9-Year-Old Melodee Buzzard to ‘Avoid Detection’: Sheriff

Authorities are now confirming that the white sedan carrying the missing girl and her mother, Ashlee, had its license plates deliberately switched in an apparent effort to avoid detection, according to a new Nov. 3 release. “Ashlee has remained uncooperative and has not confirmed Melodee’s location or welfare,” the release states.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office (SBSO) also revealed that the white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu that Ashlee and Melodee had been traveling in was equipped with a false license plate on or before Oct. 8. Detectives confirmed the vehicle, initially registered with a California plate (9MNG101), was observed bearing a New York license plate (HCG9677) during a multi-state trip that spanned the Midwest and Southwest. The New York plate, officials noted, does not belong to the vehicle or Ashlee, leading investigators to believe it was used solely as a measure of disguise.

“It is unknown when the plate was installed or whether additional plates were used at other times during travel,” the release said. “The New York plate seen on the car does not belong to the vehicle or to Ashlee.”

The release also states that “detectives have now confirmed that Melodee was last seen along the return route via video surveillance on Oct. 9, 2025, in the region between the Colorado–Utah border” — which is just two days after a security camera footage spotted her and her mom at a rental car business — and that investigators are 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 is also believed that the Malibu 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 also shared a map of the vehicle’s stops and is urging anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information.

According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation started on Oct. 14 after a “school administrator reported Melodee’s extended absence.” Melodee had been reportedly homeschooled in recent years, and Melodee’s mom, Ashlee, enrolled her daughter in the Lompoc Unified School District’s “independent study program,” per ABC News, citing a statement from the district.

“In our independent study program, if a student fails to pick up assignments, the student is referred back to their school of residence, which then contacts the family to complete enrollment,” the district said in a statement. “If attendance does not begin, the school follows mandatory truancy procedures — including phone calls, letters, emails, and home visits. When a student or family cannot be reached after these efforts, the school requests a welfare check from law enforcement.”

According to authorities, after the school administration reported Melodee’s absence, deputies went to the child’s home in Lompoc, and “contacted” Melodee’s mother, Ashlee, 35. “Melodee was not at the home, and no verifiable explanation for her whereabouts was provided,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.

Prior to Monday’s updates, Melodee’s previous verified sighting was on Oct. 7 when the child was captured with her mother on surveillance images taken at a car rental business. In the security photos, Melodee can be seen with her hair covered with a hood, with authorities saying they believe she is wearing a wig to cover her real hair, which is curly.

“Melodee is wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and what appears to be a wig that is darker and straighter than her natural hair,” the sheriff’s office said. “Investigators believe the wig may have been used to alter her appearance. Detectives also note that Ashlee is known to wear wigs.

The photos are believed to be the first new shots of the child in two years. The previous most recent photo of Melodee — which is featured on the FBI’s missing person poster — was reportedly taken two years ago.

Although one of Melodee’s last confirmed sightings was on Oct. 7, officials said her mother, Ashlee, was seen returning to her home in Lompoc on Oct. 10, driving a white Chevrolet Malibu, the same car she had rented at the rental car business on Oct. 7. The sheriff’s office said Melodee and her mother went on a “three-day road trip that went from Lompoc to the Nebraska area, with the return trip including the state of Kansas.”

However, per officials, Melodee was not seen in the vehicle with her mother when she returned to Lompoc. According to the FBI, the car is “no longer in Ashlee’s possession.”

“Detectives are now focused on determining where Melodee was during those three days and where she may be now,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office previously said Ashlee “remains uncooperative and has not provided any information about Melodee’s current location or welfare.”

Melodee is described as “a 9-year-old female, approximately 4 feet 6 inches tall, 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes” and is “considered at-risk due to her age and the length of her absence,” according to officials.