Missing girl Melodee Buzzard was killed: A timeline of the tragic case
After a mysterious, two-month-long missing persons case, authorities announced that 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard was found dead in Utah, and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, has been arrested for allegedly killing her daughter.
Here's the timeline of the tragic case:
Oct. 7
On Oct. 7, Melodee and Ashlee Buzzard left on a three-day road trip from their Lompoc, California, home to the Nebraska area, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office said.
Surveillance images show the mom and daughter -- both appearing to be wearing wigs -- at a Santa Barbara-area rental car business that day, authorities said.
Oct. 8
During the road trip, Ashlee Buzzard allegedly removed the California license plate, number 9MNG101, from her rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, according to the sheriff's office.
Beginning on Oct. 8, New York license plate number HCG9677 was on the rental car. It's not clear when that plate was put on or if other plates were added at other times, according to the sheriff's office.
Oct. 9
The last verified sighting of Melodee was on Oct. 9, the sheriff's office told ABC News. Surveillance video shows Melodee with her mom that day near the Colorado-Utah border, according to the sheriff's office.
Authorities said they believe Ashlee Buzzard's return route went west through Green River, Utah; Panguitch, Utah; northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Oct. 10
On Oct. 10, Ashlee Buzzard arrived home in Lompoc with the car she and Melodee had rented on Oct. 7 -- but Melodee was not with her, the sheriff's office said.
Ashlee Buzzard's rental car had its original California license plate back on when it was returned to the rental agency, according to authorities.
Oct. 14
The investigation into Melodee's disappearance was sparked on Oct. 14 when a school district administrator reported her "extended absence" to authorities, the sheriff's office said.
Melodee was apparently homeschooled for at least the last few years, the sheriff's office said. This August, Melodee and her mom visited the Mission Valley Independent School to enroll her in the Lompoc Unified School District's "independent study program," according to 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 told ABC News 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."
Melodee's paternal aunt told ABC News that Melodee lived alone with her mother in increasing isolation. The aunt said in the few times she'd seen Melodee, the little girl was friendly, kind and loving.
Oct. 15
Authorities conducted an initial search of Ashlee Buzzard's home on Oct. 15, the sheriff's office said.
Oct. 30
Investigators conducted another search at Ashlee Buzzard's home, as well as at a storage unit and the rented Chevrolet Malibu, on Oct. 30. An expended cartridge case was found at the house and a live round of similar ammunition was found in the car, the sheriff's office said.
Nov. 6
On Nov. 6, a man named Tyler Brewer alleged he was held against his will at Ashlee Buzzard's home.
Brewer said he's a "legal document assistant, process server, mandated reporter, and perceived officer of the court," and after Melodee was reported missing, he said he reached out to Ashlee Buzzard to offer help.
Brewer said he was at Ashlee Buzzard's home on Nov. 6 when she "became visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing," he said in a statement.
"A box cutter was produced, and despite multiple requests to be allowed to exit the home, I was not immediately permitted to leave," he said, adding the door had multiple locks on it.
Nov. 7
Ashlee Buzzard was arrested on Nov. 7 for false imprisonment, according to the sheriff's office.
"This crime is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee," the sheriff's office said.
Nov. 12
Ashlee Buzzard appeared in court on Nov. 12 and entered a not guilty plea to the false imprisonment charge.
The judge ordered her released from jail with a GPS monitor and gave her a list of conditions, including not possessing weapons or contacting the alleged false imprisonment victim.
Prosecutors protested her release, arguing she's a flight risk because she allegedly wore wigs and switched license plates just before Melodee vanished. But the judge said that is separate and not involved in the false imprisonment case.
Nov. 20
The false imprisonment charge was dropped during her Nov. 20 preliminary hearing. The judge heard audio of a conversation between Ashlee Buzzard and Brewer and found the audio didn't match what Brewer told law enforcement and the media, according to Santa Barbara ABC affiliate KEYT.
Dec. 6
As the investigation into Melodee's whereabouts continued, on Dec. 6, the sheriff's office in Wayne County, Utah, was contacted by a man and woman who found a decomposed body while taking photos in a rural area, authorities said.
Dec. 8
Wayne County officials contacted the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office about the unidentified remains on Dec. 8. It was determined the victim died from gunshot wounds to the head, authorities said.
Dec. 17
On Dec.17, cartridge cases found at the scene in Utah were linked to a cartridge case recovered from Ashlee Buzzard's home, authorities said.
Dec. 22
On Dec. 22, the FBI crime lab made a DNA link between the remains found in Utah to familial DNA of Ashlee Buzzard, authorities said.
Dec. 23
On Dec. 23, Ashlee Buzzard was arrested for allegedly killing Melodee.
A motive hasn't been determined, but Sheriff Bill Brown said "cold-blooded and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness ... went into planning" the crime and "ruthlessness ... went into actually committing the crime."
