Missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, of Vandenberg Village, was seen as recently as August, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said Friday, as they renewed their request for public assistance in the search for the missing child.

The investigation into her disappearance began on Tuesday, Oct. 14, after a Lompoc Unified School District administrator reported Melodee’s prolonged absence.

“Lompoc Unified School District deserves credit for recognizing that something wasn’t right, reaching out, and continuing to assist with this investigation” said Lt. Chris Gotschall, with the Criminal Investigations Division.

Gotschall said that the update from LUSD helped to narrow a significant gap in the timeline of when she was last known to be seen; and because of that, detectives are closer to

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