California authorities: Missing child may have been taken to location “as far as the state of Nebraska”

(KOLN) - Authorities with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in California are searching for a missing, at-risk 9-year-old girl.

Melodee Buzzard was last seen as recently as August, 2025. That’s according to an October 17th press release from SBCSO, one of three media releases from the department.

“The investigation began on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, after a school administrator reported Melodee’s prolonged absence,“ SBCSO stated in an October 15th release. ”Deputies attempted to contact Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, at their home in the 500-block of Mars Avenue [in Lompoc, CA], but Melodee was not there, and no clear explanation was provided for her whereabouts.”

Authorities say that Ashlee Buzzard has not cooperated with law enforcement when it comes to providing i