A surveillance video clip released by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office shows Melodee Buzzard and Ashlee Buzzard in what appear to be wigs. Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office

It’s been a month since Ashlee Buzzard packed her 9-year-old daughter Melodee into a rental car and left their home state of California – only to return three days later with no child and plenty of unanswered questions in tow, authorities say.

As investigators search for Melodee , they say their probe has uncovered a series of wigged disguises, a sprawling multistate road trip, and an “uncooperative” mother who has provided “no verifiable explanation” of her daughter’s whereabouts.

The case took an unexpected turn on Friday when Buzzard, 40, was arrested on a charge of false imprisonment – but not

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