A sign featuring Melodee Buzzard is seen outside the family home in California. KSBY

The search for Melodee Buzzard began on October 14 when a school administrator reported the 9-year-old had been absent for a prolonged time.

The investigation into her whereabouts has now stretched for nearly a month, focused on a 1,000-mile road trip from California to Nebraska, and has led to the arrest of her “uncooperative” mother, Ashlee Buzzard, on an unrelated charge.

Here’s a closer look at the timeline of the child’s disappearance and the search for her.

Mother-daughter life in SoCal

Melodee and Ashlee Buzzard lived in a home on Mars Avenue in Lompoc, California, about an hour’s drive west of Santa Barbara.

Melodee’s father died from a motorcycle crash when she was only 6 months old, CNN

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