California mother pleads not guilty to murder of 9-year-old daughter Melodee Buzzard

The Southern California mother of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, whose body was found in Utah, pleaded not guilty Friday to her daughter’s murder.

Ashlee Buzzard, 40, entered a not guilty plea inside a Santa Maria, California, courtroom Friday morning. She is charged with first-degree murder after bullet cartridges found near her daughter’s body were linked to a used cartridge case found in her home, said Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown.

Ashlee’s defense attorneys requested a gag order against the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Her trial has been scheduled to begin on Jan. 7, 2026.

Melodee Buzzard‘s body was found by authorities on Dec. 6 in a rural area of Utah after a man and woman taking photos off of State Route 24 reported they had discovered remains.

A school administrator reported Melodee Buzzard’s prolonged absence on Oct. 14 but said she has not been seen since August. Deputies went to the family’s residence in Lompoc, but Buzzard would not say where her daughter was. According to investigators, Ashlee Buzzard did not cooperate during the missing person investigation.

“Maternal filicide is rare and always difficult to comprehend. But this level of criminal activity is particularly shocking given the calculated, cold-blooded, and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness that went into planning it and the ruthlessness that went into actually committing the crime,” Brown said.

Buzzard left California with her daughter on Oct. 7, driving a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. They traveled as far as Nebraska with stops in Nevada, Arizona and Utah, and a return route included Kansas. Melodee Buzzard was last seen Oct. 9 on video surveillance near the Colorado-Utah line.

During their investigation, authorities learned that Ashlee Buzzard changed their appearance by wearing wigs and also changed the license plate of a rental car to avoid detection.

Officials said the weapon has not been found, and the case remains under investigation.