SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The body of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard was found in early December in Utah, where Melodee and mother, Ashley Buzzard, traveled in October, according to law enforcement. Investigators believe Melodee was killed and likely already dead in October before she was known to be missing.
Ashlee Buzzard has been taken into custody in connection with her daughter’s death, according to reporting by ABC News.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide immediate details on the breakthrough, but invited media to attend a press conference held later this afternoon.
Melodee Buzzard has been missing since October when she was last seen on a road trip with Ashlee. Ashlee returned home from her trip without Melodee, but could not provide a plausible explanation for where she was.
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State and federal, as well as private, investigators pieced together a timeline of the trip, revealing stops through Green River and Panguitch, Utah.
In the months since, Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody on unrelated charges of false imprisonment after detectives learned of a recent incident where she prevented a victim from leaving a location. A judge granted her release on condition of GPS supervision.
Video posted early Tuesday morning showed Ashlee Buzzard once again being taken into custody by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, but it is unclear if it was in connection with Melodee’s disappearance or for an unrelated matter.
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