California mother accused of killing 9-year-old daughter pleads not guilty

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (TNND) — Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder on Friday after her daughter’s remains were found in rural Utah earlier this month.

Prosecutors said they would not pursue the death penalty if Buzzard is convicted but would seek a life sentence without the possibility of parole, according to CNN.

The mother was arrested on Tuesday after authorities determined the girl died from gunshot wounds to the head.

The murder weapon has not been found, but during a press conference, investigators said they matched cartridge cases found at the scene with one at Ashlee’s Lompoc, California home.

“This is an extraordinarily tragic case involving the murder of a child by the very person she relied upon and trusted the most,” Sheriff Bill Brown said in a news release. “While maternal filicide is rare and difficult to comprehend, the evidence in this case clearly indicates a calculated, deliberate, and ruthless act.”

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 her daughter was.

Investigators believed Melodee was killed and likely already dead in October before she was known to be missing.

Ashlee was arrested in November 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.