The mother of a missing Southern California girl – who authorities say refused to answer questions about her daughter’s whereabouts – is now accused of keeping a man captive in her home after allegedly revealing sensitive information to him.
Ashlee Buzzard, 40, of Lompoc, is charged with one count of unlawful imprisonment by force, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday against her. Buzzard was charged Thursday with unlawfully violating the personal liberty of Tyler S. Brewer and is scheduled to stand trial Wednesday.
Buzzard’s 9-year-old daughter, Melodee Buzzard, disappeared on October 14, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The mother became the focus of the investigation after she suddenly traveled to Nebraska with her daughter on Oct. 7 and then returned home alone, according to the Sheriff’s Office. During the trip, Buzzard switched the license plates on his rental car and put on a wig, which investigators said may have been an attempt to avoid detection.
Melodee was last seen on a surveillance camera near the Utah-Colorado border on Oct. 9, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators are sharing surveillance images of Melodee Buzzard taken on Oct. 7 at a rental car location in Lompoc.
(Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office)
Buzzard was arrested Thursday on a false imprisonment charge unrelated to the investigation into Melody’s disappearance.
Brewer said in a statement that he came to visit her at her home in Buzzard’s Vandenberg Village to offer help in the search for the missing girl, but the situation quickly escalated.
“Ms. Buzzard became visibly upset after sharing information that she seemed to regret disclosing,” Brewer said. “They produced a box cutter and despite multiple requests to be allowed to leave the house I was not immediately allowed to leave.”
He said Buzzard used several locks to lock the door, which temporarily prevented him from leaving.
Brewer, who works as a paralegal in the Central Coast region, said he was a mandated reporter and contacted authorities.
“In this capacity, I immediately report all instances of communications and inconsistencies directly to law enforcement,” he said.
He also told NewsNation’s “Banfield” that Buzzard told him where she sent Melodee and who she was with, although he wasn’t sure if that information was true. He told the show that he had known Buzzard since 2014 and had been checking on Buzzard’s daughter since news of her disappearance came to light, noting that she had been acting extremely paranoid and that he was worried about her well-being.
Melodee’s father’s family said Buzzard has not allowed them to contact the girl since 2021 and they are extremely worried about her. Melodee’s father, Rubiell “Pinoy” Meza, died in a motorcycle accident in 2016, shortly after the girl was born.
The girl’s grandmother, Lilly Denes, said she began trying to gain custody of Melody several years ago because of concerns about Buzzard’s health and ability to care for her. Danes still affectionately calls Melody her child, even though the girl has grown up a lot since he last saw her.
“She’s a very sweet girl and I’d love to meet her,” Denes said. “I just knew that when they gave birth to their baby, she was going to need a lot of therapy and help.”
