Melodee Buzzard’s Mom No Longer Facing False Imprisonment Charge in Case Unrelated to Her Daughter’s Disappearance

Melodee Buzzard’s mother, Ashlee, is no longer facing a felony charge that was separate from the ongoing investigation into her 9-year-old daughter’s disappearance.

Melodee was reported missing on Oct. 14. On Nov. 7, Ashlee was arrested on a false imprisonment charge tied to another case, the sheriff’s office said.

At a preliminary hearing in Santa Barbara County on Wednesday, Nov. 19, prosecutors alleged that Ashlee tried to stop Tyler S. Brewer from leaving her home, KEYT reported. Brewer claimed Ashlee became upset after he mentioned a location she and Melodee had visited during a three-day drive across multiple states.

But on Thursday, Nov. 20, the felony charge was dismissed after the court heard an audio recording Ashlee had captured, according to KEYT. The recording appeared to contradict Brewer’s account: in the audio, Ashlee opened the door and allowed him to leave, and there was no reference to any specific location.

Brewer, who identified himself as a “legal document assistant,” said he offered Ashlee help between Nov. 1 and Nov. 6 and felt threatened by her on Nov. 6, the Lompoc Record reported.

With the case dismissed, Ashlee is no longer required to wear a GPS monitor.

Meanwhile, the search for Melodee continues. Investigators have searched Ashlee’s home in Lompoc, Calif., and reported finding no sign of the child. Authorities have also said Ashlee could not provide a “verifiable explanation” for Melodee’s whereabouts. Although Ashlee has not been named a person of interest, officials say she has been uncooperative. KTLA previously reported that a neighbor filmed her taking down missing-person posters outside her property.

Detectives believe Melodee likely vanished during a three-day “critical timeline” between Oct. 7 and Oct. 10, when she and her mother were traveling from California to Nebraska. On Oct. 7, surveillance photos from a car rental business showed Melodee appearing to wear a wig. Police say the pair then drove across several states in a white Chevrolet Malibu, and that Ashlee later returned to Lompoc without her daughter.

Melodee is described as about 4 feet 6 inches tall, around 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is urged to contact investigators at (805) 681-4150, call the anonymous tip line at (805) 681-4171, or submit tips through the sheriff’s office website.