C (6:16)

What are you? Pumpkin scooper Duper?

A (6:19)

Yeah.

C (6:21)

Silly, silly. Gross. Let's see it. That's just a guess, Zoe. It's just a guess. Look at this. Look at it. Look at that. Oh, my God. Whoa. Watch this, guys. Here, let me see a picture of you. Look at me. Look at Mommy.

B (7:04)

It is absolutely unfathomable that the woman on the left side of your screen carving the pumpkin with her daughter is the same woman on the right side of your screen or walking through a rental office with her daughter. They look like two completely different people. And I'll get to the changes in just a moment. But this was day one of a three day road trip to and from Nebraska. Police say the last known sighting of little melody was 10-9-near the Colorado Utah border because Ashley returned to her home in Lompoc, California the next day, but without Melody. And earlier on my NewsNation show, Banfield, I learned some new and shocking details about the arrest of Ashley Buzzard. The victim who is named in this case spoke with my News Nation show and described exactly why he was at Ashley's house in the first place and what happened to him while he was there that resulted in Ashley being arrested the next day. Here's my conversation with my News Nation colleague, Nancy Liu.

D (8:08)

Okay, Nancy, so much to get to tonight. You got your hands on this criminal complaint just within hour or so. So what to you stood out that I haven't already said?

C (8:21)

Oh, a lot stood out to us, Ashley. And we want to show everyone that criminal complaint. We just got it a short time ago from Superior Court, Santa Barbara County. It's really just less than half a page long, but we want to highlight some parts of it because it is quite revealing about what allegedly happened at this house on or around November 6th. It of 2025 in the county of Santa Barbara, the crime of false imprisonment by violence, a felony, was committed by Ashley Buzzard, who did unlawfully violate the personal liberty of Tyler S. Brewer. Said violation being affected by violence, menace, fraud and deceit. And you see that headline, special allegation, aggravating factors. It goes on to read, the manner in which the crime was car out indicates planning, sophistication and professionalism. We have learned that Ashley will be in court on Wednesday afternoon to face this felony charge. In the meantime, she remains jailed up in the Santa Maria area. And Ashley, as you know, we have tracked down Tyler S. Brewer and we have spoken with him and bear with me as I'm going to refer to my notes because I want to relay what he told us accurately. Tyler Brewer tells us that he has known Ashley through a friend since 2014. He's been coming over here to check on her since all of this was publicized. He claims he was told where Melody was dropped off and who she was left with, but he is not sharing that information with us. Tyler is also concerned that because of Ashley's mental history and recent behavior, he's not sure that what she told him is actually true. Now, on November 6, the day of the incident, he says Ashley started acting irrationally while he was here. Accused him of what, working with police and the paternal side of the family to take Melody away from her. He says she kept shutting her eyes and making fists and she blocked the door preventing him from leaving. She slammed the front door shut and engaged four locks on that door. She did eventually let him leave and he went right to authorities to report what happened. Now he claims she has just mental issues. She's extremely paranoid. She's a totally different person from when they first met. And he says he's very concerned about Melody's well being and he suspects Melody may be somewhere in Utah. So based on everything that he told News Nation, there is hope that Melody is out there and alive. So what Tyler Brewer is telling News Nation, providing a lot of hope tonight. Ashley.

D (11:42)

Well, let's go over a little bit of that. That's just incredible information that he has unloaded. So Nancy, Nancy, if I'm to understand this, he says that Ashley shared the information of where she quote unquote dropped off Melody. He thinks it's in the Utah area. He will not share exactly with us what she apparently shared with him. But did he say he shared everything with the police, everything that Ashley told him?

C (12:13)

Yeah, based on what we're hearing, we haven't heard everything. And again, because of her mental state and how she's been acting lately, he's not sure that what she's been saying is the truth. So it's hard to know what to believe. But you know, he is telling us what she told him. And if it is truthful, then Melody is out there.

D (12:40)

And did we get any further understanding of what drop off means? I mean, you don't just drop a child, you know, on a desert road. Was there some maybe. Do we know if there was some drop off location, some person, someone to care for her? Anything more that indicates what kind of a drop off this is?

C (13:00)

We've been fishing, fishing, fishing for information. We want more information and he's not quite ready to tell more information. His name just got released publicly within the last couple of hours. So he's just coming to terms with that. He's not sure, you know, he wants to do interviews or speak out publicly in any way. But fortunately, you know, he did speak with us, relayed that information, and we relayed as much as we could to all of you.

D (13:34)

Okay, well, let's, let's move on to the other action that happened in the house behind you. Action not only this weekend, but today. Walk me through what the neighbors all said happened there.

C (13:45)

Well, first off, I mean, Ashley's getting packages delivered still at the front door. There are three packages. One is from Amazon, one is from Kohl's, One came from Burlington, New Jersey. It looks to be some kind of clothing item. So we don't know if she's just been shopping recently or what. But in talking to the neighbors, we know that four investigators were here at Ashley's house. They brought a van on Saturday afternoon. It was around 2:00'. Clock. The neighbor says the officers, apparently investigators, they're dressed in plain clothes. They went inside. They were there for about an hour. But according to the neighbor, they did not leave with anything. In talking, speaking with other neighbors, though, they're expressing that they're glad that Ashley is in custody and hopefully providing some answers and talking now to police. But a lot of neighbors that we talk to around here today, they don't recall seeing Melody at all playing outside, walking down the sidewalk, anything or even playing in the backyard. Neighbors have not seen Melody at anywhere around this house. So they are curious as to what's happened to her. They are keeping hope alive that, you know, Melody's alive and out there and will be found. So Ashley remains.

B (15:24)

Let me ask you.

D (15:27)

Thank goodness for that.

B (15:28)

Hopefully they can squeeze her for information.

D (15:29)

While she's behind bars. I do want to ask you a little bit about these images and the dichotomy of five years ago. The video that her mother, Lori Miranda shared with us of Ashley with her little daughter Melody. It does not look at all like the Ashley we're seeing in these videos, the arrest video, the surveillance video. Did Laurie Miranda say anything to you about her relationship with her daughter Ashley, and of course, course, her granddaughter Melody? Like, what sort of information has she shed on you when you were able.

B (16:03)

To speak with her?

C (16:04)

Yeah, Lori has not spoken with Ashley since 2023. The video that we saw earlier with Melody carving the pumpkin, that was in 2020, when Melody was about 4 years old. And yes, Ashley looks far different. She's obviously lost a considerable amount of weight in recent years. She moved into this house about two years ago, and neighbors say that Ashley was larger when she first moved in. So that drastic weight loss appears to have happened, like, within the last year or so. But when the surveillance pictures came out of Ashley and Melody at the car rental business, Lori, the mother, says that she did not recognize that as her daughter because that's not how she wrote. She remembers what we're seeing there. The Lord, the Ashley with the pumpkin. That's what she remembers. Ashley looking like.

D (17:11)

It's like two different people. I'm looking on the screen right now, just. It just looks like two completely different people. Great information. Just fantastic reporting on this. Nancy Liu. Thank you.

B (17:21)

That's the latest in the Melody Buzzard case. We'll keep following every development as it unfolds. Make sure you're subscribed on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts so you don't miss the next update. I'm Ashley Banfield. Thank you so much for listening and watching. And remember, the truth isn't just serious. It's dropped. Dead serious. Sam.