Drop Dead Serious with Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: Melodee Buzzard’s Mom Arrested, But Not for Her Daughter’s Disappearance?
Date: November 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this highly anticipated episode, Ashleigh Banfield unpacks dramatic new developments in the disappearance of nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard from Lompoc, California. The major news: Melodee’s mother, Ashley Buzzard, was arrested—but not for her daughter’s disappearance. Banfield, leaning on her irreverent, detail-driven style, immerses listeners in the confusion, frustrations, and ongoing mysteries swirling around the case, as she analyzes law enforcement’s tactics, shares exclusive video insights, and interviews experts and family members for their perspectives on this latest twist.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ashley Buzzard’s Arrest—But Not for Melodee

• Unexpected Arrest: Banfield describes the chaotic, movie-like scene as Ashley is arrested—barefoot, with no time for shoes, swarmed by a police and FBI presence ([00:24]).
• Arrest Charge: The charge is false imprisonment, not directly connected to Melodee’s disappearance, to the confusion of many following the case ([03:30]).
  • “The arrest is not because her 9 year old girl hasn't been seen by anyone for over a month… It's something else entirely.”
• Investigation Tactics: Banfield speculates the arrest could be more about exerting pressure (“the squeeze”) to get Ashley to talk about her missing daughter ([18:00], [20:39]).

2. Details of the Arrest and Search

• Repeat Searches: Police and FBI re-search the Buzzard home, seizing more evidence bags. Banfield explains that a new warrant may have been secured for items previously seen but not covered in the original search warrant ([05:20]).
  • Discusses legal process: “It's all about your rights… cops have to write out a specific list on the warrant… they go back to the judge and say, ‘Hey, I want another warrant’” ([06:20]).
• Ashley’s Circumstances: Ashley is being held in the Santa Barbara County jail on a high bail of $100,000 ([07:30]).
  • “I don't know about you, but that's pretty hard to make bail… I don't think she's got anybody helping her out right now.”

3. Family Reactions

• Interview with Vanjie Ruiz (Melodee’s father’s cousin) at [09:45]:
  • Initial heartbreak over news of arrest (“…just knowing that she was arrested just broke my heart…”).
  • Relief when learning the arrest isn’t for the missing child case (“…it made me feel so much better…”).
  • Speculates police may have used any possible charge to keep Ashley from fleeing the area:
    • “Maybe they just arrested her because they saw her with the boxes and she was trying to flee... just to keep her… in this area and arrest her and ask her questions.”

4. Exclusive Video and Surveillance Details

• First Video of Ashley and Melodee Together: Newly released surveillance shows Ashley and Melodee at a California car rental agency before their cross-state road trip on October 7 ([11:55]).

• Wig-wearing and Disguises: Multiple wigs were swapped by Ashley during the trip, at one point allegedly matching her daughter’s appearance ([12:35]).

  • Police believe Melodee may have been disguised as well; Banfield speculates about the significance and the unsettling implication of this ([13:15]).
  • “Did she get rid of her daughter and then just use the wig? Maybe there's an innocent explanation, I don't know.”

• License Plate Swap: Ashley is reported to have switched the plates on the rental car from California to New York and back—a possible effort to avoid detection ([16:10]).

  • “Where she got New York plates... It's a good one. Did she have them when she left California? Did she steal them…?”

5. Where and When Was Melodee Last Seen?

• Timeline Uncertainty: The last confirmed sighting of Melodee with her mother was October 9 near the Utah-Colorado border; Ashley returned to California alone on October 10 ([15:50]).
  • “What happened between the last time police have a beat on Melody, October 9th, and the day that her mom came home alone without her, October 10, the next day. What happened between those two days is a big mystery…”

6. Legal Analysis with Mark Geragos

Interview begins at [20:39]

• False Imprisonment Arrest as Tactic:

  • Geragos agrees it's likely used as a leverage tactic:
    • “I'm the cynical type and I'm going to just wildly speculate that they used the arrest… so they could hold her and see if they could get her talk about the disappearance.”

• Moving Boxes and Flight Risk ([22:34]):

  • Banfield and Geragos speculate the moving boxes (delivered to Ashley’s house prior to arrest) could have prompted police to speed up their arrest to prevent a possible flight.
  • Geragos posits that, if there's hope for a happy ending, perhaps Ashley handed off her daughter somewhere safe and planned to move and eventually reconnect.
  • “If you’re hoping for a happy ending, that’s the best thing you can hope for.” — Geragos

• Why Not Arrest Sooner? ([21:26]-[21:40])

  • Geragos points out CPS, not police, issued a 72-hour deadline to produce Melodee, noting the absence of a custodial order may have complicated law enforcement’s ability to arrest earlier.
  • “It appears… that there isn’t any kind of a custodial order that would prevent her from doing this. So… there isn’t necessarily anything illegal about anything that she’s done.”

• Speculating on the False Imprisonment Charge ([25:55]):

  • Most likely, someone other than Melodee came forward to report Ashley prevented them from leaving.
  • Banfield describes possible scenarios, including the remote chance it involved police or Melodee herself.

• Mugshot and Bail ([26:56]):

  • Geragos: “50 or $100,000 would not be out of line” for felonies; mugshot will likely be FOIA’d and eventually become public.

7. Legal Trivia and Perspective

• What Constitutes False Imprisonment? ([27:45]):
  • Banfield references O.J. Simpson’s conviction for kidnapping, explaining the legal low bar: simply preventing someone from leaving a space can qualify as false imprisonment.
  • “You prevent somebody from leaving, and that’s kidnapping. False imprisonment. You move somebody against their will from one spot to another…”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Neighbor Surveillance: “Thank God for the neighbors because they are keeping a very close eye on this lady…” ([02:11])
• On the Arrest Scene: “It was like a scene kind of like out of a movie. Suddenly the front yard was swarming with cops…” ([00:24])
• On Disguises: “Ashley in a crazy ass wig again, has her daughter Melody hood up wearing what looked like a straightened brown wig... investigators now say that Ashley swapped out her wigs multiple times during her three day road trip with her daughter…” ([11:55]-[12:35])
• On License Plate Swap: “Mom returns to California the next day without Melody and had swapped plates from California to New York back to California.” ([16:10])
• Legal Procedural Insight: “It's all about your rights… you have to have rights. You don't want a Gestapo nation…” ([06:20])
• Skepticism and Hope: “I hope the squeeze play works. I hope sweating her out works. I hope we find that little girl and I hope we find her alive.” ([28:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:24] – Scene description of Ashley Buzzard’s arrest.
• [03:30] – Details emerge: Arrest is for false imprisonment, not Melodee’s case.
• [06:20] – Legal explanation: warrants and property rights.
• [09:45] – Interview with Melodee’s father’s cousin, Vanjie Ruiz.
• [11:55] – Surveillance video of Ashley and Melodee at car rental agency.
• [12:35] – Wig-swapping and possible attempts at disguise.
• [15:50] – Last confirmed sighting of Melodee; questions about missing timeline.
• [16:10] – License plate swapping on the rental car.
• [18:00] – Speculation about police “squeeze” tactic.
• [20:39] – Interview with legal expert Mark Geragos.
• [25:55] – Theories about the false imprisonment charge.
• [27:45] – Legal trivia: what counts as false imprisonment and kidnapping.

Final Thoughts

Ashleigh Banfield ends with a mix of hope and skepticism, questioning whether the legal pressure on Ashley Buzzard will elicit clues to Melodee's whereabouts. She highlights ongoing mysteries: the significance of Ashley’s wigs, shifting license plates, the odd behavior of family members, and law enforcement’s careful strategizing. The audience is left with the sense that while law enforcement has made a dramatic move, the greatest question remains unanswered: where is Melodee Buzzard?

The episode delivers an up-close, irreverent, and insightful journey through one of California’s most perplexing current mysteries, providing both hard facts and human emotion for listeners wanting to catch up or dig deeper into the Melodee Buzzard disappearance.