Missing 9-Year-Old Seen in Wig Before Vanishing | The Melodee Buzzard Case

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Episode: Missing 9-Year-Old Seen in Wig Before Vanishing | The Melodee Buzzard Case
Date: October 25, 2025
Host: Ashleigh Banfield

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the disturbing disappearance of nine-year-old Melody Buzzard from Lompoc, California. Host Ashleigh Banfield investigates the mysterious circumstances, highlighting the lack of cooperation from Melody’s mother, Ashley Buzzard, as well as lapses in child protective oversight and the increasing desperation of Melody’s extended family. Banfield delivers her characteristic no-nonsense, irreverent-yet-deeply-caring style to unravel key details, share exclusive interviews, and issue a call to action for the wider public.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Timeline of Disappearance

• Melody’s Last Sighting:
  • Last seen on October 7th at a local car rental office in Lompoc, CA, appearing to wear a wig (possibly to conceal her identity).
  • Seen leaving with her mother, Ashley, for a road trip to Nebraska and back, a three-day round trip.
• Return Without Melody:
  • Ashley returns to Santa Barbara County alone on October 10th.
  • Melody not reported missing by Ashley or family—only noticed due to school absenteeism.
• Lack of Family & Public Witnesses:
  • No recent photographs of Melody aside from car rental surveillance footage.
  • Extended maternal family hasn't seen Melody in years.

2. Family Dynamics & Ashley Buzzard’s Behavior

• Isolation and Secretiveness:
  • Ashley has a record of mental health struggles since Melody's father died in a crash (2016).
  • Extended family and neighbors report Ashley’s paranoia, isolation, and refusal to communicate—with police, family, or social workers.
• Report from Grandma Lori Miranda:
  • Noted past child neglect, unsafe living conditions, and Ashley allegedly feeding Melody rotten food (06:30).
• Reluctance to Cooperate:
  • Ashley repeatedly ignores police, family, and social services’ attempts to check on Melody’s welfare.
  • Neighbors observed Ashley denying entry to CPS even after being served notice (07:30).

3. Law Enforcement & Child Protective Services (CPS) Response

• Investigation Escalates:
  • FBI joins the search as Ashley may have transported Melody across state lines.
• Apparent Failures in Oversight:
  • Family members and Banfield herself question lapses in CPS monitoring and delayed response ("Where has CPS been in all of this?" - 18:21).
• BOLO (Be On The Lookout):
  • Authorities issue search bulletins for both Ashley and Melody (11:58).

4. Notable Exclusive Interviews

• Jennifer Coffindaffer, Retired FBI Agent:

  • Offers insight into police/FBI process and significance of Ashley's cross-country travel — emphasizes concern for Melody's safety but says it's still classified as a missing child case, not yet murder (15:59).
  • Urges the importance of tracking breadcrumbs like route data, gas, and food stops (16:10).
  • Raises possibility, reported by Melody's half-sister, that Melody could have been “sold," though says facts are not yet known (15:39).

    "These circumstances don't look promising, but I think it could be possible she has left her somewhere... I also saw a recent interview... her half sister said she's worried Melody could have actually been sold." — Jennifer Coffindaffer [15:07]

• Lizabeth Meza, Melody’s Aunt:

  • Confirms years of no contact, describes gradual isolation after Melody’s father’s death, and Ashley’s declining mental health (17:29).
  • Expresses frustration over CPS response and shares experience of being stonewalled by investigators (18:53–19:40).

    "We were told years ago Melody had been adopted out. We had no idea if it was true." — Lizabeth Meza [08:08]
    "My mother-in-law had presents for her...She did come over...But you could tell Ashley was unwell...She took Melody and that was the last time we saw her." — Lizabeth Meza [17:29]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parental Failure to Report:

  "The one person who should be doing everything in her power to help find this little girl is refusing to say a word." — Ashleigh Banfield [02:55]

• On Ashley’s Isolation:

  "She cut everyone off. We were told years ago Melody had been adopted out. We had no idea if it was true." — Lizabeth Meza [08:08]

• On Law Enforcement’s Dilemma:

  "It's crazy to think that they've been to the mother's house and the mother won't cooperate. I feel like they have an ex circumstance where they could break down the door..." — Host (Ashleigh Banfield) [14:39]

• On Institutional Accountability:

  "Where has CPS been in all of this? ...I want to say it's a massive failure." — Ashleigh Banfield [18:21]

• On Ongoing Concern & Community Appeal:

  "Melody deserves answers and Melody deserves justice. And somebody out there knows the truth. And until we know where Melody Buzzard is, this case will not rest." — Ashleigh Banfield [23:12]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Case Introduction: [02:55]
• Timeline Recap & Family Background: [03:00 – 07:30]
• Details of Disappearance & Family Isolation: [07:30 – 09:30]
• CPS and Law Enforcement’s Efforts: [11:58]
• Interview with FBI Ret. Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer: [14:39 – 16:34]
• Interview with Aunt Lizabeth Meza: [16:39 – 22:29]
• Closing Call to Action & Final Reflections: [23:12]

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Final Thoughts

Ashleigh Banfield brings her decades of true crime expertise to bear on a chilling and ongoing case, balancing empathy for Melody with sharp critiques of systemic failures. The episode shines light on the gaps that allow children like Melody to vanish and calls the audience to heightened vigilance and advocacy. Listeners are encouraged to share Melody’s story and report any information to local authorities.

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Tipline

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office: 805-681-4100
Tips can be left anonymously at sbsheriff.org

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"The truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious." — Ashleigh Banfield [23:45]

Transcript

[Ashley Banfield]

Hey everybody, Ashley Banfield here. Before we jump back into today's case, I want to flag another true crime podcast that you have got to listen to. It's called Scorned Love Kills. This is a new hit series from Investigation Discovery, one of my favorites. And it's all about when passion flips into poison. And when love stories don't end well, they end in body bags. Best part about this one, it's a podcast that comes straight from Investigation Discoveries archives. So it's real audio, it's real investigators and real psychologists, all of them walking you through these jaw dropping crimes. Like the husband in South Carolina running an underground gambling ring that blew up into cheating and debt and a deadly showdown. Or the perfect couple in Kentucky whose marriage collapsed into drugs, affairs and a shocking murder no one saw coming. Listen, this podcast is really gripping. It is raw and if you're into true crime like I am, I know you're gonna love it. So make sure you check it out. Scorned Love Kills. Wherever you get your podcasts, forget everything.

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[Ashley Banfield]

Hey everybody, I'm Ashley Banfield and this is Drop Dead Serious. And I've got something really kind of fun to announce. I don't know what you're on Sunday at 5 o' clock Eastern. That's October 26th, but I would like to have a chat with you. I'm actually going to have a session that's called an Ask Me Anything where basically you guys can throw questions at me about anything, about the podcasts we do, about investigations, about me and my life and my fam and all sorts of stuff. And I answer them for you during this session. I'm super excited about it and I really can't wait to to meet a lot of you. So all you need to do is go to the drop dead serious YouTube homepage and there you'll see the scheduled live stream. You do have to be a member in order to click on this live stream. So if you want to be a member of the Drop Dead Serious club, there's a link in the description of this podcast. So click on that and that'll take you to the, to the membership and you can join there if you want to be part of this, of this little GabFest on Sunday, 5pm Eastern. Again, I'm really looking forward to meeting a lot of you and I'm really.

[Interviewer/Host]

Looking forward to just a two way.

[Ashley Banfield]

Conversation instead of a one way conversation. So I hope to see you there. But let me start with the story for this episode. A nine year old girl vanishes from California. And the one person who should be doing everything in her power to help find this little girl is refusing to say a word. She's a little girl with a million dollar smile and her name is Melody Buzzard. And now the FBI has joined the effort to find her again. She's just nine. She's from Lombok, California. And according to investigators, she may have been driven across the country by her mother, ashley buzzard. On October 7, Melody Buzzard was last seen alive, but no one reported her missing. Not her mother, not a family member, no, not anyone. It actually took her school to notice that she hadn't shown up for her independent study program for a very long time. And when administrators finally called the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, investigators couldn't even confirm the last time anyone had laid eyes on Melody. But the nine year old was eventually spotted at a car rental place in her hometown of Lompocular. She and her mom, Ashley Buzzard, were leaving on a road trip that took them all the way to Nebraska and back again in just three days. They left that rental outlet on October 7th and Ashley Buzzard returned back home to Santa Barbara county on October 10th. The trouble is Ashley returned home without Melody. So police opened a missing child investigation, but they've been getting no help from Ashley. So now they're releasing a new photo of little Melody from that California car rental office on the day that that road trip began. Again, October 7th. Police think that little Melody may be wearing a wig in this photo, possibly to conceal her identity. Investigators say her mom, Ashley is, and I quote, known to wear wigs. And that's also where the trail goes cold because that mother is refusing to cooperate with the investigators. She wouldn't answer questions. She wouldn't even open her door. She would not confirm whether Melody was even alive. And in the days since her disappearance, pictures of Melody have been sent out far and wide. The only weird part here is that there aren't very many pictures to choose from. And until this recent surveillance picture, we have seen nothing of her. That's more recent than two years ago. And I say that's weird because most families, and certainly most moms have hundreds, maybe thousands of pictures of their little kids. That does not seem to be the case here. Melody's family members on her mother Ashley's side won't talk now, either. Early in the investigation, those same family members told reporters that they hadn't seen Melody in years. Her grandma, Lori Miranda, said that she hadn't seen her granddaughter in more than two years, and what she described was heartbreaking. Lori says her daughter Ashley has battled severe mental health issues ever since 2016, when Melody's father was killed in a crash. That's when Melody was just six months old. According to Lori, the grandma Things spiraled after that. There was an incident years ago where police had to remove Melody from Ashley's home because of what they found inside that home. Rotting food, filth, unsafe living conditions. The grandma even believed that Ashley was trying to feed that rotting food that was in the fridge to her daughter, little Melody. In the past month, Ashley Buzzard's behavior has become increasingly erratic. Neighbors in Lompoc, a quiet California town about an hour northwest of Santa Barbara, say that Ashley has been holed up in her cream painted cottage, ignoring knocks on the door from social workers and that Ashley has been refusing visits from extended family as well. Earlier this week, in a scene straight out of a movie, Ashley was spotted trying to rent a car. Over and over again, she hit up multiple rental agencies, a budget rent a car, and then an Avis. At the Santa Maria airport about 20 miles from her house, security cameras captured her being dropped off by a friend in a black Lincoln sedan. Ashley went inside, tried to rent a car, and was denied at both locations. No credit approval, no card on file out. And then just minutes after she returned home, a car full of social workers screeched up to her curb. They pounded on the door, demanding to see Melody. Ashley wouldn't answer. According to neighbors, Child protective services gave her a notice. She had 72 hours to produce Melody or disclose Melody's location. By that point, Ashley was being shadowed. Six unmarked police cars followed her around Lompoc, one parked on her street, another down the block as the countdown began. But Ashley still wouldn't open her door to the cops, wouldn't say a word, and didn't show them where Melody was. Melody's aunt, Lizabeth Meza, says Ashley Buzzard has kept that little girl isolated for years. No holidays, no phone calls, no visits. I talked to Lizabeth and I'm going to play you our conversation in just a moment. Lizabeth Told the Daily Mail she cut everyone off. We were told years ago Melody had been adopted out. We had no idea if it was true. Lizbeth's sister, Corina Meza, is Melody's half sister. She's 30 years old and said that she's been banging on Ashley's front door for days. Desperate for answers, she says that she had managed to speak with Ashley just once last week. And very briefly, Corinna says she asked Ashley, quote, do you need anything? Can I get Melody anything? Is Melody okay? But that Ashley shot back, quote, why now? Why are you coming here now? When Corinna said she tried to explain that she hadn't known where Ashley was living, she says Ashley snapped, quote, there's a reason for that. Relatives say this is what Ashley's life became, isolation, paranoia and secrecy. She's unemployed and lives on Social Security payments. And yet somehow she's managed to avoid letting anyone, family or the state lay eyes on Melody for months, maybe years. But if Ashley Buzzard crossed state lines with her daughter and is abusing her or worse, we're now in federal jurisdiction. Hey, everybody. Ashley Banfield here. Before we jump back into today's case, I want to flag another true crime podcast that you have got to listen to. It's called Scorned Love Kills. This is a new hit series from Investigation Discovery, one of my favorites. And it's all about when passion flips into poison. And when love stories don't end well, they end in body bags. Best part about this one, it's a podcast that comes straight from Investigation Discoveries archives. So it's real audio, it's real investigators and real psychologists, all of them walking you through these jaw dropping crimes. Like the husband in South Carolina running an underground gambling ring that blew up into cheating and debt and a deadly showdown. Or the perfect couple in Kentucky whose marriage collapsed into drugs, affairs and a shocking murder no one saw coming. Listen, this podcast is really gripping. It is raw. And if you're into true crime like I am, I know you're gonna love it, so make sure you check it out. Scorned Love Kills. Wherever you get your podcasts, forget whatever.

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[Ashley Banfield]

The sheriff's office says investigators are working around the clock alongside the FBI. They've issued a bolo. A be on the lookout for both Ashley and her daughter, Melody Buzzard. Earlier on my News Nation show, Banfield I talked to someone who knows all about the FBI and missing kids cases. She's retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffendoffer, and what she said about Ashley's cross trip to Nebraska is truly heartbreaking. I'm going to play that conversation for you in just a moment, but before I get to that, I first just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting this podcast. I appreciate this so much. And I know Atlas does too, because he's doing what he does best right now. A backup producer on standby fitting in a nap in the studio was his favorite thing to do. I also have to thank my sponsors because I couldn't do it without them either. Like Incogni. Let's face it, I cover some pretty dark stuff, you guys. But let me tell you, some of the scariest stuff is actually happening quietly behind your screen. It's your name and your phone number and your home address floating out there online. And it ain't because you gave it away. It's because somebody upended you and sold it. Data brokers. That's what they're called. They track you. They know what you buy, what you search for, what meds you take, where your kids go to school. And now that AI is among us, that's like handing a loaded weapon to a scammer imposter. Scams are definitely on the up. They use AI to fake the voices of your friends or your family members. And honestly, one phone call, they are so good at this. Suddenly you're writing money to somebody who sounds exactly like your child or your mom in desperate fear, right? It's really chilling stuff. But here's what most people don't know. You have the legal right to make those data brokers delete your information. The trouble is, doing it yourself could take years. And so I use Incogni for that. Incogni does the dirty work. They go right to these companies and they demand that they remove your personal data. They even offer a custom plan, unlimited. You flag a site that's exposing your info and Incogni's privacy team goes after it directly. This isn't just peace of mind. This is power. So if privacy matters to you, and it should go to incogni.com/, drop dead and use the code drop dead. And I got you 60% off again. That's incogni.com drop dead. Use the code drop dead to get 60% off and start taking your data off the market today. Okay, back to the FBI search for missing Melody Buzzard. Here's my conversation with former FBI agent Jennifer Coffendoffer.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's crazy to think that they've been to the mother's house and the mother won't cooperate. I feel like they have an ex circumstance where they could break down the door, you know, either get a quick warrant or not need a warrant because of the impending concern for this child's welfare, but they're not doing that. What about the rental cars? Is there something that you make of the report from the Daily Mail that she was spotted trying to rent two cars unsuccessfully yesterday?

[Jennifer Coffendoffer]

Definitely. So, you know what this leads me to believe is not necessarily fleeing, but rather is she going to where she knows Melody is. And. And that's whether Melody is with us or not with us. And, Ashley, let's face it. These circumstances don't look promising, but I think it could be possible that she has left her somewhere. I also saw a recent, very recent interview of the half sister, and she said that she's worried she could have actually been sold.

[Ashley Banfield]

Oh. Oh, God. I don't want to go there.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, let me ask you starkly, I've just got a couple seconds left, but do you think this is still a missing child investigation or do you think based on the fact that police won't speak to us, we had an interview scheduled with Pio. Pio canceled it. Do you think this missing person case has turned into a murder investigation?

[Jennifer Coffendoffer]

Right now it's still a missing child investigation because there is no indication right now that there's a murder.

[Interviewer/Host]

Why wouldn't they talk to us then?

[Jennifer Coffendoffer]

I think, Ashley, they might not be talking because they are still in the very throes of this. Look, following all these breadcrumbs. They have the route that she took. She would have stopped at particular places. We know on 107 that she was spotted on camera. There's all the stores to get gas, to get food. They are going to have breadcrumbs. I think they're hot and heavy on this case right now.

[Ashley Banfield]

I also spoke with Melody's aunt, Lizabeth Meza. Here's our conversation.

[Interviewer/Host]

Lizabeth, thank you so much for being on with me. Does that. Let's just start with the breaking news. That picture that the police have released of what they say is Melody At a car rental agency. Does that picture look to you like your niece?

[Lizabeth Meza]

I mean, we haven't seen her in four and a half years. So what we know her as, I mean she was just a little four year old girl when we had known her. But that nose definitely, you know, reminds me of her dad's. So yeah, she, it does look like her.

[Interviewer/Host]

And your late husband's brother was Melody's dad and he died in a motorcycle accident when she was just a baby. So was that when Ashley cut off the rest of the family and wouldn't allow anyone to see her?

[Lizabeth Meza]

That was when it started. Her mental health declined even more and she just slowly cut everybody off even more. We did have a little bit of contact. I know my husband got in contact with her at one time and said if you don't let the family see her, at least let my mom see her. And we saw her one time, I believe it was after her birthday, after Easter. My mother in law had presents for her and she did come over with her. But you can definitely tell at that time Ashley was unwell. She had her hair very short, like a buzz cut and she was at that time wearing a hood. And she didn't stay for very long. She told my mother in law, I can't do this. And she took Melody and that was the last time we seen her.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, this is what's so frustrating is that, you know, with reports like this and the fact that no one's been able to see this girl. Where has CPS been in all of this? Like I want to say it's a massive failure. If it's been months since she picked up her assignments from school, if the family has said there was rotting food in the fridge, that she might have been trying to feed this girl, if she refuses to answer the police, if she refuses to talk to family where. What are the CPS officials saying to you about this?

[Lizabeth Meza]

They really didn't have much to say. They contacted me and they asked if I knew her whereabouts. And I said, what do you mean? We were told that she was adopted out. Is she okay? And they said, we can't tell you that. It's an active investigation. We were just calling to see if you've gotten, if they've gotten in contact with you. And I said, no, I have not seen or heard from them. And I said again, is my niece okay and is she missing? And they said, we can't give you that information, but if you get, if they get in contact you with you, please let us know. And no Longer like than maybe 15 minutes after I hung up with him, there was, I opened Facebook and there was a missing person post.

[Ashley Banfield]

Oh, man.

[Interviewer/Host]

So listen, my first question to you in this interview was, does that look like little Melody? Did anyone from the police call you to ask that same question? Have they kept you in the loop at all or even asked you to be a part of this investigation, Detective?

[Lizabeth Meza]

There is a detective with the sheriff's department that called and you know, because I had left a message and my mother in law had left a message and he called and he said there was a lot of leads and you know, sorry for not getting back to us right away, but they were working over the weekend, working on leads and that was on Wednesday and he just apologized. But he did say they were working on it. And then that's when the FDA FBI came in and they hadn't had this picture yet. And I asked him if we could review the video and he said unfortunately they couldn't show that to us at the time, but then they released it today.

[Interviewer/Host]

So the next big question I'm going to ask, and I hope the police have asked and I'll get to that next, but does Ashley, her mother have any connections that you know about in Nebraska?

[Lizabeth Meza]

No, I mean, not that we're aware of. I know that the mother was asked and she had no clue either of anyone that lived in Nebraska, but we don't have contact with the mother or any of Ashley's family.

[Interviewer/Host]

So Ashley's mother knew nothing about her daughter's contacts in Nebraska and yet police say there was a three day road trip from Lompoc, California, where they live, to Nebraska and back again. And that the last time they saw Melody or who they think might be Melody, this little girl in the picture was in this rental agency in Lompoc before the three day trip happened and that Melody didn't come back. So have the police asked you about knowledge of Ashley's contacts in Nebraska or what connection she might have to Nebraska?

[Lizabeth Meza]

Yes, the detective asked me and I said no, I had no idea because I mean, I haven't talked to Ashley in a long time. So. And when we did communicate, she never mentioned anybody in Nebraska or anything like that. But I mean, that was when she was pregnant with Melody. So I mean, that was nine years ago. She was never one to have long conversations.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, this is just so incredibly mystifying and sad all at the same time. Lizabeth, stay in touch with us on this one. We want to continue to talk to you about this case because we think that there'll be more developments and so hopefully we can get that picture out there and help to solve this. Thank you for being on. I really appreciate this.

[Lizabeth Meza]

Yes, thank you very much. Our whole family is praying for her safety. And just if anybody knows anything, please call the tip lines and, you know, just let us know. It's never too late to call.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, well, you know what, we're putting that up on the screen. Elizabeth, thank you so much, folks. If you have information on the whereabouts of Melody Buzzer, if you know the little girl in this picture, call the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office. There's the phone number. Take a screenshot of your TV. 805681. And by the way, tips can also be left anonymously at the Santa Barbara Sheriff's office. That's sbsherif.org A nine year old shouldn't.

[Ashley Banfield]

Just disappear off the map. And no mother should be able to hide behind silence. Melody deserves answers and Melody deserves justice. And somebody out there knows the truth. And until we know where Melody Buzzard is, this case will not rest. I'm Ashlee Banfield. Thank you so much for listening and watching. This is drop dead serious. And remember, if there's one thing I always say, it's that the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.

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