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Grandmother Pleads for Missing Girl Taken by Mentally Ill Mother
16 Nov
Summary
- Grandmother was in process of adopting 9-year-old girl
- Mother with mental illness took daughter away in 2021
- Grandmother hasn't seen girl since and believes mother is isolating her
In November 2025, the grandmother of a missing 9-year-old girl, Melodee Buzzard, is speaking out about the heartbreaking situation. Lilly Denes, Melodee's grandmother, was in the process of adopting the child when Melodee's mother, Ashlee Buzzard, "took her away from us" after being released from a mental hospital in 2021.
Denes says Ashlee is "mentally ill bad" and that she had a bad feeling about her from the first time they met. When Ashlee brought Melodee to Denes' house, Denes told her son that "something's wrong with this lady." Since Ashlee took Melodee back, Denes has not seen the girl and believes Ashlee deliberately isolated her "from the entire world."
Melodee was first reported missing on October 14, 2025, when school officials noticed repeated absences. Ashlee was later arrested on an unrelated felony charge of false imprisonment, but has refused to cooperate with the investigation or provide any information about Melodee's whereabouts. The FBI is still searching for the missing child.
Melodee's aunt, Lizabeth Meza, says the family hopes Ashlee will now talk and reveal where Melodee is, so they can get her the help she needs. Denes is pleading with the public, saying "Somebody has to know" where her granddaughter is.
