Home / Crime and Justice / Chilling Desert Discovery: Girl Murdered by Mother
Chilling Desert Discovery: Girl Murdered by Mother
24 Dec
Summary
- Nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard's body found in Utah desert.
- Mother Ashlee Buzzard accused of shooting daughter in the head.
- Suspect attempted to conceal identity and avoid surveillance during road trip.
Nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard's body was discovered by hikers in the Utah desert, tragically over 750 miles from her home in Lompoc, California. Authorities believe Melodee was killed during a road trip with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, who has since been arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Evidence suggests the child suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head.
The investigation revealed Ashlee Buzzard took deliberate steps to conceal their identities and evade detection during the cross-country journey. This included wearing wigs at a car rental agency, altering license plates from California to New York and back, and deliberately parking in ways to avoid surveillance cameras. The car rental occurred on October 7, and the mother returned home without Melodee a week later.
Melodee was last seen alive on October 9, near the Utah-Colorado border. Her absence was noted on October 14 when a school worker reported her truancy. A subsequent search of Ashlee's home uncovered ammunition and cartridge cases, though the murder weapon remains missing. The Sheriff's Department described the case as "extraordinarily tragic" and a "calculated, deliberate and ruthless act."
