A 40-year-old mother was arrested late Tuesday and is now facing charges of first-degree murder after authorities confirmed that the remains of her nine-year-old daughter were found in a remote area of southern Utah, more than two months after the child was reported missing.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown announced that Ashlee Lynn Buzzard was taken into custody on 23 December following the discovery and identification of the remains of Melodee Elani Buzzard, who disappeared from the Lompoc area in October 2025.
