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In an exciting new twist The disappearance of 9-year-old Melody BuzzardInvestigators now believe that her mother changed the license plates of her rental car during a multi-state road trip so her daughter could disappear without a trace and avoid detection.
Melody and her mother, Ashley Buzzard, 35, left their Lompoc, California home to leave on October 7 on a three-day trip to Nebraska, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Surveillance images show that Melody, who appeared to be wearing a wig, was with her mother at a rental car business that same day. The last confirmed sighting of Melody was two days later, on October 9, near the Colorado-Utah border.
In an update provided by authorities on Monday, investigators said they believe Buzzard removed the California plate 9MNG101 from the white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu rental car “to avoid detection” and replaced it with New York plate HCG9677 on or before October 8.
It is unknown when the plate was installed or whether additional plates were used at other times during the journey.
The Sheriff’s Office also shared a map of vehicle stops on Buzzard’s way back to California, which they believe took him through Green River, Utah; Panguitch, Utah; northwestern Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Focusing on that critical 24-hour period between October 9 and October 10, officials urged anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information.
On October 10, Buzzard returned home alone and when she returned the vehicle to the rental agency in Lompoc, the California plates were back in place. But Melody was nowhere to be found.
The discovery adds a new layer of mystery to the case as authorities work to piece together the last verified sighting of the girl.
Melody was discovered missing on October 14, when a Lompoc School District official reported her “prolonged absence”.
Deputies who visited the family home in Lompoc said they spoke to his mother, but “there is no verifiable explanation for this”. [Melodee’s] “A location was provided,” according to the sheriff’s office, which added that Buzzard has not cooperated with the investigation.
Last week, detectives moved Buzzard from the property to another location, “which will not interfere with their ability to conduct a thorough search,” the sheriff’s office said.
Local authorities, with assistance from the FBI, also searched a storage locker and a rental car believed to have been used on a multi-state road trip shortly before the child’s disappearance. It is not clear whether anything was found or not.
Relatives from Melody’s father’s side say that they have not seen her for many years.
“She hasn’t let us see her for a few years,” Melody’s aunt Bridget Truitt told KEYT. “And we’ve all tried. But we never stop thinking about him or loving him or praying for him.”
Melody is described as being 4 feet 6 inches tall, weighing approximately 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Due to his age and the length of his absence he is considered at risk and is classified as a missing person. No arrests have been made.
Authorities have provided two phone numbers and a web address for anyone with information about Melody’s whereabouts: a detective line: (805) 681-4150; An anonymous tip line: (805) 681-4171; And know an online tips: www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/,