The silence is the loudest sound for Lilly Denes, grandmother to nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard, who vanished after her mother reclaimed her following a period of hospitalization. Lilly had been preparing to offer Melodee a stable, loving home – an adoption was underway – when everything fractured.
In 2021, Ashlee Buzzard, Melodee’s mother, was released from a mental health facility and, shortly after, took her daughter from Lilly’s care. The joy of a hopeful future instantly turned to agonizing uncertainty. Lilly recalls social services reaching out, offering a lifeline to Melodee, a chance to avoid the foster care system, and she eagerly accepted.
Lilly describes a chilling first impression of Ashlee, a sense of unease that settled over her the moment they met. She noticed Ashlee’s unsettling gaze, constantly following her movements, and voiced her concerns to her son, questioning Ashlee’s stability. It was a mother’s intuition, a warning she now desperately wishes she’d heeded more fully.
Melodee, Lilly remembers, was a radiant child, a “very happy baby, always smiling, very smart.” The thought of her granddaughter cut off from the world, isolated from family and joy, is a constant ache. Ashlee systematically severed Melodee’s connections, erasing her from the lives of those who loved her.
The investigation began on October 14th when Melodee’s prolonged absence from school raised alarms. Authorities quickly discovered Ashlee’s lack of cooperation, her inability to provide any credible explanation for Melodee’s whereabouts. The Sheriff’s Office now considers Melodee “at risk,” and the FBI has joined the search.
The trail, as pieced together by detectives, is a disturbing puzzle of deception. Ashlee and Melodee left California on October 7th, traveling as far as Nebraska in a Chevrolet Malibu. A crucial detail emerged: the car was later spotted with a New York license plate, one that didn’t belong to Ashlee, suggesting a deliberate attempt to evade detection.
Surveillance footage from a rental car location revealed another layer of complexity. Both Ashlee and Melodee were wearing wigs, and investigators believe Ashlee switched them throughout the journey, a calculated move to alter their appearance and avoid recognition. The disguises speak to a desperate attempt to remain hidden.
Adding another disturbing turn to the case, Ashlee was recently charged with false imprisonment after allegedly holding a man captive. Court officer Tyler Brewer reported that Ashlee became agitated and threatened him with a box cutter, locking him inside her home. During this ordeal, she reportedly revealed information about Melodee’s location and who she was with.
However, Brewer expressed serious doubts about the veracity of Ashlee’s claims, raising the chilling possibility that the information was intentionally misleading. Ashlee was released from jail with conditions, including wearing a GPS monitor, but the search for Melodee continues with renewed urgency.
Melodee is described as being between 4-feet and 4-feet, 6-inches tall, weighing between 60 and 100 pounds, with brown curly hair and brown eyes. Every detail, no matter how small, is crucial. Anyone with information regarding Melodee’s whereabouts is urged to contact (805) 681-4150.
Lilly Denes clings to a desperate hope. “I know that maybe somebody out there in the world knows where my baby is. Somebody has to know.” Her plea echoes the anguish of a grandmother robbed of her granddaughter, a family fractured by tragedy, and a community united in the search for a missing child.
