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Melodee Buzzard’s mom used to be arrested Tuesday and accused within the death of her 9-yr-worn daughter after the woman’s body used to be demonstrate in a rural home of Utah better than two months after she disappeared in Southern California.

Investigators uncovered a “significant amount of evidence” that indicated that Ashlee Buzzard, 40, killed her daughter, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Invoice Brown informed newshounds. Buzzard is being held without bail on suspicion of first-level execute, Brown talked about.

“Maternal filicide is rare and always difficult to comprehend,” he talked about. “This level of criminal activity is particularly shocking given the calculated, cold-blooded and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness that went into planning it.”

Melodee’s body used to be found out Dec. 6 by a individual and a lady who were taking photos in Wayne County, Utah, Brown talked about. It used to be determined that the body used to be that of a lady who “died from gunshot wounds to the head,” Brown talked about.

An FBI analysis of DNA confirmed the body used to be Melodee’s, Brown talked about.

Officials searched Buzzard’s dwelling, a rented storage locker and a condo vehicle and located out an expended cartridge case, as properly as a dwell round of a similar ammunition, officials talked about. A execute weapon has now not but been found out, officials talked about.

“Our investigators and those of our allied agencies worked simultaneously on multiple fronts, some maintaining around-the-clock surveillance of Ashley Buzzard, while others focused on the painstaking collection, analysis and verification of physical, digital and forensic evidence,” Brown talked about.

Neighbors talked about they saw deputies taking Buzzard from her dwelling in Vandenberg Village early Tuesday, in step with NBC Facts affiliate KSBY of San Luis Obispo. Buzzard had been uncooperative right thru the search and the investigation into Melodee’s disappearance, sheriff’s officials own talked about.

Lompoc Unified College District talked about in a commentary in October that Buzzard took Melodee to an honest look program in August to enroll but that the woman didn’t abet thru early October, prompting a series of responses to truancy that culminated in notifying legislation enforcement.

Investigators own focused their attention on a facet toll road shuttle the pair took from Southern California to Nebraska from Oct. 7 to Oct. 10.

Safety video showed Melodee carrying a wig on Oct. 7 at the condo vehicle alternate where they picked up a Chevrolet Malibu, the sheriff’s set apart of job talked about. Detectives own the wig used to be former to throw off attempts to trace or fetch her, and they talked about her mom used to be known to connect on them.

One day right thru the shuttle, the condo vehicle’s registration code used to be briefly switched to a Unique York plate, allegedly to book clear of detection, the sheriff’s set apart of job talked about.

Authorities talked about Melodee used to be final considered on the return leg of the shuttle on Oct. 9, approach the Utah-Colorado border, but used to be now not with Ashlee Buzzard when she returned dwelling with the condo vehicle on Oct. 10, detectives talked about in a series of updates.

Investigators own Melodee used to be killed quickly after the cease at the Utah-Colorado border, Brown talked about.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Ashlee Buzzard on suspicion of legal false imprisonment in a separate case on Nov. 7. A man testified that she held him in opposition to his will at her dwelling and had a box cutter, KSBY reported. The price used to be pushed apart Nov. 20, with prosecutors later citing contradictory recordsdata and insufficient evidence, a spokesperson for the regional district licensed authentic talked about.

Attempts to reach Ashlee Buzzard since late October own been unsuccessful, and her mom, reached by cell phone, declined to comment.

Melodee’s disappearance stirred speak amongst some in her community of Vandenberg Village, about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Of us own often gathered outdoors her dwelling and shouted questions about her whereabouts.

Corinna Meza, Melodee’s half of-sister, talked about, “We’re all looking for answers,” KSBY reported. She talked about that Melodee’s father died when her minute sister used to be a baby and that the woman had hardly ever ever ever been considered, even amongst family.