Community Prayer Vigil For Melodee’s Safety Held In Vandenberg Village
Jarrod Zinn
LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – The story of Melodee Buzzard is gripping the Lompoc Valley and much of the nation.
The case of the missing 9-year-old girl continues with no resolution as her mother Ashlee is not cooperating with law enforcement.
The community gathered for a prayer vigil on Friday night.
Investigators have released newer photos of the little girl.
The community prayer vigil outside the home of Melodee Buzzard Friday was organized by the young girl’s grandmother Lilly Denes, who works with your News Channel.
And these more recent images are adding a note of hope to a case that has many in the neighborhood and the nation holding their breath and continuing to pray.
New details have surfaced on Ashlee driving Melodee out of Santa Barbara county in a rental car, as far away as Nebraska.
Deputies now say this road trip took three days and included a stop in Kansas before Ashlee returned to Lompoc without her daughter.
Surveillance images from October 7th when Ashlee rented a white Chevy Malibu have yielded the most recent photos of Melodee, and deputies say the little girl appears to be wearing a wig.
They also note that Ashlee is known to wear wigs herself.
At tonight’s prayer vigil, relatives have a message for the missing girl.
“Melodee,” says the girl’s aunt, sister to Melodee’s late father Rubiell Meza. “Melodee, we love you. We miss you, and we’re praying for you, that you’re well, that you’re okay. You know, just hang in there. No matter what’s going on, you’re going to be home soon and we’ll be able to see you. So we love you. And we missed you very much.”
Investigators with both Santa Barbara county and the FBI continue to ask for the public’s help in locating Melodee.
If you have seen Melodee or have any information, you can call the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division (805) 681-4150. Those wishing to remain anonymous can provide information through the tip line at (805) 681-4171 or online at https://www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/.
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