Police are searching for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard.

The FBI is now involved in the search for a missing California girl whose mother, authorities say, has not cooperated with law enforcement in their search, according to new information released in the case.

Officials opened an investigation into the whereabouts of Melodee Buzzard, 9, on Oct. 14 after school administrators alerted authorities about her "prolonged absence," according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, the agency that reported her disappearance.

The sheriff's office attempted to contact her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, in Lompoc, a city near California's Pacific coast about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

When authorities contacted Buzzard's mother at her home, her daughter was not there, and "no clear explanation was provided for her whereabouts," officials previously wrote in a news release about the case.

Initially, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office reported Melodee had not been seen in a year.

But in a Monday, Oct. 20 update, the agency announced detectives had "gathered evidence indicating that Melodee was with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard," as recently as Oct. 7.

Detectives also learned Melodee's mother may have driven with her in a rented White Chevrolet Malibu with a California license plate outside of Santa Barbara County as far as the state of Nebraska.

The vehicle, the agency wrote, was determined to be a rental car no longer in the mother's possession.

"At this point in the investigation, Ashlee Buzzard remains uncooperative and has not provided detectives with any information about Melodee’s current location or condition," the sheriff's office said. "The primary goal of this investigation is to verify the location and welfare of Melodee Buzzard and ensure that she is safe."

Office incorrectly said she Melodee had not been seen in 1 year

In a previous Oct. 17 release, the agency corrected its previous statement to say the girl had not been seen since this summer.

"With the assistance of Lompoc Unified School District, detectives have confirmed that Melodee was seen as recently as August 2025," the sheriff's office wrote in a Friday, Oct. 17. news release.

“Lompoc Unified School District deserves credit for recognizing that something wasn’t right, reaching out, and continuing to assist with this investigation” said sheriff's office Lt. Chris Gotschall said. "This important update helps narrow a significant gap in the timeline of when she was last known to be seen and because of that, we’re closer to understanding what happened to Melodee.”

The sheriff's office did not elaborate about the sighting, but in a statement released to USA TODAY by the district, school officials said she was first enrolled in school "just two months ago, in August 2025, when Melodee and her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, visited Mission Valley Independent School to initiate her registration."

"The Melodee Buzzard missing child case has deeply affected our entire community," the statement continues. "We are doing everything within our authority to support this investigation, including providing records and coordinating with the Sheriff’s Office."

FBI assists search for missing Melodee Buzzard

On Sunday, Oct. 17, the FBI's Los Angeles office posted on X it was assisting Santa Barbara County authorities with the ongoing search.

USA TODAY has reached out to the FBI for more information.

Melodee's mother could not immediately be reached.

Officials: Melodee Buzzard's mom 'uncooperative' with detectives

As of Monday, Oct. 20, detectives continued to search for Melodee, the sheriff's office said.

"Her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, has been uncooperative with investigators, and detectives have not received any verified information about Melodee’s current whereabouts," the agency wrote in an updated news release.

Aunt says she has not seen Melodee in over 4 years

Last week, Melodee's aunt, Lizabeth Meza, told USA TODAY her niece was previously homeschooled, then enrolled in public school, but she had not attended this year.

Meza also said her niece's father died several years ago in a motorcycle accident and she had not seen her niece in four-and-a-half years. According to Meza, the girl's mother cut off contact with the rest of the family after Melodee's father death.

“We’re all looking for answers, but you know, we’re showing up today so that way, you know, she (Ashlee) knows we care, we’re here for Melodee and hopefully she (Ashlee) will come out and tell us where she’s at,” Corinna Meza, Melodee’s half sister said, according to a Sunday, Oct. 20, report from local media outlet KSBY-TV.

The outlet also reported law enforcement conducted a search warrant at the Melodee's home last week, but it failed to provide information about where the missing girl may be.

Anyone who has seen Melodee or who has had contact with her in recent months is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 805-681-415 or 1 800 CALL-FBI Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the sheriff's tip line at 805-681-4171.

Tips can also be reported online at SBSheriff.org or at http://tips.fbi.gov.

Contributing: Melina Khan

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A little girl disappeared. Her mom allegedly hasn't cooperated. Where is Melodee Buzzard?

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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