(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) -- California authorities are trying to track down a 9-year-old girl who they say hasn't been seen in at least one year.
The search for Melodee Buzzard was sparked on Tuesday when a school official reported her “prolonged absence,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said.
Melodee has been homeschooled for "at least for a couple of years" and has not been seen since approximately October 2024, sheriff’s office spokesperson Raquel Zick told ABC News.
“We do need the public’s help, because we have a giant, one-year segment of this child’s life that we can’t account for," Zick said. "We can’t say where she’s been for the past year, and we really need some help with that.”
The most recent photo law enforcement has of Melodee is from when she was 7 years old, Zick said.
"We don’t have any photographs of her within the past two years, and we don’t have any confirmed interactions with her in the past year," Zick said.
When deputies first responded to the little girl's home this week, Melodee and her mom, Ashlee Buzzard, weren't there, and “no clear explanation was provided" for where Melodee was, the sheriff’s office said.
Then, on Wednesday night, deputies returned to the home and Ashlee Buzzard was there, but Melodee was not, Zick said. Zick did not disclose what Ashlee Buzzard told investigators.
No one else lives at the house, Zick said, noting that Melodee's father is deceased. Law enforcement executed a search warrant on the home on Wednesday night, Zick said.
Melodee's disappearance is considered a missing person investigation, Zick said.
Law enforcement is in touch with neighbors as well as Child Welfare Services, she said.
"This is not a homicide investigation -- it is an at-risk missing juvenile case," she said.
"I think it definitely does warrant being called suspicious," Zick added.
Although the sheriff's office said Melodee is homeschooled, a California Department of Education spokesperson said there’s no record of Ashlee Buzzard filing an annual private school affidavit, which is a requirement for homeschooling.
“Per state law, the CDE does not assess or physically inspect private or homeschools,” the spokesperson said. “Filing an annual affidavit is the only thing that is required.”
“We hope Melodee is found safe,” the spokesperson added.
Anyone with information can call the sheriff's department at 805-681-4150 or can submit a tip anonymously at 805-681-4171 or SBSheriff.org.
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