Public Safety · Santa Barbara County
Half-Sisters File Negligence Lawsuits Over Melodee Buzzard's Death
The adult half-sisters of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard filed separate lawsuits in Santa Barbara County Superior Court against Santa Barbara County, its Social Services Department and Sheriff's Office, the Lompoc Unified School District, and the city of Lompoc, alleging these agencies failed to protect the Vandenberg Village girl before she was allegedly killed by her mother in Utah. The complaints cite missed warning signs including extended school absence, isolation, prior welfare checks, and a lack of verified independent contact over a three-year period. Melodee's remains were found in rural Utah in early December after an autopsy determined she had been shot multiple times in the head; her mother Ashlee Buzzard has been charged with murder, with a competency hearing set for Monday. The lawsuits seek compensatory, survival, and wrongful death damages, though defendants have not yet filed responses.