The mother of a missing 9-year-old Lompoc Valley girl was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder after Melodee Buzzard’s body was found earlier this month in Utah, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Just before 8 a.m., Ashlee Buzzard, 40, was led away in handcuffs from her residence on the 500 block of Mars Avenue in Vandenberg Village.

Sheriff Bill Brown announced the arrest and the finding of the girl’s remains at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, providing more details about the lengthy, multi-state investigation.

“Maternal filicide is rare and always difficult to comprehend,” Brown said. “But this level of criminal activity is particularly shocking given the calculated, cold-blooded and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness that went into planning it and the ruthlessness that went into actually committing the crime.”

Melodee’s remains were discovered in Caineville in Wayne County, Utah, about 100 miles south of Provo and near Capitol Reef National Park.

The girl reportedly was shot in the head at least one time, Brown said.

Brown said investigators have not determined a motive for the killing.

Buzzard was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail and was being held without bail.

Authorities have been searching for Buzzard’s daughter since Oct. 14, when educators asked deputies to conduct a welfare check on the girl, who had not been seen recently.

In August, Melodee was first enrolled in the Lompoc Unified School District, when she and her mother went to Mission Valley Independent Study School to register her. 

However, they didn’t pick up assignments, which led to a referral back to their school of residence, where officials contacted the family to complete enrollment.

When the girl didn’t start attending classes, the school launched mandatory truancy procedures, including phone calls, letters, emails and home visits, leading to the visit to the home. 

Ashlee Buzzard has remained “uncooperative” during the investigation, authorities said.

Detectives narrowed the critical time frame for  Melodee’s whereabouts to Oct. 7-10, the Sheriff’s Office said. 

Investigators have confirmed that Ashlee Buzzard was seen returning to the residence on Oct. 10, driving the same rental vehicle she departed with on Oct. 7, but Melodee was not in the car.

Detectives say Buzzard and her daughter went on a four-day road trip from Lompoc to the Nebraska area, with the return trip including the state of Kansas. 

After initially releasing photos of a young Melodee, detectives later provided images from surveillance video at the car rental business.

Deputies said Buzzard apparently switched license plates on the rental car, and the mother and daughter swapped wigs to avoid recognition during the trip.

Buzzard also backed into gas stations as another measure to avoid detection during her trek east, Brown said.

Detectives have confirmed that Melodee was last seen on Oct. 9, on video surveillance from the Colorado side of the border with Utah.

“Detectives now believe that Melodee was murdered shortly after that stop,” Brown said.

On Dec. 6, Wayne County sheriff’s deputies responded after a couple taking photos off the 3300 block of East State Route 24 reported finding a decomposed body.

Two days later, Wayne County investigators notified Santa Barbara County detectives of the unidentified female.

“Although immediate identification of the deceased person was not possible, it was apparent that the decedent was a female who had died from gunshot wounds to the head,” Brown said.

While lacking the weapon used to kill the girl, investigators have significant firearms-related evidence.

On Monday, FBI crime lab representatives alerted Santa Barbara County investigators that DNA analysis determined the remains found in Utah were a familial match to Buzzard, leading to her arrest Tuesday.

The FBI joined joined the investigation weeks ago, with agents at the scene searching Buzzard’s residence with sheriff’s deputies. 

In addition to the FBI’s field offices in Santa Maria, agents from multiple other offices in several states assisted in the investigation.

“I can confidently speak on behalf of all FBI employees when I say that our collective hearts are broken as a result of this senseless outcome,” said Patrick Grandy, special agent in charge for the FBI’s field office in Los Angeles. 

The FBI will continue to provide resources for the Sheriff’s Office as it pursues justice for Melodee, Grandy added. 

The investigation included a significant number of law enforcement and other agencies from Colorado, Nebraska and Utah.

Brown noted the help his agency has received from a large number of law enforcement officers from multiple states.

“This level of coordination among jurisdictions was essential, he said. “It was a superb and we are grateful for the support provided at every stage,” Brown said.

The case has drawn attention beyond the Lompoc Valley, and led to prayer vigils in the quiet neighborhood and demands for Buzzard to provide information about the missing girl’s whereabouts.

“The circumstances of Melodee Buzzard’s murder are heartbreaking,” Brown said. “All of us who have been involved in this case have been deeply affected by it. We were hoping against hope that she would be safely found. 

Brown called the outcome “deeply tragic,” and offered condolences to Melodee’s extended family on behalf of the investigators. 

While Melodee’s father, Rolando Rubiell “Pinoy”Meza, 40, died in an August 2016 motorcycle crash in Santa Maria, his mother, Lilly Denes, and his siblings live in the Santa Maria Valley and other Central Coast communities.

“Their strength, their patience, and their steadfast hope have been evident from the very beginning,” Brown said. “No family should ever have to experience this kind of loss, and our hearts are with them today and will be with them in the difficult days ahead. 

“We stand with them, and we remain committed to securing justice for Melodee,” Brown added.

Noozhawk Staff Writer Pricila Flores contributed to this report.