Box cutters and locked doors: Is this why Melodee Buzzard’s mom was arrested?

Lee Brewer, a paralegal, has revealed details explaining the arrest of Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing 9-year-old California girl Melodee Buzzard. California law enforcement previously announced Ashlee’s arrest but said it was on charges unrelated to Melodee’s case.

At the same time, Brewer told NewsNation that Ashlee claimed to know Melodee’s whereabouts, though he said he was uncertain whether to believe her, citing her increasingly erratic behavior.

Ashlee Buzzard’s arrest

In a post on social media, Brewer explained that he reached out to Ashlee after Melodee was reported missing solely to offer help locating her missing child. He recounts that on November 6, 2025, during a visit to Ashlee’s residence, the situation escalated, and Ashlee became “visibly distressed after sharing information she appeared to regret disclosing.”

Brewer’s post goes on to say “a box cutter was produced,” and although he requested to leave the home, he was not immediately permitted to do so. The door had been secured with multiple locks, delaying his exit, and he promptly reported the incident to law enforcement.

He also mentions he is in contact with Melodee’s father’s family, who share the same goal of locating the child and ensuring her safety. Melodee’s father died when she was young.

Brewer added he will not provide further details at present because the investigation and search are ongoing. His post closes by reiterating his unchanging position: “Find Melodee. Protect the investigation. Bring her home safely.”

On November 7, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced Ashlee’s arrest on felony charges for preventing a “victim from leaving a location, against their will,” which constitutes false imprisonment. Officials stressed that this arrest is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee.

Brewer’s NewsNation interview

Around that same time, Brewer appeared on NewsNation and reiterated that Ashlee told him where Melodee is and who she left her daughter with, stating he suspects Melodee is alive in Utah. Brewer offered NewsNation no further details during the interview, noting he was still unsure whether to believe Ashlee due to her apparent state of mind. Ashlee remains held on $100,000 bail. Reports say she is expected to appear in court on November 12. Law enforcement says Ashlee remains uncooperative.

Melodee was first reported missing by a school administrator in October 2025. She had not been seen since August. Surveillance footage later surfaced showing Ashlee and Melodee at a car rental agency in disguise. Investigators believe the pair may have been traveling across multiple states, possibly as far away as Nebraska, in a rented vehicle with altered plates.

On October 9, 2025, the last confirmed sighting of Melodee came via surveillance footage in the area near the Colorado-Utah border during the return trip. On October 10, Ashlee returned to California alone in the rental vehicle; Melodee was not in the car. The original California plate was back on the vehicle when it returned.

Investigators have noted that a gas-station employee reported seeing Ashlee in a car with a “woman with a purple wig” during part of the trip; this individual appeared adult-sized, not a child. The use of wigs and plate changes is believed to have been intentional to avoid recognition during travel.