The mother of a Central Coast girl who's been missing for nearly a month has been arrested, but not in connection with the disappearance.
Nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard of Vandenberg Village was last seen on surveillance video during a road trip with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard. That sighting was near the Colorado-Utah border on October 9.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives say the mother has refused to cooperate with their investigation.
On Friday, Ashlee Buzzard was arrested on an unrelated charge. She was taken into custody for felony false imprisonment. Detectives aren't releasing specifics, other than it was unrelated to the search for Melodee.
They're still trying to determine the events surrounding the early October road trip, where the girl was last seen. The investigators said that during the trip, the mother wore wigs to apparently disguise her appearance. They have also noted that during the trip, the rental car's license plates were changed; however, the proper plates were reinstalled when the vehicle was returned.
