A permanent gag order will remain in effect during the remainder of criminal proceedings against the Vandenberg Village mother charged with murdering her 9-year-old daughter last fall.
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Dunkle approved the order during a hearing for Ashlee Buzzard, 40, Wednesday morning in a Lompoc courtroom. The ruling came after county counsel, representing the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, and the prosecution told the judge they were taking no position on the request.
The defense requested the gag order be placed on the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in an effort to prevent authorities from releasing additional details about the murder investigation involving Buzzard.
She’s charged with shooting her daughter, Melodee, in the head multiple times and leaving her body in a rural area of Wayne County, Utah while the two took a three-day road trip last October.
The sheriff’s office said Buzzard was uncooperative with the months-long missing person investigation involving Melodee ever since it was launched on Oct. 14, 2025, after school administrators notified authorities about the girl’s prolonged absence.
Buzzard was arrested on Dec. 23 after her daughter’s remains were discovered and DNA results confirmed. In court Wednesday, Judge Dunkle also approved a motion by the defense requesting access to sealed search warrants and affidavits in the case. The request will also apply to any future warrants filed under seal.
WATCH: Multiple electronics seized during initial search of Ashlee Buzzard’s home, documents reveal
At the defense’s request, Buzzard waived her time for another month, now extending through April.
This means her preliminary hearing will not take place before then, as her public defender Erica Sutherland told the court she is missing a “significant amount of discovery,” which she described as essentially all forensic evidence.
Sutherland told KSBY reporter Crystal Bermudez the volume of the missing could be extensive.
"It could be several hundred pages. It could be thousands of pages. I just don't know, because I literally do not have it," she said. "But there's claims that it exists. I've been waiting a month. My client's been extremely patient and understanding."
Sutherland asked that Buzzard’s case be put on the calendar for Feb. 11 so an update can be provided then on when the defense can expect the requested documents from the prosecution.
"We heard in the sheriff's office press release that this evidence existed. If it exists. Why is it taking over a month to get to the defense?" said Sutherland. "I think that's a valid question. I don't have an answer. I'm not in control of that. I wish I had that evidence now. I wish this case could move quicker [but] my hands are tied right now."
Buzzard appeared in court dressed in black slacks and an orange top. Her short, blonde, curly hair was partially pulled back into a ponytail during the brief hearing, where she sat alongside her public defender and only said the word “yes” when confirming to the judge she was waiving time.
Outside the courtroom, Melodee's paternal grandmother Lilly Dennes expressed frustration with delays.
"I just can't believe that this lady has so many right, she came out with no handcuffs because she requested that?" adding "It is torture right now, we're going through a lot with getting the baby here."
As Buzzard exited the courtoom, emotions spilled over, with an audience member directing a derogatory comment towards her.
"You hear members of the audience yelling out and being disruptive during the court proceedings," said Sutherland "and it saddens me that this is a brand new case and minds are already made up and that's not what our judicial system is about. And so I would urge the public to be patient as we learn more about the case and to remember that everybody is entitled to a fair trial."
Buzzard has pleaded not guilty and is being held in the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria without bail.
