Mom Accused of Killing Daughter, 9, Enters a Plea

A California mother accused of killing her 9-year-old daughter in Utah has formally denied the charge and will remain behind bars as the case moves forward. Ashlee Buzzard, 40, of Lompoc, entered a not-guilty plea on Friday to a first-degree murder charge with special allegations in the death of her daughter, Melodee, per NBC News. A Santa Barbara County judge ordered her held without bail, and prosecutors said they'll pursue a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Buzzard also denied allegations that the killing involved "lying in wait," according to the local district attorney's office.

Melodee's body was found on Dec. 6 in a remote part of Wayne County, Utah, by a couple who were out taking photos, authorities said. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the girl died from gunshot wounds to the head, and that the FBI's DNA testing confirmed her identity. Brown described the case as an instance of maternal filicide, calling it rare and "difficult to comprehend," and said investigators have gathered substantial evidence implicating Buzzard.

Detectives say they searched Buzzard's home, a rental car, and a storage unit, finding a spent cartridge case and a live round similar to the ammunition believed to have been used, though the firearm itself hasn't been recovered. Investigators allege Buzzard altered Melodee's appearance with a wig, noting both were seen at a car rental business on Oct. 7 before a three-day road trip from Lompoc through Nebraska and Kansas. Melodee was last seen Oct. 9 near the Utah-Colorado border; Buzzard returned home alone the next day.

School officials reported Melodee's extended absence on Oct. 14, and when deputies asked Buzzard where her daughter was, she wouldn't say, per the AP. The Los Angeles Times reports that Melodee's father died in 2016 in a motorcycle accident, just months after she was born. The Times also uncovers some of Buzzard's backstory, including what happened to her when she herself was just 9: Her mother fled with her from Buzzard's allegedly abusive father and the two became homeless. Outside the Santa Barbara County courthouse on Friday, the girl's paternal grandmother, Lilly Denes, expressed anger over Buzzard's not-guilty plea. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7.