Wig disguises, a swapped license plate and a 1,000-mile drive: Where the search for 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard stands

It’s been a month since Ashlee Buzzard packed her 9-year-old daughter Melodee into a rental car and left their home state of California – only to return three days later with no child and plenty of unanswered questions in tow, authorities say.

As investigators search for Melodee, they say their probe has uncovered a series of wigged disguises, a sprawling multistate road trip, and an “uncooperative” mother who has provided “no verifiable explanation” of her daughter’s whereabouts.

The case took an unexpected turn on Friday when Buzzard, 40, was arrested on a charge of false imprisonment – but not for the disappearance of her daughter. “This crime is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee, however, detectives are unable to fully outline the crime as it would impede their ongoing investigation,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.

Here’s what we know about the case – and the many questions that still remain.

Melodee’s disappearance was reported on October 14, not by her family but by school administrators who noticed she had not been participating in the remote study program her mother had recently enrolled her in.