Cradled there in her proud dad’s arms, this could be a snapshot of any happy family celebrating a new arrival.
But this touching photo shows missing California girl Melodee Buzzard held tenderly by Rolando Rubiell ‘Pinoy’ Meza – the father she never got the chance to know.
Father-of-two Meza was killed in a car crash at the age of 40 in 2016 just six months after that photo was taken.
Now, his nine-year-old daughter Melodee is missing – thought to be somewhere in Nebraska or Kansas – after her mother Ashlee Buzzard, 40, took her on a road trip on October 7, only to return to their Lompoc home alone.
Buzzard is currently refusing to cooperate with investigators and has spent much of the past two weeks holed up in the three-bedroom house, refusing to answer the door to social workers from Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services.
Meza’s mother Lilly Denes has now issued a plea for her granddaughter’s safe return, telling the Daily Mail she had not seen Melodee for four years and only found out about her disappearance when social workers called to ask what she knew.
Lilly, 75, told the Mail: ‘I said no, I haven’t seen her for four years because this woman [Buzzard] has been hiding the baby from me, from her own mother, her stepdaughter and my other son.
‘She doesn’t let her see any of us. None of us. It’s a very sad situation.’
The grieving grandmother of missing Melodee Buzzard, 9, shared a heartbreaking photo with Daily Mail of her late son, Rolando Rubiell ‘Pinoy’ Meza, cradling his now-missing daughter just six months before he died in a car crash
Lilly Denes, 75, says she hasn’t seen her granddaughter in four years because the girl’s mother, Ashlee, has intentionally kept her hidden from family – including her half-sister and uncle
The last confirmed sighting of Melodee was on October 7, in her mother’s white Chevrolet Malibu that was caught on camera heading to Nebraska – over 1,500 miles from their California home
In a plea for information, Lilly added: ‘I beg you guys. Anyone who knows anything about where my baby is, let the police know.’
The intervention from the devastated septuagenarian came as the search for Melodee entered its third week.
Melodee was reported missing on October 14 by her school district who said the homeschooled child had failed to pick up any assignments since August.
Last Friday, cops released new images of the little girl showing her wearing a wig and a black hoodie at a rental car company in Santa Maria, California, with her mother.
Melodee was also captured on security cameras during pitstops on the 1,500-mile drive to Nebraska but there have been no sightings of her since her mother’s return home.
In a statement, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s department said: ‘Through their ongoing investigation, detectives have narrowed the critical timeline to between October 7 and October 10, 2025.
‘Investigators have confirmed that Ashlee was seen returning to her Lompoc residence on October 10, driving the same rental vehicle she departed with on October 7 – but Melodee was not in the car.
‘Investigators understand that this three-day road trip went from Lompoc to the Nebraska area, with the return trip including the state of Kansas.
Denes led a candle lit vigil outside of Melodee’s home in Lompoc, California. She told the Daily Mail she only found out she was missing when CPS called for information (Pictured: Denes holding a photo of baby Melodee, her deceased son and herself)
Buzzard has refused to work with authorities since her daughter was reported missing on October 14. When two plain clothes cops handed her an official form last Thursday, she slammed the door in their faces (pictured)
Since Melodee’s disappearance, unmarked Federal vehicles have parked on Buzzard’s street, monitoring incase the mother tried to abscond
Her ‘uncooperative’ mother Ashlee was spotted for the first time last Wednesday since she holed up at her modest cream cottage in Lompoc, California, leaving to try to rent a car in Santa Maria almost 20 miles away
Police released new images last Friday of the little girl with her mother at a rental car company in Santa Maria, California, that showed her wearing a wig and a black hoodie
‘Detectives are now focused on determining where Melodee was during those three days and where she may be now.’
Sheriff Bill Brown added, ‘Our detectives are following every lead in this case. We continue to seek information from the public that could help us find Melodee.
‘We remain determined to bring her home safely.’
The release of these photos came after Daily Mail uncovered an eerie Google Maps image last week showing Melodee staring out into the street with her hair pulled back in May 2023.
Although the search is focused on Nebraska and Kansas, cops have still spent most of the last week shadowing Buzzard in unmarked cars – including on an outing last Wednesday where she twice attempted to rent a car but was refused each time.
Last Thursday, two plain clothes cops were seen talking to the 40-year-old at the front door of her home and handing her an official form before she slammed the door in their faces.
Feckless Buzzard, who previously declared bankruptcy after amassing debts totaling $23,000, has a history of failing to pay credit card bills and is currently being dragged through the courts by Capital One.
She also gave Melodee a solitary lifestyle that includes no contact with her extended family, among them her half-sister Corinna Meza, 30.
The Daily Mail uncovered an eerie Google Maps image last week of Melodee staring into the street while standing on her doorstep in May 2023
Melodee’s half-sister Corinna Meza, 30, was also seen last Monday night fruitlessly banging on the door in an effort to talk to the elusive mother
Melodee’s aunt Lizabeth Meza said Ashlee previously lost custody of the little girl due to a mental health battle
Speaking to the Daily Mail last week, Melodee’s aunt Lizabeth Meza said Buzzard had ‘isolated’ herself from the family.
‘I haven’t talked to either Melodee or Ashlee in four and a half years,’ Lizabeth said. ‘Ashlee isolated herself and Melodee from the entire family, and we were told years ago that she was adopted out.’
She also revealed that Buzzard had previously lost custody of Melodee due to mental health woes, adding that she had had a conversation with the mom-of-one in which she admitted psychological problems run in the family.
Both Lizabeth and Meza have made repeated attempts to contact Buzzard since the child vanished, with the 30-year-old even trying to get hold of her at home – only for the door to be slammed in her face.
‘We don’t know any more other than that she might be in Nebraska,’ Meza told the Daily Mail after being asked if she had any further updates on the search.
She added that Buzzard is still refusing to talk to her or her family, adding: ‘I’ve tried to give Ashlee my number twice, but she never got in touch.’
