The mother of a missing nine-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murder after her daughter was found dead in Utah, police said.
Melody Buzzard's decomposed body was found by a man and woman who were taking photos in rural Utah earlier this month.
Her 40-year-old mother, Ashley Buzzard, was taken into custody Tuesday and is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said.
Melody Buzzard disappeared several months ago, and investigators said her mother was not cooperating with the investigation.
“This is an extremely tragic case involving the murder of a child by the very person she relied on and trusted the most,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said in a statement.
Melody Buzzard was first reported missing from her school on Oct. 14, saying she had not been seen since August, police said.
Her mother was unable to tell authorities where her daughter was, and detectives searched Kaniuk's home the next day.
The 9-year-old boy was last seen on Oct. 9, when a mother and daughter were captured on surveillance camera on the Colorado-Utah border, according to the sheriff's office.
Sheriff Brown said authorities believe the young girl was killed shortly after she was spotted on surveillance camera.
He also said investigators “uncovered a significant amount of evidence that clearly indicates that the crime was committed by Ashley Buzzard, Melody's mother.”
Police said the couple who discovered Melody Buzzard's body with gunshot wounds on the side of the road called authorities on Dec. 6.
DNA testing identified the remains on Dec. 22, Sheriff Brown said.
Ashley Buzzard was arrested on an unrelated false imprisonment charge in early November. She allegedly held the man against his will after he said he was helping search for her daughter.
A judge later dropped the false imprisonment charge against her.
