A California woman has been charged with murder in what a sheriff called the “calculated and cold-blooded” killing of her 9-year-old daughter following the discovery of the girl’s remains in rural Utah. Melodee died of gunshot wounds to the head, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said in a news conference. “But this level of criminal activity is particularly shocking.”Investigators “recovered a significant amount of evidence” against Buzzard, Brown said. Buzzard is being held at a Santa Barbara County jail without bail. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said he is reviewing the case.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 25, 2025 19:17 UTC