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By Elizabeth Wolfe, Holly Yan, CNN (CNN) — The mother of a 9-year-old California girl who vanished during their road trip more than two weeks ago was arrested Friday on a felony charge of false imprisonment – but it’s not directly related to the search for her daughter, officials said. Investigators were looking into the disappearance of Ashlee Buzzard’s daughter Melodee when they learned the mother had recently “prevented a victim from leaving a location against their will,” the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “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 release said. Investigators shed little light on the recent incident and declined to provide details on the victim of the false imprisonment case as they continue to investigate Melodee’s whereabouts. The arrest comes about a week after the FBI served search warrants at Buzzard’s home and a storage locker, as well as the rental car that Melodee was last seen in. The search for Melodee has captured national attention as investigators shared surveillance images of the child apparently wearing a wig at a car rental agency last month, began scrutinizing a cross-state road trip and described her mother as being “uncooperative.” The search for Melodee Buzzard went on a road trip with Melodee on October 7, authorities said. That day, surveillance footage captured the girl at a local car rental agency dressed in what seemed to be a disguise. Melodee was wearing a hoodie pulled over her head and “what appears to be a wig that is darker and straighter than her natural hair,” the sheriff’s office said. “Investigators believe the wig may have been used to alter her appearance.” Investigators also believe that the mother swapped wigs throughout the trip, possibly “to avoid recognition during travel,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday. Over the next three days, the rental car traveled through Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and Kansas, at some point seen with “a false or switched” license plate, according to the sheriff’s office. The rental car then returned to the family’s home in Lompoc, about 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, authorities said. “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,” the sheriff’s office said. The child was last seen a day before on video surveillance in the region between the Colorado and Utah state line. Melodee was reported missing days later on October 14 – not by a family member, but by a school administrator concerned about her long absence. When authorities visited her mother’s home, “Melodee was not at the home, and no verifiable explanation for her whereabouts was provided,” the sheriff’s office said. “Ashlee has remained uncooperative and has not confirmed Melodee’s location or welfare,” authorities said on Monday. Though the mother’s arrest Friday did happen during the missing persons investigation, “it is not directly related to Melodee’s disappearance,” the sheriff’s office said. “Sheriff’s detectives remain fully focused on locating Melodee and confirming her safety,” the Friday release said. Anyone who has seen Melodee or may know something about her whereabouts is encouraged to call the sheriff’s office or leave an anonymous tip. It was not immediately clear whether Buzzard has an attorney. She will be booked at a Santa Barbara County jail with bail set at $100,000, officials said.
