(NewsNation) — The man who accused Ashlee Buzzard of false imprisonment believes her daughter Melodee could still be alive and in the state of Utah.

The missing 9-year-old has not been seen in 32 days as the investigation continues into her whereabouts, despite Ashlee’s unwillingness to cooperate with police.

Could Melodee Buzzard be alive in Utah?

Tyler S. Brewer, who filed charges against Buzzard on Friday, told NewsNation she revealed to him where Melodee is and who she was left with.

He did not share any further details of her whereabouts with NewsNation, except to say he suspects the girl is in Utah. Brewer also shared concern about whether what Buzzard told him was true, given her state of mind and recent behavior.

Brewer told NewsNation he has known Buzzard through a friend since 2014. He said he had been coming over to the Buzzards’ Lompac, California, home to check on her since the case of her missing daughter was publicized.

Ashlee Buzzard’s false imprisonment charge

On Friday, Buzzard was arrested and charged with felony false imprisonment, which authorities said was unrelated to the disappearance of her daughter.

In the criminal complaint obtained by NewsNation, Buzzard is accused of “violating the personal liberty” of Brewer. The complaint states that the crime occurred last Thursday, and added, “The manner in which the crime was carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism.”

Buzzard will be in court Wednesday afternoon to face the felony charge. In the interim, she remains jailed in the Santa Maria area.

Brewer alleges Buzzard began acting irrationally on Oct. 6 while he was visiting her home, accusing him of working with the police and the paternal side of her family to take Melodee away from her.

He said Buzzard kept shutting her eyes and making fists, and blocked the door, preventing him from leaving. She then slammed the front door and engaged four locks on that door. He said she eventually let him leave, and he went straight to the authorities to report what happened.

Brewer claimed Buzzard has mental health issues, is extremely paranoid, and is a totally different person from when they first met. He said he has grave concerns about Melodee’s well-being,

Ashlee Buzzard’s troubled upbringing

Buzzard’s mother, Lori Miranda, spoke with NewsNation about her daughter, with whom she has not spoken since 2023, about their troubled life.

Miranda said that during her upbringing, she and Buzzard were at times homeless as they fled her abusive husband. A 1995 Santa Maria Times article detailed their plight, facts confirmed to NewsNation by Miranda.

She told the outlet that when she was 33 and her daughter was 9, they moved from place to place, often sleeping in hotels, to be free of her husband, and that he would break their windows and harass them.

Buzzard participated in a homeless education project, and the pair spent time living in a shelter.