(NewsNation) — A California woman accused of killing her daughter earlier this year pleaded not guilty to murder in court Friday.

Ashlee Buzzard, 40, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 9-year-old daughter, Melodee. Prosecutors said in court they do not intend to seek the death penalty but will seek life without parole.

Buzzard waived her right to a speedy preliminary hearing.

The judge also imposed a gag order on the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, prohibiting the office from sharing any information that is not public record until the next court hearing, set for Jan. 7, 2026.

Investigators say Buzzard rented a car to take her daughter on a road trip that stretched from California to Nebraska but that Melodee didn’t survive for more than a few days alone with her mother.

Melodee’s remains were discovered nearly two months later, on Dec. 6, in a remote area of Wayne County, Utah. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said Melodee died from gunshot wounds to the head.

Buzzard is accused of wearing a disguise that included several wigs, switching license plates on the rented vehicle and backing into gas stations to avoid surveillance cameras.

Sheriff’s officials say ballistics evidence recovered in Utah is linked to evidence found inside Buzzard’s home and in the rental car. However, a murder weapon hasn’t been recovered, and investigators still don’t have a motive.

“Maternal filicide is rare and always difficult to comprehend,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown. “But this level of criminal activity is particularly shocking, given the calculated, cold-blooded, and criminally sophisticated premeditation and heartlessness that went into planning it and the ruthlessness that went into actually committing the crime.”

Authorities say Buzzard refused to answer the door when she was arrested Tuesday and wasn’t visibly emotional after being charged with the murder of her daughter.