Facebook Aniah Blanchard may have been found dead in Alabama.
Aniah Blanchard is a 19-year-old Southern Union College student who is the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight star Walt Harris. She was reported missing by her family on October 24, 2019. Her father, Elijah Blanchard, has described her as having a “heart of gold,” and her entire family has launched a major effort to find her.
Tragically, police have now discovered human remains in the course of their investigation. They are analyzing them to see whether they are the body of Aniah Blanchard. The Auburn Police Division released this statement on its website:
“During the course of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Aniah Blanchard, investigators obtained information regarding the possible location of a body. On November 25, 2019, at approximately 10:45 a.m., Auburn Police, along with members of the Task Force, Lee County DA’s Office, U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, ALEA and Montgomery County Sheriff Office, responded to a wooded area in the 38,000 block of County Road 2 in Shorter, Alabama.
After a brief search by Investigators they located what appeared to be human remains several feet into the woodline. A complete investigation is underway by ALEA and Auburn Police to determine the identity and how the victim came to be at that location. The examination will explore if the remains are those of Aniah Blanchard who went missing on October 24, 2019.”
Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes said authorities “have good reason to believe the remains are Blanchard’s,” WSFA-TV reported.
Eleven law enforcement agencies have been trying to find Aniah. Authorities have now revealed that they arrested a 30-year-old Montgomery, Alabama man, Ibraheem Yazeed, for allegedly abducting Blanchard. The whereabouts of Blanchard are not known. Yazeed, who has a violent criminal history, was taken into custody in a brushy area off a Florida interstate. Two other suspects are also under arrest in the case. David Johnson Jr. is accused of hindering prosecution. Antwain Fisher is accused of first-degree kidnapping,” according to WVTM-TV.
Authorities don’t have any reason to believe that Aniah and Yazeed knew each other, although they can’t 100 percent rule it out; it appears, though, that Yazeed may have crossed paths with Blanchard in a gas station convenience store in Auburn, Alabama. That was the Chevron gas station at the intersection of South College Street and East University Drive in Auburn. Her car was later recovered with damage but there was no sign of Aniah.
Auburn, Alabama Police Chief Paul Register said in a news conference that authorities’ focus has been on “locating Aniah.” Aniah Haley Blanchard “last communicated with a friend on Wednesday night, Oct. 23, just before midnight,” police say.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The MMA Community Has Rallied Around Walt Harris as Blanchard’s Family Launches a Major Effort to Find Her
According to ESPN, the MMA community has “rallied around Harris,” including contributing money to reward funds. “I just pray that everybody keeps the hope alive,” Harris said to ESPN, which reported that he withdrew from a fight after Aniah vanished. “We’re staying hopeful.” Harris, a UFC heavyweight contender, was supposed to fight Alistair Overeem on December 7 in Washington.
“Our thoughts go out to Walt and his family,” Overeem said in response to Harris withdrawing from the bout. “As a father I can only imagine how devastating this must be. I would have made the same decision. Family is the most important thing in life.”
UFC President Dana White recorded a video about Aniah’s disappearance. “To help find Aniah, I’m contributing an additional $25,000 to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s $5,000 reward” for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects in Aniah’s disappearance, White said. In addition, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones contributed money to the growing reward fund. Reward money from those and other sources now exceeds $100,000. A Texas non-profit group named EquuSearch is also helping look for Aniah, AL.com reports.
Walt and Angela Harris with Aniah Blanchard and their other children.
UFC describes Harris, who is known as the “Big Ticket” as the #9 ranked heavyweight. He has 13 wins by knockout. He last fought on July 20, 2019. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama and trains in Florida. The 36-year-old debuted in 2013.
On Facebook, Walt Harris says he is an “UFC Heavyweight training out of American Top Team.” On Twitter, he describes himself as “#11 ranked UFC Heavyweight Living the dream!” On November 4, 2019, he shared word of a prayer vigil for Aniah on his Instagram page, writing, “God said when two or more gather in his name he is present… Tonight we gather with faith and hope for a safe return of our daughter and all missing children. Join us in prayer in person or in your own quiet time. Thank you! Everyone is welcomed!”
His Instagram profile now reads: “I will search until we find my daughter Aniah! findAniahBlanchard@gmail.com.” He has shared numerous photos of Blanchard, writing, “I won’t rest until I find you baby girl! I love you! #FindAniah.”
“I appreciate the outpouring of love and concern for my family in our time of need,” Harris wrote on Instagram.
2. Blanchard’s Mother Is an RN & Her Stepmother Is a Prominent Lawyer; Her Father Describes Aniah as a ‘Nurturing Person’
Aniah’s mom is Angela Haley-Harris. Her Facebook page says that she is an “RN Maternity and Newborn Consult at Fearless Mommy” who is self-employed and is also a “Hydrocare provider at Holistic Hydration” and “RN at Children’s of Alabama.” She studied at Bevill State Community College and Faulkner University and is from Winfield, Alabama.
Her Facebook page says she “Manages Fearless Mommy, PixieLane Angela Harris and Fearless Fitness and Lifestyle Clothing.”
In an emotional interview after police released Yazeed’s name, Angela Harris said: “As a mother and as a Christian, you know, we’re all sinners and even though this man has done some evil things and possibly evil things to our daughter, you know God can change everybody’s heart.. If he sees this, whoever it is who has done harm to our child…it can be OK. You can stop now. You can change this. You can let her go. God forgive you, we can forgive you. We just want our child home and safe.”
Aniah’s father Elijah Blanchard is married to prominent lawyer Yashiba Blanchard. “I’m holding up because the God I serve will not allow me to fold,” Elijah Blanchard said at a prayer vigil for Aniah at a Baptist Church.
Elijah told the Montgomery Advertiser that Aniah is “Aa nurturing person. She likes to make sure everybody is OK. That’s what my concern is, that somebody has taken advantage of her kindness.”
Yashiba Glenn-Blanchard is a prominent Alabama attorney. Her website says she practices in multiple areas including bankruptcy Law, Family Law, Domestic Relations, Criminal Law and more.
3. Police Say That Yazeed Should Be Considered Dangerous & They Believe He took Aniah ‘Against Her Will’
Ibraheem Yazeed
Police previously released photos of a person of interest they now say was Ibraheem Yazeed. “The Auburn Police Division has identified the person of interest as Ibraheem Yazeed, 30 years of age from Montgomery, Alabama. A warrant has been obtained for his arrest for the charge of kidnapping in the first degree,” Auburn police reported in a news release.
Auburn police revealed that the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Taskforce “along with other agencies assisting in this investigation are actively searching for Yazeed. Yazeed is currently out on bond for the charges of kidnapping and attempted murder from another jurisdiction. He should be considered dangerous and potentially armed.”
Police added that the charge “stems from the investigation of the disappearance of Aniah Haley Blanchard between Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, and Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019. Further investigation and analysis of evidence has determined that Yazeed was at the same location Blanchard was last seen and is involved in taking Aniah against her will.”
They added: “Additional charges and/or arrests are anticipated. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts or having information on this case is asked to call the Auburn Police Division Detective Section at 334-501-3140, Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP, or the 24-hour non-emergency number at 334-501-3100.”
In a news conference, the police chief indicated that Yazeed was the same person previously called a person of interest in photos released by authorities. “A warrant was obtained for his arrest in a charge of kidnapping in the first degree,” the chief said.
Yazeed has associates throughout the area, but the chief said that “nothing is out of play” as to where authorities are looking at this point. He said a person “did the right thing” that led to Yazeed’s identification and the warrant after authorities highlighted the person of interest photos.
Yazeed has a violent criminal history. According to a February 2019 WFSA-TV article, Ibraheem Yazeed and a woman named Jessie Ford were accused of attempted murder after a man was found “badly beaten and near death inside a car.”
Police in Alabama had discovered a beaten man after stopping a car someone reported for erratic driving. Ford and Yazeed were accused of beaitng the victim at gunpoint until he was “unconscious, unresponsive, severely injured and near death” at a hotel. They then are accused of stealing items from him, including a Rolex watch.
They were also accused of holding a second person against his will, “beating him and stealing money from him,” WFSA reported, adding that he was out on bond in that case.
Aniah Blanchard
According to Al.com, Yazeed has a violent criminal history, including a 2017 Missouri arrest for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer; a felony drug possession conviction in 2015; and a 2012 accusation of attempted murder after “authorities said he rammed his car into a Montgomery police vehicle.” In the latter case, he was not indicted by a grand jury, though. In 2011, he was accused of robbery but also was not indicted by a grand jury, the newspaper reported.
3. Authorities Previously Circulated Photos Showing a Man They Now Say Is Yazeed in a Convenience Store; They Released a Video Snippet Showing Aniah in the Same Store
Before they named Yazeed as the suspect, the Auburn Police Division asked for the public’s assistance “in identifying a person captured on video surveillance inside the convenience store at the time Aniah Haley Blanchard was last seen and disappeared on Oct. 23.”
The person of interest photo police now think was Yazeed.
At that time they identified the individual in the video (whom they now say is Yazeed) as a “black male, early-mid 20’s, approximately 200 lbs., and is between 5’-8” and 5’-10”. He is wearing dark-colored pants, dark-colored shoes and a camouflage colored hooded jacket with ‘Vans’ in white writing across the back. Additionally, the individual in the video was observed leaving the area in what is described as a late 2000’s model Lincoln Town Car, silver or grey in color.”
The person of interest photo.
In addition, authorities previously released “a snippet of a video capturing Aniah Haley Blanchard making a purchase at a convenience store located on South College Street, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, just prior to her vehicle being observed traveling southbound on South College Street.”
4. Authorities Have Located Aniah’s Vehicle, Which Showed Signs of Damage & They Think She Met With Foul Play
The vehicle recovered by police
The Auburn police chief said authorities aren’t sure whether Yazeed, of Montgomery, and Blanchard previously knew each other.
“We think this individual is someone who should be in custody,” he said. “We don’t have any reason to know that she was familiar with him, but we can’t rule out completely that there was some knowledge.”
Authorities previously found Blanchard’s vehicle. “On Friday, Oct. 25, at 6:15 p.m., Aniah Haley Blanchard’s vehicle was located at an apartment complex in the 6100 block of Boardwalk Boulevard in Montgomery, Alabama,” police revealed. “Members of the Auburn Police Division, as well as the Montgomery Police Department, responded after receiving notification from a citizen. While the vehicle has been recovered, Blanchard has not been located. The investigation continues regarding her disappearance.” The vehicle bore obvious signs of external damage.
Damage to Aniah’s car.
Police described Aniah as “a light-complexioned black female, 5’-6” , 125 lbs., brown eyes and brown hair and was last seen wearing a black dress, tan duck boots with black stockings. She drives a 2017 Honda CR-V, black in color with Alabama tag #49BS356.”
Auburn police say that “evidence from within Aniah Blanchard’s vehicle, recovered in Montgomery, was examined by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and has now determined that she was harmed and is considered to be a victim of foul play.”
5. Blanchard Played Softball in High School & Is Described as a ‘People Person’
Aniah was a softball player in high school but decided to concentrate on general education courses in college, according to the Montgomery Advertiser, which reported that her favorite color is blue and she has been toying with several different paths educationally, including art, education, or business.
Elijah Blanchard told the Montgomery Advertiser that his daughter is “not a mean person. I’ve never heard her say anything bad about anybody. She was always a forgiving person, she has a heart of gold and would do anything to help anyone who needed it.”
He added: “It’s heart-wrenching because Aniah is such a people person.”
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