In late October, UFC star Walt Harris asked for assistance in tracking down his missing stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard. She had disappeared in Alabama, and there was an investigation taking place. Nearly one full month later, human remains were found, and authorities believe them to be Blanchard’s.
“I can confirm that human remains have been found and we have good reason to suspect they are that of Aniah Blanchard,” District Attorney Brandon Hughes said to News 3.
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According to the report, the remains were found near New Hope Baptist Church off of Macon County Road 2. The authorities have notified Blanchard’s family.
BREAKING: SBI confirms skeletal remains have been found in Macon Co. Lee Co DA Brandon Hughes says they have good reason to believe it is the remains of missing Lee Co college student Aniah Blanchard @wsfa12news pic.twitter.com/gu6xzuyT8X
— Jenn Horton (@JennWSFA) November 25, 2019
According to reporters, the skeletal remains were found in a rural area, several feet back from the woodline. The road was blocked off, and an investigation was launched to determine the identity of the remains, as well as discover how they came to be at that location.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports that Macon County, where Blanchard’s body is believed to have been recovered, is between two key locations in the investigation. Montgomery County is where her car was discovered and Lee County is where she was last seen.
Blanchard was originally reported missing on Oct. 24. Her vehicle, a black Honda CR-V, was discovered the following day at Park Place Apartments in Montgomery, Alabama. Based on the damage done to the vehicle, as well as the evidence inside, the belief was that she was the victim of foul play.
“Assisting with the investigation are the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshal Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Lee County District Attorney’s Office, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Alabama Fusion Center and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences,” the Auburn Police Department wrote at the time of the disappearance.
Using surveillance footage in the investigation, the authorities identified a person of interest in 30-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed of Montgomery, who had been seen at the Chevron with Blanchard prior to her disappearance. He was taken into custody in Pensacola, Florida on Nov. 7 after a pursuit. Weeks later, the police also arrested a second suspect in the kidnapping case, Antwain Fisher. He was charged with Kidnapping 1st Degree.
(Photo Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC/Getty)
