#BREAKING: Lee County DA Brandon Hughes confirms that human remains believed to be missing 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard have been locatedhttps://t.co/TLKHq4OQKP pic.twitter.com/vTHHLkyA2R
— CBS 42 (@CBS_42) November 25, 2019
All of our thoughts at Sherdog.com are with Walt Harris and his family.
On Monday, WRBL News 3 reported that the search for Harris’ missing stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, has discovered her remains. Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes stated, “I can confirm that the human remains have been found and we have good reason to suspect they are that of Aniah Blanchard.” Later speaking with the Montgomery Advertiser, he reiterated that law enforcement has “strong reason to believe” the remains were Blanchard’s. Harris and his family have been notified of this news.
The first suspect, Ibraheem Yazeed, was arrested on Nov. 7 and extradited to Alabama, where he is currently on trial for first-degree kidnapping. A witness testified on Wednesday that he saw the kidnapping, but did not report it initially after “his wife told him to stay out of it.”
A second, Antwain Fisher, was arrested and also charged with first-degree kidnapping on Saturday. According to the affidavit regarding Fisher’s arrest, he “provided material assistance to Yazeed by providing transportation to Yazeed, and disposing of evidence.” Both men are being held without bond.
Blanchard, 19, was reported missing on Oct. 24 by Harris, and her vehicle was later recovered an hour away from her home in Auburn. The search widened thanks to a combined task force from the U.S. Marshal’s Office and multiple other agencies, as well as the support of the mixed martial arts community.
Elijah Blanchard, her father, spoke fondly of his daughter, saying, “She’s 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 concluded, “I want everybody to know that my daughter is a good person, all the way around.”