Police are now searching for a named person of interest in the case of missing 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard, whose stepfather is UFC fighter Walt Harris.
According to WRBL, a manhunt is underway in Auburn, Alabama for 30-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed, who has a warrant out for his arrest for kidnapping of the first degree. Chief Paul Register has said that “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.”
Yazeed became a person of interest after he was seen on surveillance video inside a Chevron convenience store in Auburn around the same time as Blanchard; the footage was the last time Blanchard was seen on video. Blanchard’s car was also found a day or two after her disappearance, and police say that evidence taken from inside the vehicle indicates that she has been harmed. There is thus far no evidence that Blanchard and Yazeed were acquainted before Blanchard was taken.
Anyone with information regarding Blanchard’s disappearance is advised to contact any of the following numbers:
Auburn Police Division Detective Section at 334-501-3140
Anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391
24 hour non-emergency number at 334-501-3100
Blanchard’s case has received widespread national attention due to Harris’ status as a UFC fighter. After he put out a plea for help in locating her, multiple other MMA figures — including Jon Jones, Dana White, and Ali Abdelaziz — pledged their own money to the reward fund, bringing it up to $105,000.
