Aniah Blanchard

Case background and investigation

On October 23, 2019, 19-year-old Aniah Haley Blanchard was last seen at a convenience store in Auburn, Alabama. Her abandoned car was found two days later in a Montgomery apartment complex parking lot with blood evidence inside. Aniah was a Southern Union State Community College student and the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris.

An intensive search and investigation led police to Ibraheem Yazeed, a 30-year-old man with a lengthy criminal history including charges of kidnapping and robbery. Yazeed had been captured on surveillance footage at the convenience store where Aniah was last seen. He was arrested on November 7.

Aniah's remains were found on November 25 in a wooded area in Macon County, approximately 25 miles from Auburn. The medical examiner determined she had died from a gunshot wound. Yazeed was charged with capital murder. The case drew national attention partly due to Walt Harris's public profile in the UFC.

After years of delays, Yazeed was convicted in March 2026 of murder and felony murder, rather than capital murder, and was sentenced in May 2026 to life in prison. Aniah's case exposed a gap in Alabama law: Yazeed had been free on bond at the time of her murder despite facing charges for kidnapping and attempted murder in another case. In response, Alabama voters approved 'Aniah's Law' in 2022, amending the state constitution to allow judges to deny bail in certain violent felony cases.