Tag: Walt Harris

What we know about the case of UFC fighter Walt Harris’ missing stepdaughter

Here’s what you need to know about the case of Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of the UFC’s Walt Harris, who went missing on the night of Oct. 23.

Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag], was reported missing on Oct. 24.

Blanchard, a 19-year-old college student, is described as light in complexion, 5-foot-6, 125 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black dress, tan duck boots, and black stockings.

Here’s what we know based on a timeline of developments.

(Editor’s note: This will continue to be updated as events unfold.)

Oct. 23: Blanchard last seen and heard from

Blanchard is last seen in a convenience store at a Chevron gas station making a purchase and had communication with a friend just before midnight.

Auburn (Ala.) police later released surveillance video of Blanchard at the store.

Oct. 24: Harris pleads for help

News of Blanchard’s disappearance becomes public after Harris pleads for help on Twitter and Instagram.

Initially, police do not suspect foul play.

Oct. 25: Blanchard’s vehicle located

Investigators locate Blanchard’s black 2017 Honda CRV at an apartment complex in Montgomery, Ala. The vehicle sports damage not present at the time of her disappearance.

Oct. 26: Harris and his family issue video PSA on Instagram

Oct. 30: Alabama governor, Dana White kick-start reward money

Alabama governor Kay Ivey issues a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s) responsible for Blanchard’s disappearance. UFC president Dana White steps up with a $25,000 contribution. Others, including UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, also step up. In total, reward money eventually reaches more than $100,000.

Any donations towards efforts to locate Blanchard are encouraged to be made via PayPal to FindAniahBlanchard@gmail.com.

Oct. 31: Police suspect foul play

Police say evidence found inside Blanchard’s vehicle indicates she is a victim of foul play. A social media message sent by Blanchard to her roommate indicated she might have been with a male before she disappeared, according to her mother.

“There are just a lot of things that don’t add up for us as parents,” Harris said. “We just really, really want to know.”

The next day, MMA Junkie learns Harris has withdrawn from his scheduled Dec. 7 headline fight at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C.

Nov. 6: Police seek person of interest

Police release footage from the same store around the time Blanchard was last seen of of a man they consider a person of interest. He is a black man in his 20s, believed to be between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 and approximately 200 pounds. He was described as leaving the area in a Lincoln Town Car, which appeared silver or gray.

Blanchard’s father reacts to the news.

Nov. 7: Person of interest identified

Per the City of Auburn website:

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. Currently, 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.

According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Yazeed has a lengthy criminal history that dates back to April 2011.

Nov. 8: Yazeed captured in Florida

Yazeed, the man identified as the suspect in Blanchard’s disappearance Blanchard, is arrested in Florida at 2:32 a.m. ET and jailed in Escambia County. He is held without bond because he is an out-of-state fugitive.

Nov. 8: Warrant affidavit gives more details; DNA test matches Blanchard; Yazeed charged with kidnapping

According to a report from Pensacola News Journal, investigators have said in a warrant affidavit “blood evidence was discovered in the passenger’s compartment of (Blanchard’s) vehicle (was) indicative of someone suffering a life-threatening injury.”

The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences ran tests on the blood and determined the sample positively matched Blanchard.

Additionally, the affidavit indicates there was an eye witness who saw Yazeed force Blanchard into her vehicle, get in the car, and drive off.

Friday afternoon, Yazeed was formally charged with kidnapping and will be extradited to Auburn.

Blanchard still has yet to be found.

Nov. 10: Holloway’s mother joins search

Beth Holloway, whose daughter Natalee Holloway went missing 14 years ago on a high school graduation trip to Aruba, joins the effort to find Blanchard by teaming up with non-profit Texas EquuSearch.

Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes confirms to AL.com that a gag order has been issued in the case against Yazeed

Nov. 11: Petition for legislative change reaches 25,000 signatures

A petition started Nov. 7 in Aniah Blanchard’s name has reached 25,000 signatures. The “Violent offenders are not let out on bond” petition was created to prevent just that. The signatures goal is currently set at 35,000.

The petition’s mission statement reads:

“(Yazeed) should of never been released on bond, or even walking the streets after he attempted to murder an officer in 2012, and continued his violent path after being released from those charges, went on to victimize more people, including but not limited to, Aniah Blanchard.

Something MUST be done!!! We need more stricter programs for violent offenders, we cannot allow this to happen!

A repeat  violent  offender should not have an option for bond,  a first time  violent offender must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before giving a bond, or being released. and a repeat violent offender must serve 100 percent of their sentence!! And should not, and cannot be eligible for parole, or probation Until they have done so. The sentence served should be mandatory, and an offender with a violent offense should not be released on ‘good time’.”

Any law created as a result of the petition should be named “The Aniah Blanchard Law,” per the write-up by its creator, Amy Crum.

Nov. 12: Yazeed to be held without bond

A judge rules that Yazeed is to be held without bond. Details from the Montgomery Advertiser:

A Lee County judge has ruled Ibraheem Yazeed, charged in 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard’s disappearance, to be held without bond.

According to court records filed Tuesday morning, prosecutors argued that Yazeed’s “extensive history of violent criminal offenses,” the fact he was on bond at the time of Blanchard’s alleged kidnapping and that he fled to Escambia County, Fla., as evidence for the no bond.

District Judge Russell Bush agreed, according to the order.

In the same filing, Bush also ruled that “the parties and any potential witnesses” in the case are “prohibited from making any statements to members of the media, or directly discussing their involvement in this case or any current or future trial proceedings with members of the media.”

Nov. 14: Walt and Angela Harris appear on ‘The Dr. Phil Show’

Walt Harris breaks his silence when he and his wife, Angela, appear on the nationally syndicated television show “Dr. Phil.”

As would be expected, the Harrises are distraught over the loss of Blanchard but hold out hope that she will be found alive. They also believe Blanchard’s kidnapping was set up by someone she knows, not simply a random happening.

“There’s a lot of things that don’t make sense to us. It seems like it was actually set up, and it was something that was planned,’’ Walt Harris said.

Nov. 20: Yazeed denied bond; attorney upset

A Lee County (Ala.) judge denies Yazeed’s request for bond and orders him to take a DNA test after a prosecutor said a DNA profile was found in Blanchard’s car.

Yazeed’s attorney, Elijah Beaver, questions the credibility of the witness who claims to have seen Yazeed force Blanchard into a car on the night she went missing. Beaver also objects to the Harrises appearing on “Dr. Phil,” arguing that speaking out on a national TV show could hurt Yazeed’s chances at a fair trial.

“They went on ‘Dr. Phil’ talking to a nationwide audience, potentially tainting every juror in the state of Alabama,” he said.

Aniah Blanchard kidnapping suspect Ibraheem Yazeed denied bond, ordered to take DNA test

The stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris remains missing since Oct. 24.

(Editor’s note: This story first published at the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network.)

A Lee County (Ala.) judge on Wednesday denied bond for the suspect in the disappearance of college student Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag], and ordered him to submit to a DNA test.

A prosecutor in the case also said at a preliminary hearing in Judge Russell Bush’s courtroom that a DNA profile was found in Blanchard’s car, and Josh Mixon, a detective with the Auburn Police Department, said that a witness at an Auburn convenience store identified Ibraheem Yazeed, saw Yazeed force Blanchard into a car, and leave the convenience store with her.

“He observed Yazeed forcing Blanchard into her vehicle against her will and leaving with her,” he said.

Blanchard, a 19-year-old Southern Union Community College student from Homewood, was last seen on Oct. 23 at the convenience store. Her vehicle was recovered a few days later at a Montgomery apartment complex.

Yazeed, 29, was arrested Nov. 7 and charged with first-degree kidnapping in Blanchard’s disappearance. Yazeed’s charges state that the “blood of someone suffering a life-threatening injury” was found in the passenger side of Blanchard’s vehicle.

Dressed in a white jail uniform, Yazeed showed interest if no visible emotion during the 30-minute hearing and occasionally whispered to his attorney, Elijah Beaver, during arguments.

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Beaver questioned Mixon closely on the witness, who has not been publicly identified. Mixon said the witness was staying at a nearby hotel and walked into the store at roughly the same time as Yazeed. The witness, Mixon said, had seen Yazeed previously. Mixon said the witness returned to the hotel after witnessing the kidnapping and told a female companion about it.

Beaver asked Mixon about the witness’ criminal history. Mixon said he had reviewed it and that “all I saw was a few misdemeanors.” Beaver also said that it was “important” to identify the witness. Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes suggested in response that they were concerned about witness intimidation, which Beaver objected to.

Yazeed has a criminal history going back to 2011. That year, he was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and accused of robbing two men at gunpoint on West South Boulevard in Montgomery. The following year, Yazeed allegedly rammed a vehicle into a Montgomery police officer’s car in attempt to kill two officers inside. A grand jury ultimately dismissed both charges.

Yazeed pleaded guilty in 2015 to charges of possession of a pistol without a permit and first-degree possession of marijuana. Yazeed was given a suspended sentence on both charges. In 2017, he was arrested and later convicted on charges of marijuana possession and fleeing a police offier, though he was acquitted of assault charges.

Aniah Blanchard was last seen Oct. 23.

Yazeed was charged with kidnapping, beating and robbing two men in Montgomery in January. He was freed on a $295,000 bond in February.

Garrett Saucer, an assistant district attorney with the Lee County District Attorney’s Office, said in court that the “DNA of a male profile” was found in Blanchard’s car, and that a DNA sample was needed for comparison. Beaver argued that the law allows collection of DNA samples at time of arrest. Bush ultimately ordered that a swab be taken.

Bush has imposed a gag order in the case. Blanchard’s family members attended the hearing but had no comment Wednesday. Beaver in court objected to the recent appearance of Blanchard’s mother, Angela Harris, and stepfather, Walt Harris, on “Dr. Phil,” where thy said they believed multiple people were involved in their daughter’s kidnapping. Police have said they anticipate other arrests.

Beaver, who said he had no objection to the gag order, suggested the appearance could hurt Yazeed’s chances of a fair trial.

“They went on ‘Dr. Phil’ talking to a nationwide audience, potentially tainting every juror in the state of Alabama,” he said.

Hughes said Blanchard’s parents were trying to locate here.

“The family’s trying to find their daughter,” he said. “That’s their interest. … They’re grieving parents. They’re trying to find their little girl.”

Bush said he would take the matter under consideration at a hearing on the gag order, scheduled for Dec. 4. Media outlets, including the Montgomery Advertiser, have challenged the gag order as being too broad.

UFC’s Walt Harris says he believes missing stepdaughter may have been ‘set up’

The UFC heavyweight competitor appeared with his wife on “The Dr. Phil Show” and discussed the ongoing case of Aniah Blanchard.

For the first time since the disappearance of his stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, UFC heavyweight competitor [autotag]Walt Harris [/autotag] made televised statements about the ongoing case.

Harris, and his wife, Angela, appeared on the nationally syndicated “The Dr. Phil Show” on Wednesday to talk about the situation involving the 19-year old Blanchard.

Ibraheem Yazeed is in custody in Lee County, Ala., and has been charged with kidnapping in the case. Blanchard, of Auburn. Ala., was last seen at a convenience store on Oct. 23. Blanchard’s vehicle has since been recovered, and a DNA test from blood found in the card matches Blanchard. Blanchard has not yet been found.

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On the show, both Walt and Angela Harris, while understandably distraught over what has transpired, also believed that that some sort of a set up occurred and that this wasn’t just a random happening.

“There’s a lot of things that don’t make sense to us. It seems like it was actually set up and it was something that was planned,’’ Walt Harris said.

Angela Harris believes her daughter knew whomever is responsible for what transpired.

“Personally, I feel that if it was a set-up, it was someone that knew Aniah and that knew her well and it’s someone that would be running with those type of people,’’ she said.

The Harrises also went on to express that while the police indicated based on forensic evidence that Blanchard suffered a life-threatening injury after she disappeared, they’re holding out hope that she survived and will be found and brought home.

You can watch the Harris’ appearance on “The Dr. Phil Show” in the video below.