Two weeks after 19-year-old teenager Aniah Haley Blanchard went missing, the police have finally released the identity of the potential kidnapper.
According to officials, their main suspect, for the time being, is 30-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed, who is known to the police for previous violations of the law.
Yazeed was arrested in Pensacola, Florida Thursday and he was brought back to Lee County in Alabama where he is being held without bond.
The suspect appeared in front of Judge Russell Bush on Sunday and a gag order was put in place for this case.
The missing Blanchard, who has everyone praying that she is found alive and well, is the stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris and the last place she was located was at a local store in Auburn, Alabama, on the 23rd of October.
Just two days later, Blanchard’s car, a black Honda CRV, was found in an apartment complex that is 50 miles away from the store where the girl was spotted. There was a physical struggle as the vehicle was severely damaged on one side.
According to the chief of police in Auburn, Paul Register, all of the evidence they had found so far pointed to the fact that Yazeed was present at the same place and time when Blanchard was last seen.
As most recent theories suggest, Yazeed probably did not know Blanchard before their encounter, and it is most likely that he wanted to steal her car.
Besides being linked to the kidnapping of the missing teenager, this is far from the first crime that Yazeed has ever committed.
Just earlier this year, he was facing charges of attempted murder and robbery. Furthermore, Yazeed was also detained back in 2017 for a criminal offense against a police officer.
The criminal also has a history of drug possession and abuse dating from 2015, and back in 2012, he was charged with attempted murder. Authorities had warned that he was armed and extremely dangerous.
Blanchard’s father, Elijah, spoke to the media after Yazeed’s arrest and poured his heart out by saying: “This type of guy that she came in contact with, it’s just kind of scary. This young man is really a lethal young man; he’s gutless, he’s ruthless, he doesn’t have a conscience at all, and he’s proven that by his past actions.”
He added: “I would do anything in the world to have you here with us right now. We’re searching; we’re going to cover all areas, all aspects, to be able to find you.”
Thus far, the reward for helping to find Blanchard and any persons linked to her disappearance has reached more than $100,000.
UFC President Dana White plans to contribute to the reward offered by Gov. Kay Ivey.
White stated: “To help find Aniah, I’m contributing an additional $25,000 to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators involved in the disappearance of Aniah Blanchard.”
Yazeed was charged with first-degree kidnapping in the Blanchard case and a witness says that they saw him force her into her car and kidnap her.
Beth Holloway, the mother of missing teen Natalee Holloway, is helping with the search for Blanchard.
Natalee disappeared in Aruba in 2005 at the age of 18.
