After 'Someone Doing the Right Thing,' an Arrest

Cops say Ibraheem Yazeed was at Aniah Blanchard's last known location
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 8, 2019 6:43 AM CST
Alleged Kidnapper Nabbed in Case of Missing Teen
This Nov. 8, 2019 booking photo released by Escambia County Jail shows Ibraheem Yazeed in Pensacola, Fla.   (Escambia County Jail via AP)

A man is in custody on kidnapping charges in connection with the disappearance of UFC fighter Walt Harris' stepdaughter, who has been missing for more than two weeks. Alabama police say Ibraheem Yazeed was at the Auburn convenience store where 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard was last seen on Oct. 23 and "is involved in taking Aniah against her will." He had been out on bond on unrelated charges of attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, and first-degree robbery. His $280,000 bond was revoked before noon Thursday, per WSFA, and the 29-year-old, whose criminal history dates back to 2011, was then arrested around 10:45pm by US Marshals in Pensacola, Fla., some six miles from the Alabama state line. AL.com reports "investigators are looking into the possibility Blanchard was kidnapped during a carjacking."

Her Honda CR-V was found with damage and signs that Blanchard had been harmed, according to police, who believe at least one other person was involved. "We do anticipate other arrests," Auburn Police Chief Paul Register says, per the Montgomery Advertiser. He tells AL.com that public input in the case, which carries a $105,000 reward, has been "critical," and the warrant for Yazeed was obtained partly due to "someone doing the right thing." Booked into Escambia County Jail, Yazeed is accused in a case in which two men were allegedly robbed and held against their will in a Montgomery hotel room earlier this year. Police say one man was beaten until "near death." (More missing teen stories.)

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