Aniah Blanchard was a 19-year-old Black college student from Homewood, Alabama, known for her infectious laugh and for always putting others before herself. A graduate of Homewood High School where she played softball, Aniah was studying early childhood education at Southern Union State Community College with plans to transfer to Auburn University.
She was very close to her family, including her mother, Angela Haley-Harris; her father, Elijah Blanchard; and her stepfather, UFC heavyweight fighter Walt Harris.
On the night of October 23, 2019, Aniah Blanchard disappeared after being seen on surveillance video at a convenience store in Auburn. A witness later told police they saw a man force Aniah into her own car, a 2017 Honda CR-V, against her will. Her family reported her missing the following day, sparking a month-long search that drew national attention. Two days after she vanished, her damaged car was found abandoned at an apartment complex 55 miles away in Montgomery. Inside, investigators discovered what they described as a life-threatening amount of her blood.
The search came to a heartbreaking end on November 25, 2019, when human remains were discovered in a wooded area in Macon County. The remains were soon identified as Aniah’s, and an autopsy determined she had died from a gunshot wound. The investigation quickly focused on Ibraheem Yazeed, who was seen on video at the same convenience store as Aniah. At the time of her abduction, Yazeed was free on bond for separate charges of kidnapping and attempted murder. He was captured by U.S. Marshals in Florida on November 7, 2019, and extradited to Alabama.
In November 2022, a Macon County grand jury indicted Yazeed on three counts of capital murder: one for murder during a first-degree kidnapping, one for murder during a first-degree robbery, and one for murder involving a victim in a vehicle. Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty. Yazeed pleaded not guilty to all charges in March 2023.
Yazeed’s trial began in March 2026. On March 19, 2026, the jury found him guilty of the lesser charges of murder and felony murder. Because the verdict was not for capital murder, the death penalty was taken off the table. On May 7, 2026, a judge sentenced Ibraheem Yazeed to life in prison.
The circumstances of Aniah’s death led to legal reform in Alabama. Because her killer had been out on bond for other violent crimes, her family championed a new bill. "Aniah's Law" was passed by voters, giving judges more authority to deny bail to defendants accused of violent felonies.
