Murder With My Husband - 230. The Fatal Abduction of Aniah Blanchard

Episode Date: August 19, 2024

In this episode, Payton and Garrett dive into the case of Aniah Blanchard. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murderwithmyhusband/ Discount Codes: https://mailchi.mp/c6f48670aeac/oh-no-media-discount-codes Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@murderwithmyhusband Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-with-my-husband/id1508098400 Listen on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GaodpBsSpBuUMhmEXhjK2 Case Sources: CBSNews.com - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aniah-blanchard-murder-family-justice-48-hours/ Distractify.com - https://www.distractify.com/p/what-happened-to-aniah-blanchard CNN.com - https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/16/us/aniah-blanchard-death-indictment-ibraheem-yazeed/index.html People.com - https://people.com/inside-aniah-blanchard-case-8674010 CourtTV.com - https://www.courttv.com/news/man-charged-in-missing-ufc-heavyweights-stepdaughter-case-caught-in-florida/ MontgomeryAdvisor.com- https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2019/12/04/aniah-blanchard-fought-back-ibraheem-yazeed-kidnapping-murder-capital-missing-auburn-teen/2591999001/ WSFA 12 - https://www.wsfa.com/2023/03/07/aniah-blanchard-murder-suspect-pleads-not-guilty/ AL.com - https://www.al.com/news/2022/10/three-years-after-aniah-blanchards-fatal-abduction-father-shares-i-will-never-have-rest.html CBS News 3 - https://www.wrbl.com/news/waves-of-grief-four-years-later-aniah-blanchards-family-honors-lasting-legacy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TD and your small business go together like... TD Small Business Account Managers have in-depth business banking expertise, so they can give you the advice and resources you need to make your day-to-day easier. So if you're ready to meet your Small Business Match, we're ready for you. Visit td.com small business match to book an appointment with one of our advisors. This episode is brought to you by Mazda. When you drive a Mazda, you'll find out why our SUVs won more 2024 IIHS top Picks than any other brand as of June, 2024. Find out what makes Mazda different at Mazda.ca.

You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey everyone, welcome back to our podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Morland. And I'm Garrett Morland. And he's the husband. I'm the husband. You know what's weird?

Just like. What is weird? The fact that we just started doing that one day and now years later we're just still doing it. It was all improvised too. Didn't you just say I'm Peyton Morland? And then I said I'm Garrett Morland? I don't even think I said Morland the first time. I don't know what we said. We just started and we never even planned it. We just started saying it and then it just kept happening.

We need to go back to the very first time that it happened. I think it's like episode six or seven. Maybe it's a little earlier. I can't remember. I'm scared to listen to our old episodes. Everyone do not go back. Okay, don't go back and tell us. I don't listen to it.

Nah, I'm okay. No thank you. I'll stay out of that. I'll stay out of those old episodes. I just wanted to let everyone know who has been asking not this week But next week we have a merch drop coming. It is again one of our basic lines We actually changed the fit of the shirt and the sweatshirt. It's a little bit more boxy loose fit Again, just one of our basics mwmh. You could wear it anywhere. It doesn't say murder on it.

They're really freaking cute. Yeah, like Peyton said, really cute. Different style shirts, just premium quality, higher quality. Yeah, I would say a little less murky and a little bit more like you could find this at a store. Like their clothing, like the, this is good quality. We're really excited.

So you'll be hearing it from us right now, but it won't be dropping into the next episode. Just letting you guys you know just get ready. I don't know just teasing being losers. Oh also before we do your ten seconds yes everyone we are back streaming on Twitch again that is a live streaming you can tune in watch Garrett and I live on Twitch we react to true crime videos police body cam High speed chases literally anything we hang out we talk with chat. So it's super fun again. We stream on twitch every single Thursday Thursday

at 635 30 pst at 630. 530 PST. You're doing great, baby. Have you seen that? You're doing good, baby. Have you seen that New Girl ad where the two, it's like Schmidt and I can't remember, but they're talking to a local news station

and they're advertising New Girl. And they're like, okay, you guys, head down to Broadway Street and watch it and she's like Broadway's in Nashville. It's actually center street here and they start laughing Yes, i've seen and then he's like, okay tuning at 5 30 pst and she's like that would be 7 30 local time Yes, i've seen this. That's so funny. They just botched the entire thing. That's literally what I just happened No, Payton's doing good. Every Thursday at 5.30 Pacific Standard Time,

we stream on Twitch. As well, Dear Daisies are back. Not right now when you're listening to this, but maybe in a couple of days. I think I just need to give a broad apology out here right now because the last couple of months, Garrett and I have not been on our game. Well, Peyton and I have been MIA completely mentally and physically.

So we are back. We are getting our crap together slowly, but surely we've gotten back on Twitch. We actually have put Dear Daisy's together. Okay, I have done enough research for some Patreon episodes. So thank you for being patient and loving and honestly continuing to support us even through the hard times, but we are back and better than ever. This is a broad apology for anyone who has, you know, been affected, but you know what? We're here. We're alive.

We're back and we love true crime. At least Peyton does. Okay. You ready for your 10 seconds? Well, I'm currently dressed in a golf outfit because I'm gonna go golfing after, AKA I am going to lose a pack of balls. Yep.

That's basically what's gonna happen. I'm just doing nine holes. It's been a second. I'm rusty, but I'm ready to get back out there and start golfing. So here we go. Again, I'm just gonna go lose a bunch of balls and probably look like an idiot.

You know, the only downside is, I think it's just two of us going. And I hate sometimes getting paired with other random two people, especially when they're good, because I just look like a loser. But you know what, I'm confident enough to be like, I don't care, I might be a loser at golf,

but I'll beat you in something else, you know? What? Name it, name it. Badminton, but I'll beat you in something else. You know? What? Name it. Name it. Badminton? Okay. Okay, I can do that. Name it.

Just name it. Ping pong? Okay. Plumbing? Okay, like anything. Anything A to Z except golf, I could probably beat you at. Oh, that is such a crazy statement. Wait, listen.

Listen. No, no, no. Okay, listen. You misunderstood. Oh, okay. As all the listeners, did you misunderstand too? No, no, no, no, okay, listen, you misunderstood. Oh, okay. As all the listeners, did you misunderstand too? They misunderstood too. I meant if I'm out on the golf course

and I'm sizing you up and down, and I'm like, okay, I could probably beat you at most things. But if you're a listener and you're an electrician or a plumber, no, I cannot beat you at that. You're saying random things. Correct. You both have never done, you step into it, you're gonna beat them?

Yes, 100%, 110%. Is that confidence or skill? Both. Oh, okay. I would say so. That is a hot take if I've ever. You think so? No, I think.

I like the confidence. Thanks babe. I like it. Yeah, it's kind of what I got for my 10 seconds. So if you randomly see Peyton and I out and about and there's something you want to challenge me at challenge me Let's see what happens No cameras allowed. But remember you can't be an expert at it. Yeah, you can't it can't be yeah

It can't be your main thing. You can't come up to me and be like, hey, let's play basketball and you played like a D1 basketball Somewhere that's not that's not how it works. I mean, I guess it is how it works. Yeah, come up challenge me We'll see what happens. I'll put some money on the line Basically Simone Biles if you're listening to this. Mm-hmm. You can't challenge him to the vault You just can't you can't on that note. Let's hop into today's case our sources for this episode are CBS News distractify calm CNN calm people calm court TV calm Montgomery advisor calm abstractify.com, cnn.com, people.com, courttv.com, montgomeryadvisor.com, wsfa12, al.com, and cbsnews3. Okay, have you ever stopped to think about all of the little decisions that we make every

single day? Like ordering takeout or meeting up with a friend, avoiding the highway during rush hour. Some of these things we do pretty mindlessly, right? At the very least, we probably never think that any of these choices really could make a huge impact on our lives. But the reality is, any one of them could be a matter of life or death, and it would maybe be the last choice you would ever make. Take 19-year-old Ania Blanchard, for example. On the night of October 23rd, 2019, she ran into a convenience store for a late night bag

of sour cream and onion chips and soda. Oh, that sounds so good. What Anaya didn't know was that spur of the moment decision to just stop and pull off and get a late night snack would actually end up costing her her life. So it's June 22, 2000 and we are in the little town of Homewood, Alabama. So that day, a nurse named Angela Harris is actually celebrating her birthday in the most

unusual of ways. She is giving birth to a little girl named Anaya. Angela and Anaya are not just bonded by blood and genes, they now share this special day too. And every year they relish in just how connected the two of them are because of it. So mom and daughter sharing a birthday. Okay, so for the first four years of her life, her father Elijah Blanchard was a local pastor and businessman and Anaya had an older brother Elijah Jr. who was only 17 months older than her so they were very

close and she looked up to him but by 2004, so just four years after she was born, things between Angela, her mother, and Elijah Sr., her father, were no longer working out. So the two got a divorce, but agreed to remain a strong presence together in the kids' lives. So even though things got rocky at home, Anaya actually seemed to handle it pretty well because as the years passed, she remained as resilient and compassionate as ever and as Ania grew into a teenager it became clear that she was someone special not just to her parents but to basically everyone she met. People said that Ania had this infectious laugh that made

others just want to laugh with her and I love when you meet people like that. She was loving, she was giving, she was someone who always put others ahead of her own feelings. She was the kind of person who was always there to give advice when someone needed it, who seemed destined to go on and become a leader. Someone who had not just the heart but actually the intelligence to become a future teacher, doctor, lawyer, maybe even president. Like she really was on the intelligence to become a future teacher, doctor, lawyer, maybe even president. Like she really was on the road to become something amazing. And it was a quality that was extremely apparent in the place Anaya thrived the most.

And that was actually the softball field. So during her time at Homewood High School, Anaya was not only the star player, but she acted like a leader for her team. Friends said it was practically tradition for Anaya after every softball game to invite the opposing team to meet them on the pitcher's mound to share a prayer and some encouraging words and high fives. No matter who won or lost, Anaya was always just trying to bring people together. Okay.

So although her biological parents were no longer together, Angela and Elijah Sr. had created a new kind of family to support Anaya and Elijah Jr. Elijah Sr. had found love again in a Birmingham, Alabama attorney named Yeshiba. And in 2010, Angela had married a man that Anaya loved like her own father. He was a famous UFC fighter named Walt Harris. In the ring, Walt was formidable, but at home, the 250 pounds, six foot five stepdad was nothing more than a gentle giant. I mean, life is just going good for everyone involved. Walt and Angela actually go on to give Ania and Elijah two new siblings named

Asa and Ayla and with her mother working nights at the Birmingham Hospital, Ania often helped Walt care for her new little brother and sister. So she has two new step siblings and they're a lot younger than her because obviously she's in high school now and so she helps her stepdad take care of them. Side note, if you make it to the UFC, you're a badass. I know. Like, you're a badass. So as a result of this, Anaya and Walt actually

grew incredibly close over the years. He treated Anaya and Elijah Jr. like they were his own children. And the respect and admiration was mutual. There were even times when Walt turned to Anaya when the going got tough. She would be the one who would pick him up emotionally after he lost a fight, encouraging him to keep going,

to keep fighting. And this was something that Walt would soon have to do in more ways than one. So in 2018, Anaya was done with high school and had just started the next chapter of her life at Southern Union State Community College in Wadley, Alabama. Now, the following year, she transferred to Auburn University to study childhood education. And her brother, Elijah Jr., who was also enrolled there, he was actually the one who inspired her to choose that school.

Needless to say, the two are extremely close. They're both in college together. Anaya even rented an apartment in Auburn just minutes away from where her brother was living. But on October 23rd, 2019, Elijah and Anaya met up with their mother in Northern Alabama under less than ideal circumstances. A friend of theirs had passed away

and so they were all attending the funeral. The service ended at around 7 p.m. that night and Anaya told her mother that she needed to hit the road. Both she and Elijah had work in the morning and they had a four hour drive ahead of them to get back to college. So Angela offered her son and daughter her goodbyes, gave them hugs, I love yous, maybe even like, I'll see you next time.

Not knowing that this was actually the very last time that she would say goodbye to her own daughter. Ania and Elijah drove through the town of Birmingham and stopped on their way to see Walt, who was there training for his next fight. The catch up was short, so they're just saying hi to stepdad. And Walt was like, hey, you guys should just pull off and stay the night somewhere because it's getting so late. But Anaya was like, we only have two more hours left.

It's both of us in the car. I'm not gonna fall asleep. Everything's gonna be fine. So then Walt hugged them and sent them on their way. Elijah and Anaya finally made it back to Elijah's place in Auburn around 11 p.m. that evening and Anaya's apartment was less than a 10 minute drive down the road. But Elijah knew it was late and asked his sister as always, hey just text me when you get home safe. She laughed his concern off still offering to keep

the promise, put the car in reverse, and backed out of her brother's driveway. I don't I don't know where this is going. But Elijah wasn't the only one at this point who was concerned about Aniyah's whereabouts. Her roommate, Sarah O'Brien, was also texting her for updates. At around 1109 p.m., she asked Aniyah if she was close to being home,

and Aniyah replied back with, yeah. Sarah and Aniyah had also shared each other's locations for extra caution. but Sarah's concerns for her friend were appreciated because Anaya had this crippling deep-seated fear, one that she had shared with Sarah and several people that she knew. Ever since she was a little girl, she had this weird, maybe even intuitive feeling that she might get kidnapped or murdered. Like she would tell people this all of the time.

That's OK. And this wasn't just something that Ania mentioned in passing. Do you ever think about that all the time? Like growing up, my biggest fear was getting kidnapped. OK, always. And she wouldn't just mention this in passing. Like this would keep her up at night, give her nightmares. It made her anxious to the point that she

would actually check for intruders when she entered a room. And I'm going to assume that a lot of people listening to this can relate. No, the other night, um, Pitt and I were going to sleep and we had some people doing some work. Yeah. On some internet stuff. I went through the entire house while Peyton was in bed and made sure every window was locked. No one had opened it or unlocked any windows. I know it might sound crazy, but you know. Never know.

I'm just doing what I need to do. lectures all day or binging TV shows all night. Save up to $20 per month on Rogers Internet. Visit Rogers.com for details. We got you, Rogers. Whether you're practicing your morning breath work, waiting for your favorite artist to come on stage or running errands at the perfect pace, Liquid IV Powder helps you turn ordinary water into extraordinary hydration

so you can live a more extraordinary life. Live more with Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier, available in refreshing lemon, lime, passion fruit, and strawberry flavors. Buy a stick in store at Costco, Walmart, Amazon, and other Canadian retailers. And I think that this is devastating because she had mentioned to friends and family

that she was so scared about being mentioned to friends and family that she was so scared about being kidnapped or murdered or thought that maybe this would happen to her because obviously we're on the murder with my husband podcast and as you guys have already know it's going to be right. This is going to be her fate. So by 1130 PM, Ania still hasn't made it home. So she left her brothers. It's only a 10 minute drive. She has checked in with her roommate saying, yeah, I'm coming home.

She told her brother she'd text him. Now it's 1130, she is still not home. I want to know where her location is. Like if it's off at this point, like if her friend is still tracking her, like what's going on there? So Sarah texts her once more asking if she had changed her mind. Like she's like, hey, are you coming home or did you decide to like go out and see someone?

And a minute later, Sarah got a bizarre text. Ania texts her back and says she was smoking a blunt. Now, this was very out of character for her. And so Sarah's like, well, who are you with? And Ania goes, oh, I just met a guy. I just met him, his name's Eric. So Sarah's like, where are you? Eric.

But after that, the texts stop. So she doesn't get a text back. So Sarah checks Ania's location. Ania, or at least her cell phone, was at an apartment complex just a few blocks away. And this was a spot where a bunch of other students lived. I mean, remember we're in a college town. So to Sarah, she's like, okay, I don't know why she wouldn't like invite me or tell me, but it's not that

weird. It's not that alarming. It's also sad because she's so close. Like she's so close. Right. So Sarah decides to go to bed, figuring that she would just catch up with Ania in the morning. So the following day, October 24th, 2019, Angela, Ania's mother, FaceTimes Ania at around 8 a.m. It was something that they did almost every morning. This was when they would talk. And Angela also wanted to make sure that Ania had gotten home safely, so had her brother. Only Ania doesn't answer the phone. And Angela's like, okay, she's probably busy.

She knew she was scheduled to work. Ania actually babysat for a family that she always watched. So her mother was like, maybe she just couldn't answer the phone. So she brushes it off. But when Sarah, her roommate wakes up, she notices that things are just not right. She immediately heads to Ania's room,

excited to hear about Eric. Like, who's the guy you met? Like, how did that even happen? Only Ania's bed was still made and it looked like she hadn't come home that night. So this is when Sarah starts to panic, mainly because Ania has a dog named Blue and Ania never left Blue alone.

She's got a dog too? And this is like maybe it would be normal for another college student to not come home for the night, but Sarah is like, no, Ania would never leave Blue alone. Ever. When you have a dog, especially I feel like if you were a single college student You wouldn't just leave your dog without telling anybody. Well, that's the thing Sarah's like normally and Ia tells me hey I'm gonna have to leave blue overnight. Can you watch him? Can you take him out type thing and Anaya was usually very responsible when it came to blue So this is when Sarah grabs her phone and checks for a Nia's location again

Only this time it says no location found. Which means the phone is either dead or she has manually turned her location off. Which, yeah. So at this point Sarah's like, okay, Anaya didn't come home, she was acting weird last night, she left Blue alone. So she decides to call the woman that Anaya babysat for. A woman named Corinna Thomas.

And Corinna also says, yeah, I don't know where Anaya is. She actually didn't show up to babysit this morning. She like completely ghosted me. And this is a scary thought since again, this just was not something Anaya would ever do. She loved the kids she babysat. She would never not show up without calling. So this is when Sarah decides to get in her car.

At this point, her heart is pounding and she begins driving around Auburn looking for any sign of Ania. And she also calls Ania's brother, Elijah Jr. Who said that after Ania dropped him off, she was planning on going straight home. He has no idea who Eric is. He had no idea that she was gonna even see someone.

So now knowing something is probably wrong, Sarah and Elijah decide to alert the rest of Anaya's family. So that morning, Angela and Walt hop in the car and they drive the two hours to Auburn to start looking for her daughter and his stepdaughter. Now almost immediately, the family alerts the police who seem a bit shocked to hear about Ania's disappearance. Which, this is so rough too for a couple reasons. Well, I guess the main reason is that she's over 18. She's in college. And she's in college. So anytime that happens instantly, they're just going to wait like 72 hours, which by then we already know, like we don't have that time. We

do not have that time to waste. But how many times in college did you go somewhere overnight like did you just ghost I did it yeah I did it and I mean I think I would check in with my roommates and be like hey I'm not coming home but like I did it mm-hmm so hey and I were just sleeping around in colleges what she's trying to get at that's not even what that means yeah just kidding So Auburn is considered a pretty safe college town. Like there's not much crime in this town. But from what they heard from Anaya's friends and family, they actually didn't think that Anaya

was someone who would run away or maybe just party a little too hard and not come home. So actually Anaya's disappearance becomes breaking news pretty quickly. The police actually take it seriously and are like, hey, we have a college student who is missing. That surprises me. Me too.

So officers put out bulletins in search of Anaya or her black Honda CRV because also her car is missing. She drove and now they can't find her car. But for the next day and a half. Nothing? Nothing. Ania stays missing. And you have to believe that like the first couple hours,

her friends and family are thinking, this is just a big misunderstanding. She's somewhere, she's just acting out of character. She's gonna come home. But as the hours turned into day and then night, that has to be so devastating. That gut wrenching of like still no answer. I can't even imagine.

I can't imagine. So a day and a half goes by and Anaya's whereabouts remain completely unknown. On October 25th, 2019 though, police receive a tip. Anaya's car had been spotted 55 miles away from her home in Auburn. 55, that's so far. It was parked in an apartment complex lot Anaya's car had been spotted 55 miles away from her home in Auburn. 55? That's so far.

It was parked in an apartment complex lot over in Montgomery, Alabama. But there was more. There was significant damage to the passenger side of her vehicle from the bumper all the way up to the front tire. And on top of that, there was a bullet hole in the passenger side door. I just can't imagine being parents in that situation. Yeah. There was shell casings in the cup holder. There was blood in the front passenger seat. It was such a large amount that it definitely signaled foul play to the Alabama Department of

Forensics. More specifically, they said it was indicative of someone suffering a life threateningthreatening injury. That's how much blood was found in her passenger seat of her car. Also, the smell of ammonia in the car also seemed to indicate that someone had tried to cover their tracks and clean the blood. But the question now was, they've found Anaya's car.

It does not look good. Does the blood belong to Anaya or something else going on? Okay, so three days after Anaya's car was discovered, police find another clue. They're testing the blood, but as we know, it takes forever. Yeah, forever. Anaya had been spotted on security cameras at a gas station convenience store just two minutes away from her apartment.

So as they're investigating, they're looking at security camera footage and they find her on the gas station footage. The timestamp on the footage was from the night she went missing, October 23rd at 1121 PM. So this was just minutes after she had dropped her brother off at his apartment. So it seems like she dropped her brother off and then stopped at the gas station. And then that's where everything went wrong.

Yeah, like maybe she was intending to go home. But just minutes after the gas station, we know that she's gonna disappear. So Anaya's time in the store was really quick. She spent only a minute or two in there. She bought a drink and a bag of sour cream and onion chips. And then she left. But after that, as we know, Anaya's trail goes cold. So when Anaya's parents see the video,

they say it is undoubtedly Anaya. That sour cream and onion chips were her pre-bedtime snack. This was her comfort food. It had been ever since she was a kid. What those tapes didn't reveal was anything alarming to investigators, which has to be so frustrating that you finally find footage of her and you're like, this is major, this is major. We're gonna figure out what happens next. And then there's nothing, at least not at first.

So Anaya appeared to be alone at the gas station. In the footage, she seems calm. She's minding her own business. And if she was buying those chips it probably signaled to her family that she was planning to go home and wind down for the night, not head out to see an Eric guy and spend the night somewhere new. So a week after Anaya's disappearance, police formed a task force with members from 60 different agencies from the Department of Homeland Security to the FBI.

So I mean, it's great. I'm glad they're taking this so seriously. Right. And by Halloween Day 2019, there was a big reward posted for any information on Anaya's whereabouts. And amongst the contributors were some of Walt's UFC supporters, including the president of the UFC himself, Dana White. Wow, I'm surprised. This is how they get the large reward.

I'm really surprised I haven't heard of this. And perhaps because her stepfather was a somewhat famous athlete, Anaya's case did get a lot of media attention, though it wasn't until the first week of November that police really discovered another clue of notes. A clerk from the convenience store finally worked up the courage to come forward and say, hey, I was working the night that Anaya disappeared. And he says, I'm pretty sure that I saw someone forcing Anaya into her car

at the gas station. And I think the reason the worker didn't come forward at first was because once he found out that Ania Was missing and her car was found. He was probably like why didn't I call police that night? Which is so hard because I mean I've seen situations where I'm like, oh is that something happening and it's like oh no It's my my business. Nothing's actually happening. I'm overthinking it. So it's just hard now the guilt the guilt It's just hard to ever know. It really is hard. Right, so when he comes forward and says like, hey, I've been scared to tell you,

but like I'm pretty sure I saw this happen. Police begin combing the surveillance footage from both in and out of the convenience store again that night. They're like, maybe we can find the guy, whatever. And eventually they do. They find the person in question. It was they do, they find the person in question. It was a man who was seen purchasing alcohol in the store

and then looking in Anaya's direction. They also discovered a video that showed him entering the passenger side of Anaya's vehicle before they drove away together. Now, after releasing a local news report with an image of the suspect, tips begin flooding in immediately. And it revealed that the man in the store

at the same time as Anaya, that was seen getting into her car, was a 29 year old man named Ibrahim Yazid and he had an extensive rap sheet. What a surprise, man. What a surprise. So earlier that year, in January 2019, Ibrahim had been arrested and charged for kidnapping

robbing and beating a 77 year old man within inches of his life and he's not in prison Apparently this was after he had done a similar thing robbed and beaten another individual So Ibrahim was now facing possible jail time for both of those crimes and his trial actually was right around the corner He just was out. He wasn't in jail. I never understand. I Don't know. No, I guess another time another place. That's ridiculous though. So why is he out on bond? Why is even allowed to be out on bond? It's so hard. So the night of October 23rd, 2019, when Anaya went missing, he was out on bail.

He was walking. Oh, sorry, bail. It's same thing, basically. So he was walking free around the college town of Auburn, Alabama. By the way, those weren't the only crimes Ibrahim had committed in the past. He also had charges against him for aggravated battery

on a law enforcement officer. Oh, hell, man. Felony drug possession, and in 2012, Hell man, felony drug possession. And in 2012, he was charged with attempted murder after he drove his car into a Montgomery, Alabama police cruiser. OK, this is insane that they let him get out this. That's insane. It was actually a grand jury decided not to indict him.

Oh, my. Who are you? And the me and for the drug possession, who are you? And the ME. And for the drug possession, he only received a 13 month sentence. So when police began asking around about Ibrahim, they found another witness who said, shortly after Anaya's disappearance, he was seen walking around with a gun tucked into his shorts

while in possession of Anaya's vehicle. But that witness made no mention of seeing Anaya herself. So basically this case is just unfolding for police. Like everyone's coming forward being like, oh yeah, I saw him driving her car and he had a gun and he's out on bail. Which none of that he can do. Right. By November 7th, 2019, police had more than enough to move in and arrest him.

Ibrahim knew police were on his trail, and so he had actually been hiding out in the woods near Pensacola, Florida. What a loser. So when police finally tracked him down, Ibrahim fled on foot and refused to surrender to the US marshals that were chasing him. What a coward, man.

Eventually he was apprehended and physically removed from his hiding spot. This is what the sources say. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I know that when he showed up in a Florida courtroom the following morning, his eye was so swollen that he could barely open it. So I'm going to say there was a fight. Let's close those babies back up. So after that hearing, Ibrahim was extradited back to Alabama and placed in solitary confinement. Okay, so thank goodness.

It's about time. The next time, Ibrahim. Also, I don't know. What? Sometimes they shouldn't put him in, put people in solitary confinement, you know? Let the jail run its course. But I don't know if anyone would've, I don't know.

It's just so hard to know. Yeah, maybe not. Yeah, you're right. I mean, it is like, okay. Like, let the jail run its course, natural selection, man. I mean, Jeffrey Dahmer was literally murdered in jail because of what he did. Yeah, so I'm saying, so sometimes we, I know there's a lot of people in jail for bad reasons, but sometimes they do good things. Okay.

Another hot take from Garrett Morland. It's true. I'll take that one to the grave. Now at JoeFresh, get a free Marvel or Disney backpack or lunch bag when you spend $60 or more on children's apparel while supplies last. Shop smart with one card and check everything off your back to school list all in one place.

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Because Canadian dairy farmers hold themselves to higher standards. That's what's behind the blue cow logo. Dairy Farmers of Canada. So the next time Ibrahim appeared in court, Walt and Angela Harris were there to witness it, but it only made them angrier because Ibrahim sat there with a smug smirk on his face, all the while maintaining his innocence,

saying he had no part in Anaya's disappearance. And with Anaya's body still missing, prosecutors are like, this is going to be hard. No body, no crime, as we all know. So at the very least, Ibrahim Yazid was held this time without bond while he awaited his trial on charges of kidnapping the 19-year-old Anaya Blanchard. I mean, even then he had a possession of a firearm, which he can't do because of all his past records. Like, there's so many charges they could be charging him with. Well and I just got I it's 2019 DNA evidence has to be coming soon you know what I mean? Like yeah yeah

that's where I would feel if I were her parents at this point like there has to be DNA that puts him in the car. 100%. So shockingly, Ibrahim wasn't the only one facing charges for Anaya's disappearance. So when police are doing the investigation, they actually come forward and say that he had some accomplices. 35-year-old Antoine Fisher, who was known as Squirmy around these parts.

Police had learned after Ibrahim committed his crime, Antoine gave him a ride and helped him dispose of the evidence. So he called up his friend, Squirmy said, I did a no-no, can you please help me cover this up? And Squirmy was like, I got you. I got you, Ibrahim. Plus Antwain had a rap sheet of his own.

In 2007, he pleaded guilty for a drug deal related murder charge. He served three years in prison. Bro, I don't understand. He pleaded guilty for a drug deal related murder charge. He served three years in prison, bro. I I Don't understand I Can't I I need the statistics on I needed someone please give them to me I need the statistics on the amount of people who Re-offend no no who go to jail for something violent

I'm not saying like weed or cocaine, like I'm talking about something violent, like obviously violent, and then get out of jail and commit a, what's the word? Another violent crime? Another violent crime or actually almost like a murder, like something that like jumps, like something drastic, kidnapping, something like that. I don't know if those statistics even exist. it's got to be high it has to be high

like I'm gonna I'm gonna be honest when I try to look up statistics for the podcast oh they're just they're not organized no they need to be better no they're not that's no it's like a, they're just not organized well. They're confusing. I just need a data analyst to literally read and organize the statistics for us so that we can understand them. In dumb people language.

Dumb people are terms, correct. So now it's November 22nd, 2019, and he's arrested on charges of kidnapping Anaya Blanchard as well. Two days later, so was 63 year old David Lee Johnson. Now it's unclear exactly what the specifics of his involvement were in the case. I do know that he was charged with hindering the prosecution in some way, shape, or form so maybe he knew about the crime and didn't tell police. But one of these two men actually became a critical

tool for the prosecution because Mr. Squirmy agreed to cooperate with authorities for a deal. He claimed he knew where Anaya Blanchard's remains had been hidden, which this would be huge for the prosecution because then they have a body. So Antwain's story goes something like this. This is what he tells police. At around 5 a.m. on the morning of October 24th, Ibrahim went to Antwain and said he needed help. Antwain drove him to an apartment complex to pick something up,

which happened to be the same apartment complex where Aniah's car would be found days after she went missing. Then apparently, without asking any questions, Antoine drove Ibrahim to another destination. It was a church parking lot. There he said he let Ibrahim out, saw him go for something in the lot.

Antoine said when he peered in his rear view mirror, he spotted Ibrahim dragging something in the parking lot in a comforter and sticking out of the bottom was what appeared to be two human legs. What the hell? So he says in the rear view mirror, he drops his friend off, asks no questions and sees him dragging a body in the church parking lot. He says he then watched Ibrahim drag this body off into the woods near the church cemetery.

He was gone for a little while. And when he came back to the car, Antoine allegedly said something like this to Ibrahim, tell me that's not a body. And he says that's when Ibrahim confessed to him that he had shot and killed a girl late last night. So within a matter of hours from Antwane's confession on November 25th 2019 authorities followed his roadmap to that wooded area near the church. It was actually out in Macon County Alabama about 55 miles from that

convenience store where Anaya was last seen. There they found clothing just like the outfit Anaya was last pictured leaving There, they found clothing, just like the outfit Anaya was last pictured leaving the store in. And after searching a little bit longer, they also found human remains that had clearly suffered a bullet wound to the skull. Now, when police showed Walt and Angela Harris photos of the clothing that they discovered,

there was no question this was Anaya. Walt recognized the pair of Sorel boots he had gotten her as a gift on a trip to New York and on November 27th, DNA also confirmed the remains belonged to Aniyah Blanchard. The autopsy proved that Aniyah had been killed with a gunshot wound to the head and before long those kidnapping charges Ibrahim had been facing were upgraded from first degree kidnapping to capital murder. Now the only thing left for the Blanchard and Harris families to do was wait patiently

for Ibrahim's trial. On December 21st, 2019, the family held a memorial service for Anaya and nearly 2000 people showed up to pay their respects. Walt Harris claimed the events nearly broke him and understandably so. He said his career as a UFC fighter became the farthest thing from his mind as he focused on nothing but getting Anaya justice. He even considered quitting altogether. Which is so true though. I mean, when things happen that involve family or a significant other the last thing you're thinking about is

Anything else right? It's sad, but he said as thoughts of retiring set in Walt actually had an eye-opening experience He said that anaya had come to him one night in a dream And walt said she was sitting in his living room with a beam of light on her walt pulled her in for a hug And she whispered to him, Keep going. Wow. When Walt woke up from that dream, he said that he felt a renewed sense of purpose.

And after that, he decided to return to the sport, even fighting on the one-year anniversary of Anaya's disappearance in Abu Dhabi. So what Walt would also learn was that Anaya herself had fought in the moments before her death. And this comes out as they get closer to trial. According to affidavits, Ibrahim had told one of the witnesses that before she had been shot, Anaya had gone for the gun and actually tried to get it away from him. Obviously, she wasn't able to get it. Nobody heard the gunshots? Sorry, it's sidetracked, but just thinking about that.

So the following year, COVID-19 happened, which meant Ibrahim's trial would see postponement after postponement. In the meantime, Aniah's family did what they could to preserve her legacy. In June 2020, they established a scholarship in her memory and soon began a nonprofit called Aniah's Heart. Their mission statement is, quote, dedicated to the preservation of life through prevention, awareness, and empowering the vulnerable to significantly impact violence. The organization offers self-defense classes,

advocates for victims' rights, and raises awareness around other missing persons cases. But the Blanchards and Harris's took on another big challenge. They actually got a law passed in Anaya's name. In January, 2020, the family proposed Anaya's law, which was a bill meant to deny bond to suspects accused of violent crimes. Which is why I thought it was so ironic

that you even brought that up. In November, 2022, the bill was passed by Alabama voters and was officially enacted in November of 2023 with 80% of the voter support that should be in every single state in the U S so the new law ultimately gives judges more discretion when deciding if bail should be granted or not. So instead of kind of it being black and white, they can kind of go wait, if it's a violent crime. I shouldn't do this. I don't want to do this, whatever.

So Anaya's family hopes that this will prevent what happened to Anaya from happening to other victims, that if more violent criminals can just be kept behind bars while awaiting trial, maybe more lives can be saved. Now, Antwain Squirmy Fisher has since had the case against him dismissed after cooperating with authorities. Okay.

So because he kind of- I'm not going to say much about that because he made a plea deal. The district attorney also stated the investigation has since revealed that Fisher was not present during the commission of the offense, obviously. But in March of 2023, Ibrahim Yazid was still pleading not guilty, not guilty. What is wrong with him? And as of this recording, he is still awaiting trial. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Yes sir. Anaya's father has actually said regardless of the outcome,

his life will never be the same. He told the press, quote, your mind will never forget the day when your child disappeared. You forget everything that happened prior to that day, but you'll never forget that day. You remember some stuff to happen after that day, but that day will never leave your mind. He also thinks that Anaya's abduction wasn't a spur of the moment decision, but instead something that was strategically planned, that he may have been watching the convenience store looking for a target and while Ania might have been at the wrong place at the wrong time He thinks if it hadn't been her it would have been someone else

Someone else's spur-of-the-moment decision to stop for a soda an ice cream a pack of gum and never make it home that night Luckily Ania's law might be able to keep that sort of thing from happening to someone else in the future, but that is the case of Anaya Blanchard. I think it's so inspiring when we see families come forward and make change, and it's always so devastating because things like this shouldn't happen for change to actually take place.

I know, but it's how it always works and it's sad. Yeah, but it is inspiring. Yeah, it does suck because it's 2022 and that wasn't a law until then. Right. Like, I don't understand how that's not a law, but. Also, I think at trial, a lot of answers will come out, at least for the public, about, you know,

was she forced into the car, was she held at gunpoint? Like, how did all of this even happen? What is the prosecution's theory? Um, so we will be covering the trial over on rising crime when it does finally, uh, take place, but yeah, for now, that is all we have on this case. We will see you next time with another episode and I love it. I hate it. Goodbye.