A preliminary hearing was held Wednesday for Ibraheem Yazeed, the man accused of kidnapping Aniah Blanchard, 19, who went missing almost a month ago.
Judge Russell Bush ordered the case to go to a grand jury.
Bush found probable cause in the case involving Yazeed, 30, who is charged with first-degree kidnapping.
The judge also approved a motion for DNA collection and denied bond reconsideration.
A prosecutor at the hearing also said that a DNA profile was found in Blanchard’s car.
Blanchard, a Southern Union Community College student from Homewood, was last seen on Oct. 23.
Her vehicle was recovered a few days later at a Montgomery apartment complex.
Yazeed was arrested on Nov. 7, in Pensacola, Florida.
The first and only witness called to testify at the preliminary hearing was detective Josh Mixon.
Mixon said Yazeed was developed as a suspect after reviewing surveillance footage from a Chevron located on South College Street.
The footage showed Yazeed and Blanchard in the same Chevron; after Yazeed made a purchase, he looked back as he waited for his change from the cashier and then looked at Blanchard, according to Mixon.
Mixon then said that Yazeed surveyed the parking lot and walked out toward Blanchard’s car.
According to Mixon, there is another witness who police questioned and learned revealing details from.
That witness, who police have not identified, allegedly told officials that he saw Yazeed force Blanchard into a vehicle against her will and drive off.
Yazeed’s charges state that a life-threatening amount of blood was found in the passenger side of Blanchard’s vehicle.
Yazeed’s court-appointed attorney, Elijah Beaver, objected to the witness on the stand using another witness anonymously and in a hearsay manner.
“We got to know what happened,” Beaver said. “It can’t be hearsay.”
Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes asked the judge that the witness not be identified because it’s an ongoing investigation.
Beaver said Yazeed had been charged for previous felonies that did not result in indictments, adding that it was important for the defense to know the identity of the witness.
Hughes said the witness’s identity will be known in later trial hearings.
Ibraheem Yazeed, 30, is the man accused of kidnapping Aniah Blanchard, 19, who went missing almost a month ago.
Bush decided not to require the state to name the witness for the purposes of the preliminary hearing.
Bush also allowed Hughes to continue asking Mixon about the man.
The witness said that the man minimally knew Yazeed because Yazeed frequented the Chevron in Auburn; employees at the Chevron also said Yazeed was frequently at the store, according to Mixon.
Mixon said the man told his partner what he had seen and that his partner told him to “stay out of it.”
The witness’s partner had suffered a miscarriage earlier this year, and when he eventually told officials what happened, he felt remorse, according to Mixon.
Beaver questioned the witness’s criminal history, and Mixon said he only saw a few misdemeanors in his record but did not specify what those were.
Mixon went on to explain that officials attempted to interview every person in the Chevron surveillance footage.
When Yazeed entered the courtroom, dressed in all-white garments, he scanned his surroundings. He was seen whispering to Beaver throughout the hearing.
The family members of Blanchard attended the hearing but did not comment.
Garrett Saucer, an assistant district attorney with the Lee County District Attorney’s Office, said a DNA sample of Yazeed was needed because officials found DNA of a male profile in Blanchard’s car and need to conduct comparisons.
Beaver countered by saying that the law allows the collection of DNA samples only at the time of arrest. Bush ordered that a DNA mouth swab sample be taken.
The gag order imposed on the case by Bush now has a hearing date on Dec. 4, to consider arguments.
In court, Beaver objected to the appearance of Blanchard’s mother Angela Harris and stepfather Walt Harris on Dr. Phil because the appearance could hurt Yazeed’s chances of a fair trial. He added that the parents could potentially taint every juror in Alabama.
Hughes said that the family is trying to find their “little girl.” He said anyone they speak to is in their interest.
There is $105,000 in reward money for information regarding Blanchard’s disappearance.
Anyone with information about Blanchard’s disappearance or how the vehicle was damaged is asked to call police at 334-501-3140, the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391 or the 24-hour non-emergency number at 334-501-3100.
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Eduardo Medina, senior in journalism, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
