Ibraheem Yazeed, 30, is now in custody in Lee County, Alabama after he was arrested in Pensacola, Florida, Friday, Nov. 8 on kidnapping charges related to the case of missing Auburn teen Aniah Blanchard.
Following his arrest, Lee County District Judge Russell Bush issued a gag order with the case. He instructed all those involved in the case not to speak about it to members of the media, said Auburn Police Capt. Lorenza Dorsey.
An investigation and analysis of evidence determined that Yazeed was in the same location at which Blanchard was last seen and was involved in taking her against her will, police released in a statement on Nov. 7.
Yazeed was booked in the Escambia County Jail early in the morning on Nov. 8, where he was charged as an out-of-state fugitive pending extradition to Lee County, which occurred the following week.
Yazeed is currently held in the Lee County Jail with no bond.
Blanchard and her vehicle were reported missing three weeks ago after last communicating with a friend just before midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Her vehicle was located in Montgomery, Alabama, after a citizen reported it to police. The vehicle was damaged between the time it was last seen on Oct. 23, to when it was located on Oct. 25, according to releases from Auburn Police.
The vehicle was located about 55 miles from where it was last seen in Auburn.
Surveillance video was released by police on Oct. 28, that showed her making a purchase at a gas station on South College Street. This video was captured just before her vehicle was seen traveling on South College Street, according to police.
Over the course of the three-week search for Blanchard, several local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have partnered in the search including the FBI, U.S. Marshal Service, the Lee County District Attorney’s Office, the Auburn Police Division, Montgomery Police Department and several others, to total 11 agencies working together.
Blanchard is a student at Southern Union State Community College, according to a tweet from Auburn Campus Safety.
She is described as a light-complexioned black female, 5-feet-six-inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds, according to police. She has brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a black dress, tan duck boots and black stockings, according to police.
Rewards totaling over $100,000 have been issued for information that leads to arrest in the case with contributions from Gov. Kay Ivey, UFC President Dana White and several others.
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Elizabeth, senior in journalism and political science, is the community editor for The Plainsman
