The Auburn Police Division is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a person of interest in the Aniah Haley Blanchard case.
A person captured on video surveillance inside the convenience store that Blanchard was last seen in on Oct. 23, is now a person of interest, according to police.
The man in the video is wearing dark-colored pants, dark-colored shoes and a camouflage colored hooded jacket with “Vans” in white writing across the back, according to police.
Police said the man in the video was seen leaving the area in what is described as a late 2000’s model Lincoln Town Car, silver or grey in color.
As part of the ongoing joint investigation with the Auburn Police Division and the Montgomery Police Department into Blanchard's disappearance, investigators are seeking to identify the individual in the video and speak with him.
Anyone with information on his identity is being asked to call the Auburn Police Division Detective Section at 334-501-3140, the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391, or the 24-hour non-emergency number at 334-501-3100.
Blanchard, 19, was reported missing on Oct. 23, after last communicating with a friend just before midnight.
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.
Police found evidence in her car, which was found damaged outside of an apartment building in Montgomery on Oct. 25, that she was harmed and is considered to be a victim of foul play, the Auburn Police Division announced on Oct. 31.
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences examined evidence from within Blanchard’s vehicle, found in Montgomery, to make the determination. The Auburn Police Division, Montgomery Police Department and nine other law enforcement agencies are working on the case and operating as a task force.
Texas EquuSearch joined the 11 law enforcement agencies in the search.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, UFC President Dana White, UFC Fighter Jon Jones and several others have donated to a reward pool, which now totals over $100,000, for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator.
Anyone with information on Blanchard’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Auburn Police Division 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.
