Authorities seeking death penalty in Aniah Blanchard kidnapping, homicide

Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes had strong words to say at a press conference regarding the Aniah Blanchard case on Monday.

“The consequences will be swift and you will be dealt with,” Hughes said.

He revealed new details about the case, which tragically came to an end on Nov. 27 when her remains were positively identified by Alabama officials.

Blanchard’s remains were found near the woodline of the 38,000 block of County Road Two in Shorter, Alabama. A tip led authorities to the area, according to Hughes.

Hughes said a medical examination and autopsy revealed Blanchard died of a gunshot wound. However, he declined to release more details about the fatal injury and where Blanchard was shot.

Hughes also said authorities believe Ibraheem Yazeed, 30, was the only person involved with Blanchard’s abduction and death. Yazeed was identified as a person of interest in the case on Nov. 7 and later taken into custody in Pensacola, Florida.

Yazeed’s first degree kidnapping charges have been upgraded to capital murder charges, and Hughes said that they will be seeking the death penalty.

At this time, it is unknown if the other two individuals arrested, David Johnson Jr. and Antwain Fisher, will be facing any charges. Hughes declined to answer a question from the media about the other arrests.

This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 6:33 PM.