Remains found believed to be UFC fighters' stepdaughter

November 25, 2019 at 6:09 p.m. | Updated November 25, 2019 at 6:14 p.m.

by Associated Press

This undated file photo released by police in Auburn, Ala., shows Aniah Haley Blanchard, 19, who is missing. An Alabama judge has denied bond to a suspect in the disappearance of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris' missing stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard. Court records filed Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, show that Lee County District Judge Russell K. Bush denied bond to 29-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed, who's is charged with first-degree kidnapping. According to charging documents, police in Auburn, Alabama, said the passenger area of Blanchard's car had blood evidence showing someone had suffered "a life-threatening injury." A state forensics lab determined the blood was Blanchard's. (Auburn Police Division via AP, File)
This undated file photo released by police in Auburn, Ala., shows Aniah Haley Blanchard, 19, who is missing. An Alabama judge has denied bond to a suspect in the disappearance of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris' missing stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard. Court records filed Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019, show that Lee County District Judge Russell K. Bush denied bond to 29-year-old Ibraheem Yazeed, who's is charged with first-degree kidnapping. According to charging documents, police in Auburn, Alabama, said the passenger area of Blanchard's car had blood evidence showing someone had suffered "a life-threatening injury." A state forensics lab determined the blood was Blanchard's. (Auburn Police Division via AP, File)

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama district attorney said Monday that authorities have "good reason" to believe human remains found in a wooded area belong to the missing stepdaughter of a UFC heavyweight fighter.

The remains were found on a county road in neighboring Macon County, Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes told The Associated Press.

"I can confirm that human remains have been found in Macon County on County Road 2 and we have good reason to believe they are that of Aniah Blanchard," Hughes said.

Police have arrested two people in the disappearance last month of Blanchard, 19. She was last seen Oct. 23 in Auburn. Her stepfather is UFC fighter Walt Harris.

After she disappeared, her black Honda CRV was found abandoned more than 50 miles (90 kilometers) away at an apartment complex in Montgomery, Alabama. Auburn police detective Josh Mixon said Blanchard's blood was found in the car and it appeared she had suffered a life-threatening injury.

Mixon testified that convenience store video footage showed a man buying a beverage look over at Blanchard. He said tipsters later identified the man as Ibraheem Yazeed, 29, and a man at the store told investigators he saw Yazeed force Blanchard into her car and drive away.

Police have arrested Yazeed and a second man, 35-year-old Antwain Shamar Fisher of Montgomery, in Blanchard's disappearance. In an arrest warrant filed with the court Monday, police said Fisher helped Yazeed by disposing of evidence and driving him.

The discovery of human remains comes after a month-long search for the missing teen whose face appears on billboards across the county.

Auburn Police said Monday that investigators "obtained information regarding the possible location of a body." Law enforcement officials searched a wooded area in Shorter, Alabama, and found what appeared to be human remains several feet into the woods.

"A complete investigation is under way by (the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency) and Auburn Police to determine the identity and how the victim came to be at that location. The examination will explore if the remains are those of Aniah Blanchard," Auburn police said in a statement.

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