An Alabama man who appeared in court on Monday allegedly played multiple roles in the kidnapping of missing teen Aniah Blanchard.
WRBL has obtained an affidavit which charged that Antwon Fisher, 35, “provided material assistance to [Ibraheem] Yazeed by providing transportation to Yazeed” in addition to disposing of evidence. U.S. Marshals and Auburn police arrested Fisher in Montgomery on Friday evening, though his exact role in Blanchard’s disappearance remains unclear.
Fisher and Yazeed are charged with the first-degree kidnapping of Blanchard, 19. Blanchard remains missing since vanishing from an Auburn convenience store on October 23.
Lee County prosecutors believe Fisher has an extensive criminal record which includes a murder conviction. WVTM reported that in 2005, Fisher accepted a plea deal which resulted in his capital murder charge being reduced to felony murder.
A 2004 article by WFSA stated that Fisher and another man fatally shot Amy Rawls during a drug deal in Montgomery. According to WRBL, Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes said Fisher was sentenced to a 20/3 spit — where he served three years for Rawls’ murder.
Jail records confirmed that the other man involved in Rawls’ murder, Nathaniel Ruggs, was sentenced to 20 years in 2008. He remains housed at Easterling Correctional Center in minimum-out custody — meaning he was deemed to “not pose a significant risk to [him]self or others and suitable to be assigned off-property work details without the direct supervision of correctional officers,” according to the Alabama Department of Corrections’ website.
The first suspect in Blanchard’s kidnapping, Yazeed, 30, was arrested in Florida on November 7. Surveillance cameras reportedly caught him at an Auburn convenience store moments before Aniah Blanchard’s abduction. A witness at the store that night claimed he saw Yazeed force Blanchard into her car.
Two days after her disappearance, Blanchard’s car was found damaged and covered in blood at an apartment complex in Montgomery. Reports indicated that both Yazeed and Fisher live in Montgomery.
Authorities said the amount of blood discovered in Blanchard’s car suggested the missing teen suffered a life-threatening injury.
At the time of Blanchard’s disappearance, Yazeed was out on bail on attempted murder charges — despite having a lengthy criminal history which includes arrests for kidnapping and robbery.
WRBL reported that in addition to his murder conviction, Fisher has multiple arrest warrants for unpaid traffic tickets and failure to appear in court.
Both Yazeed and Fisher remain jailed without bond.
Blanchard was described as being 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing approximately 125 pounds, and having brown eyes and brown hair. She was reportedly last seen wearing a black dress, tan duck boots, and black stockings.
Anyone with information regarding Aniah Blanchard’s whereabouts, or an accident involving her vehicle, is urged to contact the Auburn Police Division Detective Section at 334-501-3140 or the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391.
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[Featured image: Antwon Fisher/Lee County Detention Facility; Aniah Blanchard/Facebook]
