The reward for information in the case of missing 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard has crossed the 6-figure mark.
As of Friday evening, a total of $105,000 from multiple sources has been pledged toward the effort to find her. The latest donation comes in the amount of $25,000 and is being put forward by Ali Abdelaziz, chief executive officer of Dominance MMA.
The reward also includes $25,000 donations from Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, UFC fighter Jon Jones and an anonymous family in Homewood, Blanchard’s hometown. There’s also a $5,000 reward being offered by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The UFC and MMA connections to the case are due to Blanchard’s stepfather, Walt Harris, being a UFC fighter.
All rewards offered in this case are for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Blanchard’s disappearance.
Blanchard, a student at Southern Union State Community College in Lee County, was last seen at an Auburn convenience store on South College Street late on Oct. 23. The search for her is nearing its second weekend.
Police say she was returning home from seeing her family and spoke with a roommate late that night. Her car was found two days later at a Montgomery apartment complex with damage to its passenger side.
Auburn Police Chief Paul Register says investigators found clues inside the vehicle, leading them to believe that Blanchard had been harmed. Register says the focus of this search remains on Auburn, Montgomery and everywhere in between.
“We do know that there is a possibility that she met someone. That information is out there. Anybody that has any information about anybody that she may have met with or was intending to meet with, that’s the kind of information we’re asking for,” Register said to NBC News Friday.
The police chief said they are still hopeful she will be found alive.
“We’ll never give up hope. Obviously we’re very concerned about what we’ve put out there, and we’re concerned at this point, and we don’t know if we’ll be able to say that at this point,” Register said.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Auburn police at 334-501-3140 or the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391. You can also report tips directly to Central Alabama CrimeStoppers.
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