Remains confirmed to belong to UFC fighter's stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard

Show Caption Hide Caption Aniah Blanchard: What we know about the Alabama teen's disappearance DA says there is 'strong reason to believe' Aniah Blanchard's remains found in Macon County. Here's what we know about her disappearance.

Human remains discovered Monday along County Road 2 in Macon County have been confirmed to be those of missing college student Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.

Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes confirmed to the Montgomery Advertiser Wednesday afternoon that the remains were positively identified to be Blanchard's. At a press conference with WBRC, Auburn Police Chief Paul Register said the case will move forward as a homicide investigation and further charges are expected.

Hughes told the Advertiser they do not yet have a timeline of when those charges might come.

"We’re waiting on a cause and manner of death from the medical examiner," Hughes said.

Blanchard had been missing for over a month. The search for the 19-year-old led law enforcement over three east Alabama counties, two states and resulted in the arrest of three Montgomery men.

Blanchard disappeared at some point late on Oct. 23 or early on Oct. 24 from Auburn. She was last seen on video surveillance at a convenience store not far from her home.

Her last known contact was with a roommate late Oct. 23, and loved ones reported her missing the next day.

Aniah Blanchard's blood was found in her car weeks ago

Days later, her vehicle — scraped and dented — was recovered at a Montgomery apartment complex, some 55 miles west of where the teen was last seen. Police confirmed they suspected foul play based on evidence recovered inside the vehicle.

Blood "indicative of someone suffering a life-threatening injury" was discovered in the passenger's side of Aniah Blanchard's vehicle, according to a probable cause affidavit filed for the arrest of Ibraheem Yazeed. The 29-year-old was arrested in Escambia County, Florida, by U.S. Marshals hours after a first-degree kidnapping warrant was issued against him two weeks after Blanchard went missing.

"During the subsequent investigation a witness identified Yazeed as the individual he observed forcing Blanchard into a vehicle against her will and then leaving with her in the vehicle" from an Auburn convenience station, the affidavit states.

According to court records, the blood evidence was tested by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and confirmed to be Blanchard's.

Antwain 'Squirmy' Fisher, Ibraheem Yazeed were charged in her disappearance

Yazeed, at the time of Blanchard's disappearance, was free on a $295,000 bond on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, robbery and possession of marijuana in connection to the beating of two men in a Montgomery hotel in January. Though, his criminal record stretched back to 2011 when he was charged with robbery and attempted murder the year after. Those charges were ultimately dismissed at separate grand juries, according to court records.

More: Who is Ibraheem Yazeed? Aniah Blanchard kidnapping suspect has arrests in several states

Auburn police Chief Paul Register said during a conference that it's still unknown if Blanchard was familiar with Yazeed prior to the alleged kidnapping.

"We don't have any reason to know that she was familiar with him but we certainly can't rule out completely that there would have been some knowledge," the chief said. "But at this point we don't have knowledge she knew him."

Two more weeks later, Antwain Shamar "Squirmy" Fisher, 35, was arrested by the Auburn Police Department in Montgomery on Friday night, according to Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes.

Fisher, like Yazeed, was charged with first-degree kidnapping in Blanchard's disappearance. According to Fisher's charging documents, he disposed of evidence and provided transportation for Yazeed. The records do not say what evidence he is alleged to have handled.

More: Aniah Blanchard missing: 2nd suspect gave Yazeed a ride, got rid of evidence, court records say

Fisher is to be held without bond, Lee County Judge Steven Speak ruled Monday. Fisher will appear for a preliminary hearing Dec. 18 at 9 a.m.

Third suspect, David Lee Johnson Jr., charged

The third suspect, charged with hindering prosecution in connection to Aniah Blanchard's disappearance, allegedly lied to police about his son's involvement with Ibraheem Yazeed.

David Lee Johnson Jr., 63, of Montgomery, was arrested Nov. 25 and released on a $7,500 bond.

Johnson's charging documents, filed Tuesday morning, revealed that his son, David Lee Johnson III allegedly drove Yazeed to Escambia County. The younger Johnson has not been charged with any crimes.

According to an arrest affidavit, police on Nov. 7 went to the home where 35-year-old Antwain Fisher, charged with first-degree kidnapping in connection to Blanchard's disappearance, lived with Johnson III. They'd received a tip that 29-year-old Yazeed, the first suspect charged with first-degree kidnapping in the case, had been at the Placid Drive home.

At the home, Johnson Jr. told police he saw Yazeed leave the home "with an unknown white female in an unknown vehicle."

Blanchard's parents hoped for her safe return

Throughout the ordeal, Blanchard's parents and step parents continued to hold out hope for her safe return. Her father, Elijah Blanchard, described his daughter as a nurturing person.

"She’s not a mean person. I’ve never heard her say anything bad about anybody," he said in an earlier interview. "She was always a forgiving person, she has a heart of gold and would do anything to help anyone who needed it."

More: 'A heart of gold': Aniah Blanchard's father pleads 'we want her home'

Blanchard, a student at a Lee County community college, was a native of Homewood, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham.

She loved playing softball in high school, Elijah Blanchard said, so much so that he once asked if she might consider walking on to a college team. But Aniah wanted to concentrate on getting her general education classes out of the way, her father said, as she decided what she might want to concentrate on for her studies. Like so many early college students, she wanted to consider several paths open at her feet: art, education, maybe business.

"I want everybody to know that my daughter is a good person, all the way around. I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter," Elijah Blanchard said. "It's evident she was special to so many people."

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Kirsten Fiscus at 334-318-1798 or KFiscus@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KDFiscus