From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
MACON COUNTY — Auburn Police confirmed that a body found in Macon County is believed to be Aniah Blanchard.
“During the course of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Aniah Blanchard, investigators obtained information regarding the possible location of a body,” according to a statement from Auburn Police.
Auburn Police said on Nov. 25, 2019, at approximately 10:45 a.m., Auburn Police, along with members of the Task Force, Lee County DA’s Office, U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, ALEA and Montgomery County Sheriff Office, responded to a wooded area in the 38,000 block of County Road 2 in Shorter, Alabama.
After a brief search by investigators, they located what appeared to be human remains several feet into the woodline. A complete investigation is underway by ALEA 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, who went missing on Oct. 24, 2019.
The case remains under investigation by the Auburn Police Division.
Macon County is located between Lee and Montgomery counties, in the area where the search for the missing college student was focused.
Blanchard was last seen, in surveillance video, on Oct. 23, at a convenience store in Auburn. The 19-year-old is the stepdaughter of UFC Heavyweight Walt Harris.
Two people have been arrested.