Court proceedings revealed that no identifiable fingerprints were found in the Aniah's case, while DNA evidence pointed to Aniah and an unidentified male. The Auburn Police Department's case agent provided details on the investigation's timeline and the challenges faced in collecting video evidence.
) - After learning that forensic experts had not identified suspect Ibraheem Yazeed’s DNA in any evidence Thursday, the court learned from a fingerprint analysis expert on Friday that no “prints of value” were found either.
Aniah’s DNA -and unknown male DNA - were identified on several items on the fourth day of testimony. The male DNA was not able to turn up a match, even with samples from Yazeed and several other males involved in the case to cross-reference. Investigators say this is because not enough male DNA was recovered on each item. On the fifth day of testimony, a fingerprint analysis expert confirmed that there were no “prints of value” found on anyone. We also heard from the Auburn Police Department’s case agent for Aniah’s case, outlining his timeline of events and providing more insight into the investigation.While the fingerprint expert said no “prints of value” were found, they also said it can be harder to get a latent - or unintentionally left- print if an area was cleaned or if the surface it was imprinted on wasn’t smooth. The expert emphasized that his testimony doesn’t definitively imply that someone wasn’t in an area or didn’t touch the evidence where fingerprints were not found.Aniah’s case agent at the time - who no longer works for Auburn police and now works for a federal agency - testified the steps investigators took to collect evidence, from finding out where Aniah’s phone last gave her location, to checking her transaction history, and pulling security footage. The detective says that when they tried to find videos outside the Chevron gas station where Aniah was last seen alive, they were advised that the cameras outside were motion-activated, and there were likely gaps in the footage. They added that detectives were unable to find a clear video of when she left or who she may have been with. After going to nearby businesses to review footage, the only place investigators found her again was at the Murphy gas station, seeing what is believed to be Aniah’s car pull in facing northbound at the gas pumps. Investigators say a passenger- believed to be Yazeed- gets out of the passenger side of the vehicle and makes a purchase. The detective testified that attempts were made to enhance the video but were unsuccessful. The former officer says investigators found it interesting that Aniah’s vehicle would leave from one gas station and go to another that was farther away from her apartment. They noted that Aniah’s vehicle was captured by cameras on South College Street near I-85 at 12:34 a.m. on Oct. 24. When cell phone records came back alongside “flock” camera footage , the investigator testified they had a few suspects, including a factory worker and a postal service driver, who didn’t pan out. The investigator testified he spent much of his time working on the case in a Montgomery basement with several agencies, since Montgomery was believed to be the most active scene at the time. To try to find out where Aniah’s vehicle may have sustained damage, the detective testified that they scoured the interstate for car parts that matched Aniah’s vehicle but did not find a match. The investigator says they also checked if her car had a “black box” which transmits location data every time a car door is opened. Aniah’s vehicle did not have it, which is not uncommon, according to the detective. They also testified that investigators searched the neighbors of “Big Dave” for security footage pointing toward Big Dave’s house. Yazeed is believed to have stopped there to ask for a ride in the early morning hours of Oct 24, 2019. By the time they came across possible video from a neighbor, the footage had already been overwritten. On June 11, 2020 - more than seven months after Aniah’s disappearance - detectives found out Yazeed frequented an address in Montgomery. The detective testified that when they searched the property, they found burned clothes and a lead projectile in a burn pile. They also say they found a 9mm casing by the fence in the “rear of the yard.” When the FBI analyzed them, the investigator testified that they found that it appeared an accelerant was used on the items in the burn pile, but nothing else significant. When the defense cross-examined the detective, they asked if investigators had a clear view of Yazeed’s face at the Murphy gas station. The detective testified they did not. The defense asked during the course of the investigation if detectives received around 2 terabytes of information and over 9,00 pages of discovery. The former Auburn detective replied that although he doesn’t have an exact number in mind, those figures sounded correct. The investigator added that there is no video obtained by investigators that shows Yazeed at “Big Dave’s” house. In terms of cleaning solutions being used in Aniah’s car, the detective said that although he believes a similar odor came from her car, no one said they found residue from a cleaning agent. The defense asked the detective about the kidnapping charge, and he replied that detectives thought it was strange that Aniah would go to a gas station farther from her apartment, especially while having a low battery on her phone, because detectives believed Aniah had trouble with her charging port that day. The defense discredited the kidnapping theory, saying it was strange to them that Aniah didn’t leave while Yazeed is believed to have walked up to the Murphy gas station window. When Yazeed’s attorneys asked if there was any evidence to show where Aniah was shot, the detective said there was. Under the dirt where Aniah’s skull was located, the investigator testified that a round of ammunition was discovered. When the defense questioned if the detective could say Aniah was shot in Montgomery as well, the detective “wouldn’t speculate on when that happened.” The defense then shifted to Antwon “Squirmy” Fisher- the man believed to have ridden with Yazeed in the early morning hours of Oct. 24, 2019 - and asked about statements given from him during the investigation. The detective testified he watched them via a closed-circuit live TV, but wasn’t in the room. The detective said that former Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes- who the defense has attempted to discredit due to his past convictions - came in that room at some point and was with “Squirmy” when he led investigators to Aniah’s remains. The investigator said he couldn’t recall if anything was said between Hughes and Squirmy.Two officers with the Montgomery Police Department at the time were called to the stand separately and provided shorter testimonies. Of note, the two condoms shown as evidence initially on Thursday were confirmed to have been found at the Montgomery apartment complex where Aniah’s vehicle was discovered, but they were “more than 100 feet away” from Aniah’s vehicle. Testimony from Thursday did not reveal the location they were found but did confirm the DNA of two separate unknown males to be present on the condoms. No woman’s DNA was found.The state also called to the stand a custodian of records for T-Mobile, a senior manager at Flock Safety , and Aniah’s former dentist. Each testimony was short and focused on the validity of the records each party provided to investigators. If convicted, Yazeed faces either life without parole or the death penalty. The trial resumes Monday at 9 a.m.No DNA matches suspect in Aniah Blanchard’s murder, forensic experts testify
Aniah's Case Fingerprint Analysis DNA Evidence Police Investigation Court Testimony
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