Elijah Blanchard reacts to Carlee Russell case

By WVUA 23 News Student Reporter Peyton Newman

Aniah Blanchard was kidnapped and found murdered in 2019 in the woods of Macon County.

Her case broke the hearts of so many across the nation, but no one more heartbroken than Aniah’s family.

Elijah Blanchard, Aniah’s father, has since expressed his disappointment with the hoax revelations in the Carlee Russell case. Blanchard said the case brought him back to the day his own daughter went missing, and how upset he was when finding out that Russell staged her kidnapping.

“It brought me all the way back to 2019,” Blanchard said. “To that day, what I was doing that day. The day before when her and I had, you know, a text message together. And the last time I had seen her laugh. We’ve not even gone through the trial yet, you know, we gotta relive that moment. And here we have someone that’s playing with something that’s so…a very, very touchy subject.  I just don’t understand. I’m very confused and disturbed by the whole situation.”

Russell’s attorney released a statement released Monday to Hoover Police of Russell admitting the kidnapping was a hoax.

Blanchard said he firmly believes Russell has a lot to be sorry for.

“She owes everyone an apology,” Blanchard said. “She owes an apology to herself, she owes an apology to her family, she owes apologies to people who have gone through similar instances that had unfavorable results at the end. I understand that she has an attorney, I understand that she has a spokesperson, but some stuff is personal.”

Blanchard said he does not wish ill will on anyone, but hopes for some kind of repercussion to ensure this does not happen again.

–LS–**-**