Eliza Fletcher Has Gone Missing Following A Violent Kidnapping In Memphis; A Suspect Has Been Arrested

Eliza Fletcher abduction
Eliza Fletcher abduction

A man has been charged in relation to the abduction of a Memphis teacher who was allegedly kidnapped while out for a jog on Friday morning, according to detectives.

According to a tweet from the Memphis Police Department early on Sunday, Cleotha Abston, 38, was charged with exceptionally aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.

“At this time, Eliza Fletcher has not been found. Together with our regional and federal colleagues, MPD investigators and officers are still looking for Mrs. Fletcher “says the post.

According to CCTV video of the incident, Fletcher, 34, was jogging at 4 a.m. on Friday when a black GMC Terrain SUV went by her. Then, a man was spotted exiting the SUV, approaching Fletcher “aggressively,” and forcing her into the SUV’s passenger side. According to the video referenced in an affidavit acquired by CNN, the SUV sat in a parking lot with both people inside for around four minutes before driving away.

After finding the car they were looking for in the case, police detained Abston on Saturday.

According to the affidavit, US Marshals discovered the GMC Terrain in a parking area close to Abston’s home. Similar identifiable vehicle damage and a partially visible license plate were present on the car as they were in the surveillance footage from Fletcher’s kidnapping.

U.S. Marshals spotted Abston nearby, and despite his best efforts to leave, he was apprehended, according to the affidavit.

According to jail records, he is being held at the Shelby County Jail under a $500,000 bond.

It is unknown if Abston has a lawyer. Tuesday is the date of his subsequent court appearance.

According to the affidavit, officials in Memphis were able to identify and apprehend Abston in connection with Fletcher’s abduction because of DNA obtained from a pair of sandals discovered close to the area where authorities suspect Fletcher was kidnapped.

According to the affidavit, investigators located surveillance video taken from a nearby theatre the day before Fletcher vanished, which showed Abston sporting what authorities believe to be the same pair of Champion slide sandals found at the crime site.

The vehicle thought to have been used in Fletcher’s kidnapping belongs to a lady connected to Abston’s home address, according to additional surveillance footage and testimony from Abston’s workplace.

According to the affidavit, Abston was also present at the location when Fletcher was kidnapped on Friday morning based on cell phone data.

According to a press release acquired by station WHBQ from CrimeStoppers Executive Director Buddy Chapman, Fletcher’s broken phone was discovered close to the location where she is thought to have been kidnapped.

The affidavit states that a witness spotted Abston at his brother’s house following the kidnapping. The witness and his brother both claimed that Abston was acting strangely while cleaning the inside of his SUV and doing his laundry in the sink.

The affidavit states that Abston refused to reveal Fletcher’s location.

Fletcher may be seen sprinting around the neighborhood close to the University of Memphis in photos provided by the police. According to a police alert, she was last seen sporting a pink jogging top and purple running shorts.

According to the authorities, Fletcher is White, 5 feet 6 inches tall, with brown hair and green eyes. She has a 137-pound weight.

According to WHBQ, the mother of the two’s family is providing a $50,000 prize through CrimeStoppers for information resulting in an arrest in the case.

Eliza’s family said in a statement that Chapman posted, “We look forward to Eliza’s safe return and hope that this prize will assist authorities capture those who committed this crime.”

According to a tweet from St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Fletcher teaches junior kindergarten.
In a tweet, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation stated that it was helping Memphis police with their investigation.

 

Where has Eliza Fletcher vanished to?

Fletcher, 34, was last observed jogging on Friday around 4:20 a.m. on the University of Memphis campus in southwest Tennessee. He was wearing a pink top and purple shorts. Her forcible entry into a black GMC Terrain SUV was seen on surveillance footage, claims an affidavit made public by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Sunday.

In Memphis, did they find the kidnapped jogger?

According to police, the body was discovered at 5:07 pm local time. Authorities claim that around 4 a.m. on Friday, Fletcher, 34, was out jogging when a man approached her and forced her into a dark SUV after a brief fight that was captured on camera.

Found the Memphis teacher?

After a Tennessee teacher was kidnapped while running, a man was charged and an unidentified body was discovered. Police said on Monday that they had discovered a body close to the region where the woman was taken, just after a man was charged with kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of a Memphis school teacher in West Tennessee.

Did they discover the jogger’s body?

revised six hours ago. One day after charges were made against a guy in an abduction case where the victim has not been located, police in Memphis, Tennessee, said that a corpse had been found. According to authorities, neither the identity nor the cause of death of the deceased has been verified.

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