Police in Tennessee said a body found on Monday is that of missing heiress Eliza Fletcher. The 34-year-old mother-of-two was a neighborhood teacher and a local billionaire’s granddaughter. She was stolen while jogging early on Friday morning near the University of Memphis campus.
Cleotha Abston – a 38-year-old man with a past conviction for kidnap – has been charged with kidnapping and killing Ms. Fletcher. After discovering her body, her family published a statement stating they were “heartbroken and devastated.”
“Liza was a such a delight to so many – her family, friends, coworkers, students, parents, members of her Second Presbyterian Church congregation, and everyone who knew her,” they stated. “Now it’s time to remember and celebrate how amazing she was and to assist those who cared so much for her.”
Well-known in the community, Ms. Fletcher was the granddaughter of the late Joseph Orgill III, a rich local hardware entrepreneur and philanthropist. His company is now reputedly worth over $3bn (£2.6bn) and employs more than 5,000 employees.
Ms. Fletcher worked as a junior kindergarten teacher at St Mary’s Episcopal School instead of for the family company. She vanished at roughly 04:00 local time on Friday. CCTV footage showed a man approaching her and engaging into a physical confrontation, forcing Ms. Fletcher into a black SUV, according to police documents.
She was reported missing after failing to return home on Friday after her early-morning run, and her family placed a $50,000 (£43,330) reward for information. On Monday at approximately 23:07 BST (17:07 local time), the Memphis Police Department reported that officers had discovered a body. However, they emphasized that no positive identification had been established.
Eliza Fletcher was identified as the person whose body was “located yesterday in the 1600 block of Victor,” police announced the following day. The body was discovered at the back of an unoccupied duplex later confirmed by authorities.
Abston who was detained on Saturday when the body was found, was already facing charges of aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence. Police have updated their original statement to say that further accusations of “first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping” have been added against him.
According to the affidavit, Abston was taken into custody when his DNA was found on a pair of sandals discovered close to the area where Ms. Fletcher was last seen. To add insult to injury police found a car at Abston’s lodgings that matched the one seen being compelled to transport Fletcher.
More than three hours after Ms. Fletcher’s abduction, he arrives at his brother’s apartment complex and cleans his car for more than an hour. According to the court papers, a witness said that Abston was acting strangely and had cleaned the carpets in his car with a carpet cleaner. The anonymous individual also claimed he did his laundry in his sibling’s sink.
According to the affidavit, when US Marshals showed up at the house, he tried to run but was eventually caught. Before this Abston spent nearly 20 years in prison for the armed kidnapping of a renowned Memphis attorney in 2000. When the year 2020 rolled around, he was finally freed.
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