Suspect charged with abducting missing Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher

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A person has been charged and detained within the “violent” kidnapping of Eliza Fletcher, police mentioned Sunday, however the Memphis instructor stays lacking.

Fletcher, 34, was final seen jogging in a pink high and purple shorts round 4:20 a.m. Friday close to the College of Memphis campus in southwest Tennessee. Surveillance video confirmed her being compelled right into a black GMC Terrain SUV, based on an affidavit launched Sunday by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The kindergarten instructor, whose title is Liza, is the granddaughter of the late billionaire Joseph Orgill III, who ran Orgill, a significant distributor of {hardware} and DIY provides.

Police suspect Fletcher, a mom of two, suffered “critical accidents” in the course of the abduction. “There seemed to be a wrestle,” the affidavit mentioned, citing surveillance footage.

A pair of sandals – alongside Fletcher’s cellular phone and water bottle – had been discovered close to the location of his disappearance. The DNA on the sandals matched that of a 38-year-old man named Cleotha Abston, Memphis police mentioned in an announcement on Twitter. Investigators additionally tracked Abston’s cellular phone quantity and placement historical past, which positioned Abston within the neighborhood across the similar time the kidnapping occurred.

Abston was charged with “notably aggravated kidnapping and tampering with proof”, police mentioned. He was “behaving oddly” and “cleansing the inside of the GMC Terrain with flooring cleaner,” the affidavit states, citing statements from a witness and Abston’s brother.

They discovered Abston on Saturday night outdoors his final recognized handle, an condo complicated in entrance of which the SUV in query was parked. Abston tried to flee however was stopped by a staff of US Marshals.

Throughout questioning, Abston refused to inform investigators something about Fletcher’s whereabouts, based on the affidavit.

As an enormous seek for Fletcher continues, his household has provided a $50,000 reward for suggestions resulting in his whereabouts.

“We sit up for Eliza’s protected return and hope this award will assist police seize those that dedicated this crime,” Fletcher’s uncle, Mike Keeney, mentioned in a video assertion launched late Friday. The household couldn’t be instantly reached on Sunday night.

The kidnapping investigation isactive and continuous“, police mentioned. There have been 68 reported kidnappings or abductions in Memphis this 12 months, based on Memphis Public Security knowledge.

St. Mary’s Episcopal College in Memphis, an all-girls prep college the place Fletcher works, mentioned in an announcement on Twitter that Fletcher is a “beloved” kindergarten instructor.

Police have arrested Mario Abston, 36, the brother of Cleotha Abston, for drug and firearms trafficking, however they don’t imagine he’s linked to Fletcher’s kidnapping, based on an announcement.


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