Man charged over kidnapping of Memphis jogger Eliza Fletcher
Investigators searching for missing Memphis heiress Eliza Fletcher say they have found a body after carrying out a search of a wooded area near the home of suspect Cleotha Abston.
Memphis Police have not yet identified the remains.
Ms Fletcher, a 34-year-old mother-of-two, was last seen at around 4am on Friday when she was violently abducted while jogging near the University of Memphis campus, police say.
Police charged Abston, 38, with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence on Sunday and he is being held on $500,000 bond. He was expected to appear in court on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, officers from the Memphis Police Department were spotted on all-terrain vehicles searching a wooded area in south Memphis, about two miles from Abston’s home, according to WREG3.
Police say they identified Abston as a suspect after finding DNA on a pair of slider sandals that were found at the scene of the struggle.
Ms Fletcher, the granddaughter of the billionaire founder of the Memphis hardware business Orgill, remains missing four days on from her disappearance. Her family has offered $50,000 for her return.
Suspect in Eliza Fletcher kidnapping left sandals at scene of abduction
The suspect accused of abducting a 34-year-old teacher in Tennessee was identified with the help of DNA from sandals found nearby.
Eliza Fletcher, a mother of two and the granddaughter to billionaire Joseph Orgill III, was abducted during a 4am jog in her neighbourhood near the University of Memphis campus on Friday.
The Memphis police have arrested 38-year-old Cleotha “Pookie” Abston and charged him with “aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence”.
According to an affidavit, a pair of Champion slide sandals that were recovered near the spot of Ms Fletcher’s disappearance were laced with the suspect’s DNA. Her phone was also found with the sandals.
Read on for the full story.
Suspect in kidnap of heiress Eliza Fletcher ‘left sandals at scene of abduction’
Fletcher was abducted near her home in Memphis
Bevan Hurley6 September 2022 08:30
Everything we know about suspect in kidnapping of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher
The man charged with kidnapping Eliza Fletcher is a violent felon who spent 20 years in prison for abduction and robbery, arrest records show.
Cleotha “Pookie” Abston, 38, was arrested on Saturday and has been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence, Memphis police said in a tweet early on Sunday morning.
Read more on Abston’s lengthy criminal records below.
Cleotha Abston: Everything we know about suspect in kidnapping of Eliza Fletcher
Suspect in missing heiress case was spent 20 years in prison for kidnapping and robbery before being released in 2020, according to authorities
Bevan Hurley6 September 2022 07:30
Suspect stalked missing heiress for 24 minutes before abduction, police say
The suspect charged with abducting missing heiress Eliza Fletcher was seen stalking her in his SUV 24 minutes before she was abducted, police say.
Cleotha “Pookie” Abston has been charged with kidnapping Ms Fletcher, 34, while she was jogging near the intersection of Central Avenue and Zach H. Curlin Street in Memphis at around 4.20am on Friday.
According to a police affidavit, Abston’s GMS Terrain was seen on surveillance footage in the area 24 minutes before the kidnapping.
Footage then shows a man exit the dark-coloured SUV and aggressively force Ms Fletcher into the passenger side of the vehicle.
Suspect stalked Eliza Fletcher for 24 minutes before abduction, police say
Cleotha Abston’s SUV was seen on surveillance footage 24 minutes before heiress was abducted
Bevan Hurley6 September 2022 06:30
Everything we know about the kidnapping of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher
The desperate search to find missing Memphis teacher and business heiress Eliza Fletcher has now entered its fourth day – as a 38-year-old man charged with her kidnapping is reportedly refusing to reveal her whereabouts to authorities.
Eliza Fletcher, a 34-year-old mother-of-two, was snatched while on an early morning jog near the University of Memphis campus on Friday.
On Saturday, 38-year-old Cleotha Abston was arrested on suspicion of her abduction.
He was charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence on Sunday and is being held on $500,000 bond.
No motive has been given and there are no clues as to Ms Fletcher’s whereabouts.
Rachel Sharp has the full story.
Eliza Fletcher: Everything we know about the kidnapping of Memphis teacher
Three days after she was snatched and bundled into a car in Memphis, the mother-of-two’s whereabouts remain unknown
Bevan Hurley6 September 2022 05:30
Relative of the suspect claims Abston ‘100%’ abducted heiress
Nathaniel Isaac, 69 — an uncle of the suspect Cleotha Abston — has claimed that he is “100 per cent sure he had something to do with her abduction.”
In an interview, Mr Isaac criticised his nephew and highlighted his criminal history.
He said: “My whole f**king family’s wacky. They always have been. They’re not beloved to me because they’re nuts. It’s the truth. Go check the police records for the Abstons. You’ll find they’re all perpetrators of something. My wife’s son stayed locked up. Mario is arrested now for drugs and carrying a gun. And Cleo, I’m 100 per cent sure he had something to do with her abduction. Can I prove it? No.”
Meanwhile, police are still looking for missing Eliza Fletcher. And Mr Abston is due to appear in court today.
Maroosha Muzaffar6 September 2022 05:02
Kidnapping suspect Cleotha Abston facing new theft charges as police search continues
A man charged with kidnapping Eliza Fletcher is facing three new theft charges, as police continue to search for the missing heiress.
Cleotha Abston, 38, was charged with identity theft, theft of property under $1,000 and fraudulent use of a credit card by Memphis police on Monday.
Abston, 38, was arrested on Saturday and charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence in relation to Ms Fletcher’s disappearance, Memphis police said in a tweet early on Sunday morning.
Abston has refused to give police any information about Ms Fletcher’s whereabouts, according to a police affidavit.
Eliza Fletcher kidnapping suspect facing new theft charges as police search continues
Cleotha Abston is refusing to assist police find Eliza Fletcher, who was last seen being violently forced into an SUV on Friday morning
Bevan Hurley6 September 2022 04:30
Police find body in search for missing Memphis teacher and heiress
Police searching for missing Memphis teacher and heiress Eliza Fletcher say they have found a body.
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) said on Monday that officers had found a corpse around 5:07pm local time, though it stressed that “the identity of this person and the cause of death [are] unconfirmed at this time”.
Read the full story by Io Dodds here:
Eliza Fletcher: Police find body in search for missing Memphis teacher
Identity has not yet been established
Maroosha Muzaffar6 September 2022 04:30
Everything we know about suspect in kidnapping of Memphis teacher Eliza Fletcher
The man charged with kidnapping Eliza Fletcher is a violent felon who spent 20 years in prison for abduction and robbery, arrest records show.
Cleotha “Pookie” Abston, 38, was arrested on Saturday and has been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence, Memphis police said in a tweet early on Sunday morning.
Read more on Abston’s lengthy criminal records below.
Cleotha Abston: Everything we know about suspect in kidnapping of Eliza Fletcher
Suspect in missing heiress case was spent 20 years in prison for kidnapping and robbery before being released in 2020, according to authorities
Bevan Hurley6 September 2022 03:30
Suspect stalked missing heiress for 24 minutes before abduction, police say
The suspect charged with abducting missing heiress Eliza Fletcher was seen stalking her in his SUV 24 minutes before she was abducted, police say.
Cleotha “Pookie” Abston has been charged with kidnapping Ms Fletcher, 34, while she was jogging near the intersection of Central Avenue and Zach H. Curlin Street in Memphis at around 4.20am on Friday.
According to a police affidavit, Abston’s GMS Terrain was seen on surveillance footage in the area 24 minutes before the kidnapping.
Footage then shows a man exit the dark-coloured SUV and aggressively force Ms Fletcher into the passenger side of the vehicle.
Suspect stalked Eliza Fletcher for 24 minutes before abduction, police say
Cleotha Abston’s SUV was seen on surveillance footage 24 minutes before heiress was abducted
Bevan Hurley6 September 2022 02:30
Eliza Fletcher: Police find body in search for missing Memphis teacher
Police searching for missing Memphis teacher and heiress Eliza Fletcher had found a body.
The Memphis Police Department said on Monday that officers had found a corpse around 5.07pm local time, though it stressed that “the identity of this person and the cause of death [are] unconfirmed at this time“.
Eliza Fletcher: Police find body in search for missing Memphis teacher
Police searching for missing Memphis teacher and heiress Eliza Fletcher had found a body.
Graeme Massie6 September 2022 01:58