The body of a missing jogger Eliza Fletcher has been found in Tennessee
Eliza Fletcher, a 34-year-old woman, went missing after she was kidnapped from a Friday morning jog, and her body was identified Tuesday as the missing lady’s.
After Cleotha Abston was charged with a crime on Sunday, Memphis, Tennessee police revealed on Monday that a body had been found.
On Sunday, charges of kidnapping and tampering with evidence were brought against 38-year-old Abston. After the discovery of Fletcher’s body, further charges were filed, including first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping.
Separately, authorities say he committed acts of identity theft, property theft, and credit card fraud.
His bond was set at $510,000 after his appearance on Tuesday. After explaining to the judge that he was financially unable to retain private counsel, Abston was assigned a public defender. This Wednesday he will be arraigned on murder charges.
At a press conference on Tuesday, police said that Fletcher’s body had been discovered on Monday evening in an empty duplex unit on Victor Street.
Steve Mulroy, the district attorney for Shelby County, Tennessee, described the kidnapping as “an isolated attack by a stranger.”
Around 4:20 a.m. on Friday, someone reportedly approached Fletcher, a runner, kindergarten teacher, and mother of two, and forced her into an SUV, according to the police.
In a criminal complaint affidavit, it is stated that Abston’s DNA was found in a pair of sandals found near where she vanished.
The paper states that security footage from the area showed “a black GMC Terrain passing and then waiting for the victim to run by.” According to the report, a man got out of the car, went up to Fletcher, and pushed her into the passenger seat.
There “appeared to be a struggle” during the kidnapping, the paper states. The Champion slides sandals were discovered here. The car waited for almost four minutes in the parking lot with the victim still inside before leaving.
