As the hunt for the mother of two continues, Eliza Fletcher's family in Memphis issued an emotional appeal.
The 34-year-old mother of two from Tennessee disappeared after being kidnapped on Friday morning while out for a jog. After being discovered by police inside the black SUV they were looking for in connection with Fletcher's abduction, Cleotha Abston was charged on Sunday with exceptionally aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
Police Continue Searching For Eliza Fletcher
The mother hasn't been found yet. In the course of the investigation, a second individual was also accused; however, it's not currently thought that he has anything to do with Fletcher's kidnapping. Eliza is the granddaughter of Joseph Orgill III, the multibillionaire founder of the private family company Orgill Inc., and a pioneer in the hardware industry.
An amount of $50,000 has been given by her family as a reward for information leading to her whereabouts. According to a statement from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Eliza was forced into a dark-colored SUV at about 4:30 am when she was running on Central Avenue in Memphis.
Police reported that she was donning a pink running top and purple running shorts at the time. She has brown hair and green eyes and she is 137 pounds and 5'6" in height. Billionaire Joseph Orgill III, who founded Orgill Hardware in Memphis and now operates more than 11,000 retail locations across the country, was Fletcher's grandpa, according to New York Post.
On Sunday, police are conducting several searches throughout Memphis in connection with the disappearance of Eliza Fletcher. Police have seen surveillance footage that shows the brutal kidnapping, in which a guy fights with the 34-year-old kindergarten teacher before shoving her into a GMC Terrain.
On Saturday, they discovered that GMC terrain in Abston's house and detained him after he attempted to flee. Two witnesses reported seeing Abston acting very unusual and behaving oddly when he washed his clothes in a sink and scrubbed the inside of the GMC Terrain at his brother's house close to Pine Hill Community Center.
Fox News Digital saw the Memphis Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff's Office using ATVs, K-9s, and horses at a park near that community center on Sunday. The Memphis Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff's Office wrote that it was probable and apparent that Fletcher's injuries left evidence in the vehicle that the Defendant cleaned.
Two Suspects Taken Into Custody
Additionally, police surrounded the Lakeview apartment building where Abston's brother resides. The affidavit states that once Abston was taken into custody, he declined to furnish detectives with the whereabouts of the victim. He was accused of tampering with evidence and particularly aggravating kidnapping.
Abston was initially named as a suspect by police since it was claimed that he left a pair of sandals at the location of the kidnapping. The sandals had Abston's DNA on them, and security footage from the day before the kidnapping showed him wearing them, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The surveillance film revealed the car with damage to the back passenger-side taillight, according to the complaint, and footage taken 24 minutes before Fletcher's kidnapping provided detectives with a clear but imperfect picture of the license plate.
The affidavit states that a bystander on a bicycle discovered Fletcher's cellphone and a pair of sandals. He or she provided them to the victim's family, who then gave them to detectives. Detectives also discovered that a GMC Terrain was registered to a resident who shared a home with Abston. Finally, they were able to get his phone number, and records showed that it was in the vicinity of where Fletcher was taken at the time of the kidnapping.
Police were spotted later on Sunday afternoon at the Getwell exit on Interstate 240, close to the Memphis airport. It was unclear whether the police presence in the vicinity had anything to do with the hunt for Fletcher, but a police helicopter was circling overhead. Police did not confirm or deny it.
When the victim was 16 years old, Cleotha Abston was found guilty of kidnapping him, and she was given the whole term. In 2020, he was released. The suspect was described as a weird pervert" by Abston's brother's neighbors, who told the Daily Mail that he frequently ogled women and offered them money for sex. On September 6, he is scheduled to be arraigned on the accusations of kidnapping and tampering, as per Fox News.
@YouTube
