Eliza Fletcher Missing Case: Body of Memphis Teacher Found, Suspect Charged with First-Degree Kidnapping and Murder

Police announced Tuesday that a body discovered in a Memphis neighborhood on Monday was that of a Tennessee woman who had been kidnapped late the previous week.

In security footage taken early on Friday morning, Eliza Fletcher, 34, can be seen being dragged into an SUV while jogging close to the University of Memphis.

Eliza Fletcher's Body Found as Suspect Due To Appear in Court

According to authorities, 38-year-old Cleotha Abston, the suspect in the case, has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree murder in the commission of abduction. Even though no one else has been charged as of Tuesday morning, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis told reporters it was likely that more might be.

The chief stated that it was still too early to know how and where Fletcher passed away. Davis said, her body was discovered behind an empty duplex. According to a police report, authorities spotted tracks near the duplex's driveway and smelled something. Purple running shorts similar to the ones Fletcher was wearing were discovered nearby in a garbage bag.

Memphis' Shelby County district attorney, Steven Mulroy, announced that Abston would be formally charged with murder on Wednesday. On allegations of kidnapping, tampering with evidence, theft, identity theft, and fraudulent use of a credit card, Abston was in court earlier on Tuesday.

More than 20 journalists and relatives of Fletcher were present in the courtroom. A $510,000 bond was issued to Abston. Abston said he could not afford bail and legal representation. A public defender was chosen by General Sessions Judge Louis Montesi to represent Abston.

According to an arrest document, US Marshals apprehended Abston on Saturday after authorities located his DNA on a pair of sandals found close to the location where Fletcher was last seen. Abston was apparently in the vicinity at the time of the kidnapping, according to cellphone records.

Records show that Abston's brother reported seeing him acting strangely and using floor cleaner to clean the inside of his automobile. Police have also connected a person at the house where Abston was living with the car they think was used in the kidnapping, as per CBS News.

DA: Eliza Fletcher Murder Was "Isolated" Incident

When he kidnapped the young mother early on Friday, Abston allegedly committed what is thought to have been an isolated act by a stranger, authorities said Tuesday. A police department representative would not answer when asked about any significance or relationship between Abston-Henderson and the abandoned building near where Fletcher was located.

Investigators found no reason to suspect this was anything other than an isolated incident by a stranger, in accordance with deputy attorney general Steve Mulroy, who did not specify a potential motive. The suspect, who is scheduled to be arraigned on the fresh accusations on Wednesday morning, reportedly provided not too much information to the investigators. Fletcher's family requested that the general public and the media avoid intrusive questions and respect their privacy.

Abston-Henderson appeared in court earlier in the day on Tuesday, just moments after the Memphis Police Department confirmed that the body found near the crime scene late Monday had been identified as the missing teacher and young mother. He wore a green jail-issued jumpsuit, a white undershirt and a face mask as he appeared before the judge, Fox News reported.

The kidnapping suspect in the case of Eliza Fletcher, according to a former FBI investigator, had previously kidnapped the heiress's uncle's former coworker. Kemper Durand, a Memphis attorney who was the first victim of Cleotha Abston's kidnapping, worked at the same legal office as Fletcher's uncle, Michael Keeney, according to Jennifer Coffindaffer.

When Abston, then 16 years old, and a companion abducted Durand in 2000, they put him in their trunk and attempted to coerce him into using an ATM at a petrol station. After serving 22 years in prison for the offense, Abston was released early in 2020. Two years later, he was taken back into custody for the alleged kidnapping and murder of Fletcher, according to Daily Mail.

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