MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) A person is in custody for the kidnapping of Eliza Fletcher, WMC reported.
Memphis Police Department arrested Cleotha Abston, 38, in the Memphis Police Department and accused him of aggravated kidnapping as well as tampering with evidence.
“This remains an active , ongoing investigation” police stated on Twitter.
Abston refused to tell the police the location of Fletcher according to an affidavit. The police said that the evidence and the circumstances of the incident make them believe Fletcher “suffered an injury that was serious.”
Fletcher is 34 years old. She was out jogging on Friday morning , when a man confronted her, threatening her with an black GMC Terrain after a brief fight. Fletcher was found missing after she didn’t go at home.
The phone along with a pair sandals were discovered on the streets.
In the affidavit of Abston, the DNA of Abston was discovered on his sandals, and the investigators found surveillance video showing Abston wearing the sandals the day prior to the abduction.
Researchers used Abston’s phone data to establish that he was close to the spot where Fletcher was taken Friday morning.
The police interviewed a person who claimed Abston was at the house of his brother on Friday morning between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. The witness informed police that Abston had been “cleaning the inside in the GMC Terrain with floor cleaner” as well as “behaving in a strange manner.”
The brother of the suspect told police the police witnessed Abston being strange, and washed their clothes at the bathroom at his home.
The following morning, a U.S. Task force of Marshals went to the location and observed the vehicle as well as Abston sitting in the entranceway. Abston tried to escape but was resuscitated in the report.
Fletcher has a height of 5 foot and 6 inches tall and has brown eyes and green hair Police said. She weighs 137 lbs.
She is the daughter of her father, Joseph “Joe” Orgill Jr., who was a Memphis hardware entrepreneur and an philanthropist. Her family has offered an award of $50,000 through CrimeStoppers in exchange for information leading to an arrest in this investigation.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, disappeared around 4:45 a.m. on Friday. The police have found personal belongings however, they haven’t been able to locate her. (Source: WMC)
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