Latest Eliza Fletcher kidnapping: Body found for missing jogger as suspect faces court

Eliza Fletcher’s family made a moving appeal to the public on Saturday to help find the missing heiress and mother of two.

Ms Fletcher’s distraught husband Richard Fletcher, her parents, brother and uncle spoke to reporters while announcing a $50,000 reward for information leading to her return.

“We believe someone knows what happened and can help,” Uncle Mike Keeney said.

“More than anything, we want to see Liza get home safely.”

Ms Fletcher, 34, is the granddaughter of billionaire businessman Joseph Orgill III, who founded Orgill Inc.

Suspect Cleotha Abston was charged with kidnapping and tampering with evidence, but refused to tell police anything about the disappearance, according to an affidavit.

The suspect accused of abducting a 34-year-old teacher from Tennessee was identified using DNA from sandals found nearby.

Eliza Fletcher, mother of two and granddaughter of billionaire Joseph Orgill III, has been abducted during a 4 a.m. jog in his neighborhood near the University of Memphis campus on Friday.

Memphis police arrested Cleotha “Pookie” Abston, 38, and accused him of “aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence”.

According to an affidavit, a pair of Champion slide sandals recovered near the scene of Ms Fletcher’s disappearance contained the suspect’s DNA. Her phone was also found with the sandals.

Read on for the full story.

The man accused of kidnapping Eliza Fletcher is a violent criminal who spent 20 years in prison for kidnapping and robbery, arrest records show.

Cleotha “Pookie” Abston, 38, was arrested on Saturday and charged with particularly aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence, Memphis police said in a tweet early Sunday morning.

Read more about Abston’s lengthy criminal records below.

Suspect accused of kidnapping missing heiress Eliza Fletcher was seen stalking her in her SUV 24 minutes before she was abducted, police say.

Cleotha “Pookie” Abston was charged with kidnapping Ms. Fletcher, 34, while jogging near the intersection of Central Avenue and Zach H. Curlin Street in Memphis around 4:20 a.m. on Friday.

According to a police affidavit, Abston’s GMS Terrain was seen on surveillance footage in the area 24 minutes before the abduction.

Footage then shows a man getting out of the dark colored SUV and aggressively forcing Ms Fletcher into the passenger side of the vehicle.

The desperate search to find the missing Memphis teacher and business heiress Eliza Fletcher has now entered its fourth day – when a 38-year-old man charged with her abduction reportedly refused to reveal her whereabouts to authorities.

Eliza Fletcher, 34, a mother of two, was abducted while jogging early in the morning near the University of Memphis campus on Friday.

On Saturday, Cleotha Abston, 38, was arrested on suspicion of having been abducted.

He was charged with particularly aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence on Sunday and is being held on $500,000 bond.

No motive was given and there are no clues to Ms Fletcher’s whereabouts.

Rachel Sharp has the whole story.

Nathaniel Isaac, 69 – an uncle of suspect Cleotha Abston – claimed he was “100 per cent sure he had something to do with her kidnapping”.

In an interview, Mr. Isaac criticized his nephew and pointed to his criminal background.

He said: “My whole f**king family is wacky. They always have been. I don’t like them because they’re nuts. That’s the truth. Go check the Abstons’ criminal records. You’ll find out that they’re all the doers of something. My wife’s son stayed locked up. Mario is now arrested for drugs and possession of a weapon. And Cleo, I’m 100% sure he has something to do with his abduction. Can I prove it? No.”

Meanwhile, the police are still looking for the disappearance of Eliza Fletcher. And Mr. Abston is due in court today.

A man charged with kidnapping Eliza Fletcher faces three new theft charges, as police continue to search for the missing heiress.

Cleotha Abston, 38, has been charged with identity thefttheft of goods under $1,000 and fraudulent use of a credit card by Memphis the police on Monday.

Abston, 38, was arrested on Saturday and charged with particularly aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence in connection with the disappearance of Ms Fletcher, Memphis police said in a tweet early Sunday morning.

Abston declined to give police information about Ms Fletcher’s whereabouts, according to a police affidavit.

Police search for the missing Memphis teacher and heiress Eliza Fletcher say they found a body.

The Memphis Police Department (MPD) said Monday that officers found a body around 5:07 p.m. local time, while noting that “the identity of this person and the cause of death [are] unconfirmed at this time”.

Read the full story by Io Dodds here:

The man accused of kidnapping Eliza Fletcher is a violent criminal who spent 20 years in prison for kidnapping and robbery, arrest records show.

Cleotha “Pookie” Abston, 38, was arrested on Saturday and charged with particularly aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence, Memphis police said in a tweet early Sunday morning.

Read more about Abston’s lengthy criminal records below.

Suspect accused of kidnapping missing heiress Eliza Fletcher was seen stalking her in her SUV 24 minutes before she was abducted, police say.

Cleotha “Pookie” Abston was charged with kidnapping Ms. Fletcher, 34, while jogging near the intersection of Central Avenue and Zach H. Curlin Street in Memphis around 4:20 a.m. on Friday.

According to a police affidavit, Abston’s GMS Terrain was seen on surveillance footage in the area 24 minutes before the abduction.

Footage then shows a man getting out of the dark colored SUV and aggressively forcing Ms Fletcher into the passenger side of the vehicle.