According to a recently published affidavit, authorities in Memphis, Tennessee, uncovered a pair of purple running shorts nearby shortly after discovering a body that was eventually recognized as abducted schoolteacher Eliza “Liza” Fletcher.
The briefs corresponded to the description of the what Fletcher had been wearing when her husband filed a missing person’s report for her on Friday after she failed to come home from a morning jog.
According to the complaint, as police were looking for the 34-year-old on Monday, they discovered a dead woman’s body on the ground after spotting car tracks in high grass next to a vacant duplex and smelling rot. On Tuesday, authorities declared the body to be Fletcher’s.
The St. Mary’s Episcopal School wrote on Facebook, “We are grieved by the passing of our wonderful teacher, coworker, and friend Liza Fletcher.” “Our instructors and staff began the day in chapel this morning. We lighted lights in Liza’s honor since she was a shining example of our neighborhood “stated the post.
Joseph Orgill III, a billionaire in the hardware industry, passed away in 2018 at the age of 80. Fletcher was his granddaughter. According to the corporation, Orgill, situated in Tennessee, generates $3 billion in revenue annually.
Authorities claim that about 4 a.m. on Friday, Fletcher was forced into an SUV by a man when she was running in an area close to the University of Memphis.
Investigators focused their attention on Cleotha Abston over the weekend after conducting a thorough search and inquiry. Abston is now charged with kidnapping and killing Fletcher.
According to court filings, Abston, 38, was detained on Saturday after investigators found evidence, including surveillance video of the kidnapping.
Mulroy stated on Tuesday, “We have no reason to suspect this was anything other than an isolated incident by a stranger.
The suspect is also charged
Following his arrest, Abston was accused of manipulating evidence and particularly aggravated robbery.
Prosecutors added accusations of first-degree murder, premeditated murder, and murder while committing a kidnapping on Tuesday. Wednesday’s arraignment for those charges is scheduled for Abston.
After Abston informed the court he didn’t have a lawyer or the money to post bond during his initial court session on Tuesday, the judge ordered a public defender to represent him.
Bond for Abston’s original charges was set at $510,000.
In addition, he is accused of crimes unrelated to Fletcher’s case, such as identity theft, theft of property worth less than $1,000, and fraudulent use or illegal possession of a credit or debit card worth less than $1,000.
These accusations are related to a fraud report that was made last week by a woman who claimed that her Cash App card and Wisely Card were being used at petrol stations without her knowledge.
The Shelby County district attorney and Memphis police have been contacted by CNN investigating the theft allegations.
After the kidnapping, witnesses claim the suspect was acting strangely.
Based on an affidavit filed on Sunday, police discovered security footage from the hunt for Fletcher that shows the instructor being passed by a black GMC Terrain as she was out for a jog at around 4 a.m.
According to the complaint, the video shows a man exiting the SUV and “aggressively” approaching the woman before shoving her into the passenger seat.
The affidavit claims that the SUV lingered in a parking lot with both people inside for almost four minutes before driving away.
A set of footwear discovered at the scene of the kidnapping was also subjected to DNA testing by police, and the findings confirmed that the DNA on the footwear matching Abston’s DNA, according to the affidavit.
Based on the affidavit, surveillance video taken from a nearby theater the day before Fletcher’s abduction shows Abston wearing what officials believe to be the same pair of Champion slide sandals discovered at the crime site.
According to the affidavit, investigators then looked at Abston’s cell phone records, which revealed that he was in the area of the abduction scene at the time of Fletcher’s kidnapping.
In addition to the tangible evidence, investigators claimed they spoke with two individuals who informed them Abston acted strangely following the kidnapping, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit claimed that after the kidnapping, Abston went to his brother’s house to clean the inside of the SUV and wash his clothing in the sink.
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