Billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher found dead after being abducted during morning jog
The body of billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher has been found just a few days after she was kidnapped during a morning run in Memphis.
The Memphis Police Department took to Twitter on Tuesday, Sept. 6 to confirm the news, revealing that they found the dead victim “in the 1600 block of Victor.”
— Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) September 6, 2022
BBC reported that Fletcher was kidnapped on Sept. 2 during a jogging session in the morning. She was seen being forced into a black SUV near the University of Memphis in a CCTV footage.
A day later, the 38-year-old victim’s family released a statement with a $50,000 reward for her “safe return.”
“Liza has touched the hearts of many people. The family has met with the police, and we have shared with them all the information we know. More than anything, we want to see Liza returned home safely,” said her relative Michael Keeney.
On the same day of Sept. 3, Abston’s DNA was detected on a pair of sandals in the area where the abduction took place, leading to his arrest.
The police found a dead body in a vacant house on Sept. 5 and confirmed it was Fletcher’s on Sept. 6.
The suspect identified as Cleotha Abston has been slapped with various charges, including Especially Aggravated Kidnapping and Tampering with Evidence, First Degree Murder, and First Degree Murder in Perpetration of Kidnapping.
Abston was just released from jail in 2020 after serving almost 20 years “for kidnapping a prominent Memphis attorney in 2000 at gunpoint.”
According to BBC, Fletcher—a kindergarten teacher—was widely known in their circle. She was the granddaughter of the late Joseph Orgill III, “a billionaire local hardware magnate and philanthropist” whose firm “is now reportedly worth over $3 billion and employs more than 5,000 people.”