Eliza Fletcher disappearance: What we know on the day 4 of the search and about the arrest

Brett Barrouquere and Lucas Finton, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read
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UPDATE: Police have confirmed that the body of Eliza Fletcher has been found four days after she was kidnapped. Read the latest update.

The search for 34-year-old Eliza "Liza" Fletcher is in its fourth day and Memphis Police have released the affidavit in support of an arrest of 38-year-old Cleotha Abston on Sunday morning.

Here's what we know about Fletcher's disappearance, Abston's arrest and the search for her:

  • Fletcher was last seen at around 4:20 a.m., Friday, Sept. 2, jogging near the intersection of Central Avenue and Zach H. Curlin Street on the University of Memphis campus.

  • A GMC Terrain was seen on surveillance footage 24 minutes before the abduction.

  • A surveillance camera captured images of a man violently and quickly approaching Fletcher before forcing her into the passenger side of a GMC Terrain with passenger-side tail light damage.

  • "A male exited the black GMC Terrain, ran aggressively toward the victim, and then forced the victim Eliza Fletcher into the passenger's side of the vehicle," the affidavit read. "During this abduction, there appeared to be a struggle."

  • Fletcher's husband called police around 7 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2, to report his wife missing after she didn't return from her jog.

  • Fletcher's cellphone and water bottle were found outside a University of Memphis-owned house after she disappeared.

  • Investigators found a pair of slides at the scene. Police said DNA from the footwear matched Abston based on a sample taken after he was previously convicted of a crime. Other surveillance video showed Abston wearing similar slides days earlier.

  • Abston's cellphone placed him near the intersection around the time Fletcher disappeared.

  • U.S. Marshals found the GMC Terrain on Saturday at an apartment complex in southeast Memphis.

  • Neighbors reported seeing Abston cleaning the SUV with floor cleaner.

  • Abston was arrested

  • Police ended an interview with Abston still not knowing where Fletcher is.

  • Fletcher is believed to have been seriously injured during her abduction.

  • Since Fletcher disappeared, Memphis police and other agencies have searched Overton Park, Pine Hill Park, Longview Apartments, McMillan Street and Shawnee Avenue and an area near Interstate 240 and Mt. Moriah.

  • Abston spent just more than 22 years in state prison after being convicted of kidnapping an attorney. He was released from prison in November 2020.

  • Initially, prosecutors charged Abston with aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence. By Monday afternoon, three new charges were added — identity theft, theft of property ($1,000 value or less) and illegal use of a credit or debit card.

Eliza Fletcher disappearance: Kidnappings are rare for Tennessee college campuses. Still, MPD plans to boost U of M presence

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Eliza Fletcher disappearance: What we know from arrest affidavit