Memphis police arrested a suspect in connection with Eliza Fletcher’s abduction
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A suspect has been taken into custody by the Memphis Police Department in connection with the kidnapping of Eliza Fletcher.
Early on Saturday morning, Cleotha Abston, age 38, was arrested and accused of exceptionally serious abduction as well as tampering with evidence and forging evidence.
After going for a jog on September 2 at 4:30 in the morning close to the University of Memphis campus, Fletcher, a teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School who is 34 years old, was reported missing that day.
A guy discovered the victim’s smartphone and a pair of Champion slide shoes on the ground at around 6:45 in the morning.
The affidavit says that Abston’s DNA was found on the slides, and security footage from the Malco Theater on Germantown Parkway showed Abston wearing the same slides a day before the victim was taken there.
The police made contact with the owner of the cleaning business where they thought Abston worked, and the owner confirmed that Abston did work there and provided the police with his details.
Using the information from his smartphone, police say they were able to figure out that he was in the area of 3876 Central Avenue when Fletcher was taken.
A witness was questioned by the police, and she told them that on Friday morning, at ten o’clock, Abston went to his brother’s residence.
The witness reportedly told the police that they spotted Abston cleaning the inside of the GMC Terrain with the floor cleaner and that he was acting strangely throughout this time.
Abston was also seen by his brother washing his clothes in the sink of the residence, and his brother told authorities that Abston was behaving quite strangely at this time.
A team of United States Marshals went to the location early on Saturday morning and observed the car parked there, as well as Abston standing in the doorway. He tried to run but was apprehended, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, Abston refused to provide the police with the whereabouts of Fletcher. Based on the physical evidence and the facts of the case, the police say they have reason to believe that Fletcher “suffered significant harm.”
On September 4, he is scheduled to appear in court.
