Eliza Fletcher, a teacher who went missing after being kidnapped off her jogging route early on Friday, has been found dead, police said Monday. Memphis police say they have not been able to identify the deceased person or determine what caused their death.
The body, according to police, was discovered at 5:07 p.m. local time.
Reports indicate that Fletcher, 34, was jogging early on Friday morning at around 4 a.m. when a man approached her and, after a brief struggle captured on surveillance camera, pushed her into a dark SUV. When Fletcher didn’t show up for work that morning, police were called.
The scene along Person is growing.
We’re still waiting to hear from Memphis Police. pic.twitter.com/D3o77kHCdy
— Bria Jones WREG (@BriaJonesTV) September 5, 2022
The abduction likely badly harmed Fletcher, according to an affidavit filed by Memphis police.
Cleotha Abston, 38, was taken into custody on Saturday in connection with Fletcher’s disappearance. At this time, he is being held on charges of kidnapping and tampering with evidence, both of which are considered to be particularly serious.
On Monday, Bria Jones of the CBS affiliate WREG-TV reported that there was a heavy police presence “quite near to where a dumpster was taken from outside Cleo Abston’s brother’s apartment” on Sunday.
Fletcher teaches junior kindergarten at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, a private, all-female institution in Memphis. On Saturday, the school posted on Facebook, “We join the Fletcher and Wellford families in praying for Liza’s safe return.”