Tennessee heiress Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped while jogging in the University of Memphis area on September 2, 2022. The person accused of kidnapping her—Cleotha Abston (38)—was identified via DNA found on a sandal.
Cleotha Abston Charged with the Kidnap and Murder of Memphis Heiress Eliza Fletcher – Served 20 Years for Kidnapping a Lawyer in 2000
As it would turn out, he had been in prison for 20 years on another kidnapping charge when he snatched Memphis attorney Kemper Durand. Fortunately for Durand, he was able to escape after a Housing Authority guard intervened and Abston fled.
Abston was later arrested and pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and robbery. At 16-years-old, he was given a 24-year sentence in 2001.
In the case of Durand, Abston forced the lawyer into the trunk of his own car. However, in the surveillance video of Eliza Fletcher’s abduction, she was forced into an SUV.
She was reported missing after failing to return home after her jog. Cleotha Abston was released in November 2020 and pretty much kept his head down in those two years.
On September 5, 2022, authorities announced that a body was found in the area after 5 PM. The body was later identified as Fletcher. Prior to the discovery of her body, the Fletcher family reached out to the public for help finding her and offered a $50,000 reward
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