NEW YORK (VINnews) — Eliza Fletcher, the kindergarten teacher mother of 2 and heiress to a huge fortune who was abducted in Memphis last Friday, has tragically been found dead. Police did not describe the cause and manner of her death but have arraigned a suspect on charges of first-degree murder.
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The Memphis Police Department confirmed on Twitter Sept. 6 that the body discovered in Memphis on Sept. 5 belongs to Fletcher, who was kidnapped last week while on a jog.
Fletcher, 34, was abducted very early Friday morning. Police said at the time that security video showed that a person approached her and forced her into a black GMC Terrain.
On Sept. 3, Memphis police announced that a “vehicle of interest” had been located and they had detained its driver for questioning. The same day, Fletcher’s family members released a statement read by her uncle, Michael Keeney, and announced a $50,000 reward for her safe return.
“Liza has touched the hearts of many people,” he said. “The family has met with police, and we have shared with them all the information we know. More than anything we want to see Liza returned home safely.”
“We look forward to Eliza’s safe return and hope that this award will help police capture those who committed this crime,” Fletcher’s family said in a statement released Friday night.
Fletcher was the granddaughter of the late Joseph “Joe” Orgill III, a Memphis hardware businessman and philanthropist, according to news outlets.
Two days following her kidnapping, Memphis police announced that Cleotha Abston-Henderson, 38, was charged with kidnapping and tampering with evidence in connection with her disappearance.
Following the identification of Fletcher’s body, police said additional charges of first-degree murder and first-degree murder in the perpetration of kidnapping were added against Abston.
Cleotha Abston-Henderson
Abston has a long history of violent crimes. He was only 16 when he began a 20-year prison term for kidnapping another victim at gunpoint. Abston abducted Memphis lawyer Kemper Durand (now deceased) at gunpoint, threw him in the trunk of his own car and drove him around to various ATMs, demanding he withdraw cash, court documents show. Abston pleaded guilty in that case and served about 20 years of a 24-year sentence.
Abston’s criminal past began when he was even younger with charges that included aggravated assault and rape. Fox news reports that a juvenile court found it to be true that Abston, who is also known by the alias “Pookie,” committed a juvenile delinquent act of rape against an unnamed suspect when he was 14.
During an arraignment Sept. 6, Abston told the judge that he could not afford a lawyer and was appointed a public defender. A judge has set his bond for $510,000 and he is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 7 to be arraigned on the murder charges.
Just eliminate this piece of trash for once
When will Chris Wray and Merrick Garland finally tackle the WHITE supremacist problem plaguing our Nation??? If not now, when?!
Let him go. She probably violated his safe space and he felt threatened.
This was all just self defense and a misunderstanding.
This white privilege Maga supremacy is *really*getting out of hand.
Biden needs to immediately fund drag queens and antifa clowns. He can redirect the money from beat cop salaries.
watch this piece of grabage get off on a technically but if you dare even raised an arm the wrong way on Jan 6 locked up for life
May DC just as speedily catch and arrest the Me. Wolf murderer
I’m about to get controversial here. This murderer deserves the death penalty. No question about it. But, she should not have been out running at 4:30 AM. Again, he’s not justified. He’s a monster. But women need to realize that we’re living in a dangerous world. I’m not going to comment on attire as she’s not a Jewish woman and doesn’t adhere to our standards. But she makes herself a target. For the 3rd time; none of this gets him off the hook. But there’s an important lesson here. Feel free to down vote.
This is a city with a DemocRATic mayor of course. Vote DemocRATs
trayvon martin did it
If I had a son… Don’t wake up now, it has been over for a long time.