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image source, Memphis Police Department
The body of the teacher was found this Monday in the back of an apartment. Eliza was kidnapped early Friday morning while she was running.
The kidnapping and murder of an American billionaire heiress has shocked the residents of the city of Memphis, Tennessee.
His name was Eliza Fletcher34, and her body was found Monday in the back of a duplex apartment near the community where she used to go jogging.
Authorities arrested a 38-year-old man named Cleotha Abston in connection with the case.
The now defendant served a previous sentence of 20 years in prison for kidnapping a prominent state attorney at gunpoint in 2000. He was released in 2020.
a primary school teacher
Fletcher was the mother of two children and worked as a teacher. She was abducted while she was jogging Friday morning near the University of Memphis campus.
Well known in the community, Fletcher was the granddaughter of the late Joseph Orgill III, a billionaire philanthropist and local hardware tycoon. His company is valued at more than US$3 billion and employs more than 5,000 people.
The family released a statement following the discovery of the body saying they are “heartbroken and devastated.”
“Liza was a great joy for many: her family, friends, colleagues, students, parents, members of her Second Presbyterian Church congregation, and everyone who knew her,” the statement said.
“Now is the time to remember and celebrate how special she was and to support those who cared so much regarding her.”
Kidnapping
Fletcher disappeared around 4:00 a.m. local time on Friday (09:00 a.m. GMT).
image source, Tennessee Department of Correction
A photo of Cleotha Abston taken in 2017. The man is now charged with kidnapping and murder.
Security camera footage from the area shows how a man approached her and a physical confrontation ensued between the two.
The kidnapper then forced her into a black van, according to police documents.
His family offered a $50,000 reward for information on his whereregardings.
Memphis police found the body Monday followingnoon. but at the time they did not offer details of their identity.
This Tuesday they revealed that it was the billionaire heiress.
The accused
At the time the body was found, Abston, who was arrested on Saturday, had already been charged with aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
image source, Memphis Police Department
A security camera caught Eliza exercising on Friday. The footage shows how a man forced her into a black van.
Now they have “added additional charges contra him for murder in the first degree and murder in the first degree in the commission of a kidnapping”police said in an update.
The man was arrested following his DNA was detected on a pair of sandals found near where Fletcher was last seen.
Agents also found a vehicle at the address where Abston was staying that matched the one shown on security cameras.
When US Marshals arrived at the residence the suspect attempted to flee but was later captured.
No details have emerged regarding the exact cause of death or the motivations for the crime.
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