How was Cleotha Abston arrested? Additional charges explored as body found in Memphis is identified as missing teacher Eliza Fletcher

On Saturday, September 3, 2022, previously convicted felon Cleotha Abston was arrested by the U.S. Marshalls for the abduction and murder of a Tennessee heiress, Eliza Fletcher.

According to an arrest affidavit, Abston was apprehended after DNA detected on a pair of sandals found close to where Eliza Fletcher was last seen was confirmed to be his.

Police believe the vehicle used in the kidnapping belonged to a person at the residence where Abston was staying. The same car was spotted in surveillance footage of the kidnapping. Eyewitnesses also claimed that they saw Abston washing the insides of the car.

34-year-old Eliza Fletcher was brutally kidnapped on September 2 at around 4 am when she went jogging near the University of Memphis. Her body was found on Monday, September 5, almost 36 hours after Abston was arrested for aggravated kidnapping.

After Eliza Fletcher's body was recovered, Abston was slammed with additional charges of identity theft, theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card. Once the body was confirmed to be Fletcher's, authorities announced in a statement that additional charges of first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping were also being levied against Cleotha Abston.

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Cleotha Abston refuses to cooperate in Eliza Fletcher investigation

Surveillance video of Fletcher's kidnapping revealed her being targeted by a man in an SUV who waited for her and then violently forced her inside the car before driving away.

A search for the missing woman led to her body being discovered from where Cleotha Abston, the prime suspect, was last seen. Police have said that it is too early in the investigation to pinpoint where exactly Fletcher died and how she was killed. However, Abston's arrest affidavit concludes that due to the struggle, Fletcher could have "suffered serious injury."

As per authorities, Fletcher had no prior acquaintance with Abston, and the kidnapping and the murder were at random.

According to the police, Cleotha Abston refused to cooperate in the investigation and did not provide any details about what exactly happened to Fletcher. When law enforcement officials arrived at his residence to arrest him, he reportedly tried to flee.

He is currently being held on a $500,000 bond at the Shelby County Jail.

According to Fox 8, online court records do not have any information regarding a lawyer who can comment on Cleotha Abston's behalf. His arraignment was set for Tuesday, September 6.

Cleotha Abston has a previous criminal history of violent abduction, for which he spent 20 years in prison before being released in 2020.

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In brief, about Eliza Fletcher

Eliza Fletcher was the granddaughter of the late Joseph Orgill III, a Memphis billionaire who was a hardware businessman and philanthropist. A kindergarten teacher at St. Mary's Episcopal school, Eliza was married to Richard Fletcher and was the mother of two young boys.

Initially, while the search for her was still ongoing, her family had offered a $50,000 reward for any information that could provide law enforcement officers with a lead.