Police investigate a Memphis park near the kidnapping location of affluent heiress Eliza Fletcher and claim they are searching for a GMC Terrain spotted driving away – while towing the family’s automobile.
Friday night, after the kidnapping of affluent heiress Eliza Fletcher, Memphis police scoured Overton Park.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, was taken early Friday morning while running near the University of Memphis. Police are searching for a GMC Terrain observed driving away from the crime site.
As they looked for evidence, investigators were spotted hauling an SUV from Fletcher’s residence.
The mother of two is a teacher and granddaughter of the successful hardware firm Orgill’s founder.
Her family is offering a reward of $50,000 for information leading to her safe return.
Police in Tennessee have investigated a park close to the location where a rich heiress was kidnapped and forced into a car, looking for clues in the perplexing case.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, was last seen running in Memphis at 4:20 a.m. on Friday, when a guy approached her and forced her into an SUV after a fight, according to police.
On Friday night, officers with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office spent several hours scouring a forested section of Overton Park, a massive greenspace located fewer than one and a half miles from the location where Fletcher was stolen.
While night fell, the search was called off as detectives apparently investigated a tip related to the kidnapping case, as reported by WREG-TV.
State police said late Friday that the suspect car in the case was a dark-colored GMC Terrain and released a hazy CCTV photograph of the SUV fleeing the scene of the murder.
State and local police, as well as the FBI, were seen inspecting Fletcher’s house in Memphis, which she lives with her husband of eight years, Richard ‘Richie’ Fletcher III, and their children.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, was last seen running in Memphis at 4:20 a.m. on Friday, when a guy approached her and forced her into an SUV after a fight, according to police.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office officers spent many hours scouring a forested section of Overton Park, a big greenspace less than 1.5 miles from where Fletcher was stolen, on Friday evening.
Friday afternoon, Memphis police were seen hauling Fletcher’s white Jeep Wagoneer from her residence.
This is the SUV police believe kidnapped Fletcher, a GMC Terrain with a dark tint.
Melanie Moon, a reporter, tweeted that Richie has supposedly hired an attorney while the hunt continues.
Police in Memphis were seen hauling Fletcher’s white Jeep Wagoneer from her residence.
Also labeled as evidence by the investigators were a pair of garden shears and a PC.
All evening, a substantial police presence remained at the family’s residence.
Liza Fletcher is a pre-kindergarten educator at St. Mary’s Episcopal School.
Her grandfather built the Orgill hardware firm, from which she inherits a wealth, but the family’s total worth is unknown.
Friday night, Fletcher’s family announced a $50,000 reward via Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those guilty for her abduction.
Fletcher’s family stated in a statement, “We look forward to Eliza’s safe return and hope that this prize will assist law enforcement in capturing those responsible for this murder.”
Eliza Fletcher, 34, is suspected to have been abducted, and law enforcement officials are at the site.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, is thought to have been abducted approximately 4:30 a.m. on Friday near the intersection of Central Avenue and Zach H. Curlin Street, where law enforcement personnel are conducting an investigation.
Authorities said that she was reported missing when she failed to come home from her routine morning run and her cellphone and water bottle were located in front of a University of Memphis-owned residence.
During the incident, Fletcher’s phone was thrown to the ground and destroyed. Fletcher was a fitness enthusiast who often jogged the same route.
The mother of two is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 137 pounds, and has brown hair and green eyes. Last seen sporting a pink jogging shirt and purple running shorts.
The kidnapped lady is the granddaughter of 2018-deceased hardware mogul Joseph ‘Joe’ Orgill III.
Adele, Fletcher’s mother, is the daughter of Orgill. According to the company’s website, their hardware wholesale family business, Orgill Inc., generates $3 billion in yearly sales.
Eliza Fletcher was taken on a jog near the University of Memphis campus around 4:30 a.m. on Friday.
Orgill is described on its website as “the world’s biggest independent distributor of hardlines, with annual sales of $3 billion.” The business is privately held.
The company employs greater than 5,500 individuals.
In a 2018 obituary published in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, a friend of Joe Orgill III described him as a mix between Bono and Mr. Rogers in the hardware industry. A reference to his charity initiatives and kind disposition.
In a short statement announcing the reward money in Fletcher’s case, the family stated, ‘We look forward to Eliza’s safe return and hope that this payment will assist in the apprehension of those responsible for this murder.’
Fletcher said on Instagram in February that she had visited the Orgill trade expo in Orlando, Florida.
Fletcher teaches pre-kindergarten at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, and she and her husband are members of the East Memphis Second Presbyterian Church.
Students were were informed via letter on Friday that a teacher had been abducted.
We have not shared information about Mrs. Fletcher with our younger students. According to Fox News, a letter from school principal Albert Throckmorton said, “We are supporting the older children as they absorb this news.”
Fletcher is with her eight-year-old husband, Richard “Richie” Fletcher III. The couple is parents to two children.
Richie, who has apparently hired an attorney, is employed by Venture Libre, a firm that specializes in “bespoke tailored storage solutions for adventure vehicles.”
A Facebook post on the school’s website in 2021 described Fletcher as someone whose “smile illuminates every room she visits.”
It said, ‘She is a kind and enthusiastic educator who is constantly searching for innovative methods to educate all students.’
The conclusion of the piece was, ‘She knows each kid on an individual basis and does whatever it takes to engage them about studying.
She will always be seen in the classroom praising both major and minor accomplishments.
She attended Hutchison School in Memphis and graduated with the 2006 class. Fletcher graduated with a degree in fitness and sports science from Baylor University. She earned a master’s degree in education from Belmont University.
Prior to joining the St. Mary’s faculty, Fletcher taught and coached soccer at the Promise Academy in Nashville.
A veteran runner, she qualified for the Boston Marathon. Fletcher completed the 2019 St. Jude marathon in 3 hours and 26 minutes, placing him 22nd overall.
Authorities have not yet identified a possible motivation or whether they think Fletcher was stolen by an opportunistic predator or by someone who had researched the young mother’s regular jogging path.
Friday about 4:30 a.m., a helicopter flies over the area where Eliza Fletcher, 34, is thought to have been abducted.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, is suspected to have been abducted, and law enforcement officials are at the site.
Friday sees a gathering in front of Eliza Fletcher’s residence. According to the police, Fletcher was running near the University of Memphis when she was pushed into a dark SUV.
The abduction of Fletcher has shook her neighborhood. A Facebook group titled “Eliza Fletcher Missing in Memphis, Tennessee” had more than 2,000 members by Friday afternoon.
She was brought to the vicinity of the University of Memphis. Sam Sparrenberg, a student at the school, told WREG, “My friend and I were among the first to see the police vehicles arrive, but we had no clue what was going on.”
He continued, “I’ve never heard of something like occurring before.” I have attended colleges. I have attended the University of Tennessee and the University of Mississippi; I have never heard of something like occurring.
In 2014, Fletcher married Richard ‘Richie’ James Fletcher III in a magnificent wedding with a mystical woods motif, as reported by Memphis Magazine. The bride’s profile describes her as “outdoorsy, sporty, and kind.”
Richie works for Venture Libre, a firm that provides “tailor-made storage solutions for adventure vehicles.”
According to photos on his Instagram profile, the family went on an extended vacation at the beginning of August.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the senior pastor of the church that Fletcher and her husband, George Robertson, attended characterized the missing lady as being “full of life.”
Robertson said, ‘She and her husband, Ritchie, are both quite involved and wonderful leaders within our church. They have two little boys who approach me every week to offer me a hug.
He stated, “She and her husband are both true role models in terms of their zeal for life and passion for running and sports.”
Robertson said that the pair has a “strong and abiding faith in Christ.” He said, “This is Ritchie’s current confidence.”
The Second Presbyterian Church said on their Facebook page that the church was available for prayer during the whole day.
Hart Robinson, a friend of Fletcher’s, told WREG, ‘You don’t want to hear that’s happening.’ We want to locate her.
Robinson said, ‘We don’t know what’s going on, but everyone is anxiously searching for her and the local police are on the case. You can see that there is a great deal of activity, so if you have any information or saw anything early this morning, please come forward.’
In a March 2018 Instagram post, Richie commemorated the couple’s eighth wedding anniversary by writing, “[Eight] years in the making with this blazing sexy chick.” It could not be any other way. Even if the stomach illness has infected our whole family.
A year ago, he said on Instagram, “Yesterday celebrated seven years of marriage to this beauty!”
He said, ‘Whether you had asked us in third grade if we would make it to seventh grade, we definitely would have answered no! We were evidently not informed that a good marriage would not be simple. Fortunately, we prioritized God/Recovery, were willing to believe in each other, and asked for assistance.’
He continued: “We are extremely appreciative to individual treatment, couples counseling, recovery, and our friends!” Sincerely, we would not have it any other way!’
Multiple arrests for alcohol-related charges, including public intoxication and driving under the influence, have been recorded for Richie.
The police have recognized the kidnapper as a guy, but no suspects have yet been found.
This year, at least 100 occurrences classed as kidnappings have happened in Memphis, according to publicly accessible safety statistics on the city’s website.