A violent criminal suspected of abducting billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher had been jogging in the region where she went missing for over 30 minutes before to her abduction.
Following Fletcher’s abduction on September 2, authorities arrested Cleotha Abston, 38, on Sunday and charged him with exceptionally aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
The vehicle used in the kidnapping, a black 2013 GMC terrain, was seen on surveillance tape in the same location 24 minutes before the abduction of the mother of two at 4:20 a.m. in Memphis, Tennessee.
Unreleased surveillance video seized by police shows a man sprinting ‘aggressively’ towards 34-year-old Fletcher and pushing her into the passenger side of the car.
The automobile stayed in the parking lot for four minutes with Fletcher inside before driving away to an unknown place after the duo battled.
New allegations against Abston include identity theft, theft of property, and fraudulent use/illegal possession of a credit/debit card of $1,000 or less have also been filed.
In reference to the missing mother, officers have also searched Martin Luther King Riverside Park, a pond in the neighbourhood, and Pine Hill Park.
Just over two years have passed since Abston’s release from jail, where he spent 20 years for the abduction and robbery of attorney Kemper Durand in Memphis in May 2000.
Police tracked him down after discovering his DNA on Champion sliders and Fletcher’s mobile phone and water bottle left behind during the fight.
His bond has been set at $500,000, and it is believed he is refusing to assist with authorities and provide the whereabouts of the missing mother.
The police suspect Fletcher, a kindergarten teacher, had a “serious injury” at the hands of Abston and that blood was found in the car.
In 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, Abston appeared in juvenile court records for offences involving theft, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a weapon, and rape.
His 36-year-old brother, Mario Abston, was also detained on Saturday after authorities searched his house in response to suspicious behaviour seen by neighbours.
Officers discovered a semi-automatic pistol, a scale containing a bag of heroin and fentanyl, and he was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, and possession of controlled substances.
Abston informed police that his brother was using floor cleaner to clean the inside of his GMC Terrain and washing his clothing in the kitchen sink.
Police established that Abston’s phone signalled near the location where Fletcher was kidnapped and a neighbour verified that Abston was behaving “very strange.”
Over the weekend, officers hauled a dumpster near the Longview Gardens low-income apartment complex where Abston’s brothers reside.
At Abston’s last known residence, authorities discovered the identical black SUV with a broken taillight. According to the affidavit, Abston was standing in the doorway when police arrived, and he attempted to run before being quickly arrested.
Abston has not yet disclosed the whereabouts of Fletcher or what he did to her. The affidavit said that evidence, including blood, discovered in Abston’s vehicle led investigators to conclude that Fletcher sustained a ‘serious injury.’
‘The investigation into the abduction of Eliza Fletcher is still active and ongoing. Investigators are continuing the search and following all leads,’ police said in a statement on Sunday after announcing Abston’s arrest.
As they looked for the kindergarten teacher and mother on Saturday evening in Memphis, police were also spotted checking trash outside of a McDonald’s restaurant.
Fletcher’s father, Beasley, mother, Adele, brother, Gill, and spouse went on television with their attorney, Mike Keaney, after the finding of the vehicle.
They have offered a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to the safe return of Fletcher.
In a statement, Keeney praised law police for their search efforts and noted, “We trust someone knows what occurred and can provide assistance.”
At this point, Fletcher’s spouse got emotionally overwhelmed.
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 woman 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.
Orgill is described on its website as “the world’s largest independent distributor of hardlines, with annual sales of $3 billion.” The business is owned privately.
The firm employs more than 5,500 individuals.
Friday, police 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.
A neighbour characterised Abston as a “pervert” who allegedly approached her from behind and made a sexual suggestion.
He also sat in his black SUV and gawked at ladies going by or sitting on stoops, like he did to other women in the complex.
Latoya, a 35-year-old neighbour, said that the suspect had made sexual advances toward her and her 20-year-old niece earlier this year.
Latoya told DailyMail.com: ‘He kept waving me over to him and was like. ‘I’ve got $100.
‘He tried to catch my niece too, tried to get her to come into the apartment with him.
‘As far as I know, nobody here have sex with him,’ she said. ‘He creepy, he really creepy.’