Search for Eliza Fletcher ends after 4 days, Confirmed Dead After Being Kidnapped During a Jog in Memphis

The search for missing billionaire heiress and kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher has come to a tragic conclusion.

Police found the body of Eliza Fletcher, known as Liza, Monday afternoon in the 1600 block of Victor Street, less than a mile from where the man charged with abducting her is said to have cleaned an SUV used in the kidnapping.

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. A cause and manner of death have not been released.

She was abducted while jogging early on Friday morning near the University of Memphis campus.

DNA, phone records led to arrest of Cleotha Abston

Two days following her kidnapping, Memphis police announced that Cleotha Abston, 38, was charged with kidnapping and tampering with evidence in connection with her disappearance.

Abston was arrested after his DNA was detected on a pair of sandals found near where Ms Fletcher was last seen, according to an arrest affidavit.

On Tuesday morning, police confirmed the remains found were those of Fletcher and charges of first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of a kidnapping were added against 38-year-old Cleotha Abston. 

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.

Well-known in the community, Ms Fletcher was the granddaughter of the late Joseph Orgill III, a billionaire local hardware magnate and philanthropist. His company is now reportedly worth over $3bn (£2.6bn) and employs more than 5,000 people.