Body found in search for missing Memphis teacher forced into SUV and abducted

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By Carina Murphy

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A body has been found in Tennessee after a wealthy Memphis teacher went missing last Friday (September 2).

According to a report by The New York Post, mom-of-two Eliza Fletcher was snatched during an early-morning jog last week.

Several days into their search for the missing teacher, the Memphis Police Department has announced that a "deceased party" was discovered in the area.

Both the identity of the body and the cause of death are still yet to be confirmed.

Fletcher, 34, is a married mom-of-two and an elementary school teacher. She comes from a wealthy family who found a private hardware company priced at around $3.2 billion.

Tennessee authorities have already arrested and charged convicted kidnapper Cleotha Abston after obtaining surveillance footage that showed him snatching Fletcher.

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Credit: Zuma Press, Inc. / Alamy

In the footage, Abston can be seen running "aggressively toward the victim, and then [forcing] the victim Eliza Fletcher into the passenger’s side of the vehicle," per a police affidavit. "There appeared to be a struggle," the document added.

Meanwhile, police have described the abduction as "violent" and said it is likely Fletcher "suffered serious injury" which "left evidence of blood in the car".

Authorities were prompted to view Abston as a suspect after a pair of sandals with DNA linking him to the crime were discovered at the scene.

Witnesses later reported that they had seen Abston cleaning the vehicle - a GMC Terrain - that he allegedly used to kidnap the teacher.

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Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

A body was then unearthed near an abandoned elementary school, less than a mile from the place where Abston was spotted scrubbing his car.

This is not the first time the suspect has had a run-in with the law. When he was just 16 years old, Abston was convicted of kidnapping an attorney - a crime for which he spent 20 years behind bars. He was not released until 2020.

On Saturday (August 3), authorities arrested the convicted criminal and questioned him about Fletcher's whereabouts. He refused to cooperate with police and was charged with kidnapping on Sunday (August 4). He is being held on a  $500,000 bond.

Featured Image Credit: Jack Sullivan / Alamy