Eliza Fletcher
Teacher and heiress Eliza Fletcher was abducted while jogging near the University of Memphis and murdered. Cleotha Abston, who had a prior kidnapping conviction, was sentenced to life.
On September 2, 2022, Eliza Fletcher, a 34-year-old junior kindergarten teacher and granddaughter of a Memphis billionaire, was abducted while jogging near the University of Memphis campus around 4:30 a.m. Surveillance footage showed a man approaching her and forcing her into a dark SUV.
The suspect was identified as Cleotha Abston (later known as Cleotha Henderson), 38, who had previously served 20 years in prison for kidnapping a prominent Memphis attorney in 2000. DNA evidence from a pair of sandals found near the abduction site matched Abston.
Eliza's body was found on September 5 behind a vacant duplex in South Memphis. She had been struck in the head and asphyxiated. Abston was arrested the same day her body was found.
Abston pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, and rape in 2024 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case reignited debates about the parole system and women's safety while exercising.
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