By Grandpeoples editorial team | Sep 2022
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Eliza Fletcher, a teacher, was abducted while jogging in Memphis last week. She was found dead Monday in the back of a vacant duplex in Memphis, around 7.5 miles from where security video indicated she was forced into an SUV early Friday, according to Memphis police.
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According to an affidavit filed Sunday, Fletcher's husband alerted police Friday morning that she hadn't returned after her early morning exercise.
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Somebody spotted her phone on Central Avenue that morning and brought it to one of Fletcher's relatives, who gave it to investigators, according to the affidavit.
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According to the affidavit, police subsequently discovered surveillance footage of the area, which shows a black GMC Terrain pass by her. According to the affidavit, a male is seen in the video stepping out of the SUV and "aggressively" running at her before forcing her into the vehicle's passenger seat.
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According to the affidavit, the SUV waited in a parking lot for around four minutes after both people were inside before driving away.
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Authorities also examined a pair of sandals discovered near the victim's phone at the abduction site. The DNA found on the shoes matched Abston's DNA, according to the affidavit.
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Based on the affidavit, surveillance video from a local theatre the day before Fletcher's abduction showed Abston wearing what officials believe are the same pair of Champion slide sandals found at the crime scene.
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According to the court record, authorities discovered Abston's apartment by researching his utilities, which were registered in the name of a woman who owned a GMC Terrain.