A Memphis court has set bond for the 38-year-old man accused of kidnapping Eliza Fletcher, a mom of two who was dragged into a car on an early morning run.
Cleotha Abston’s bond was set at $500,000 on Sunday, which meant he’d have to pay $50,000 in order to be released. He has been accused of aggravated kidnapping and tampering.
He was apprehended by law enforcement agents on Saturday when U.S. Marshals noticed him around 10:45 a.m.
According to an affidavit for Cleotha Abston, two witnesses, including Abston’s brother, Mario, informed cops that they observed the suspect cleaning the interior of a GMC Terrain, which cops designated as a “vehicle of interest.”
According to the affidavit, the two further alleged that they observed Cleotha Abston cleaning “washing his clothes in the home sink” and that he was behaving “weird.”
Eliza Fletcher went missing about 4:30 a.m. on Friday at the 3800 Block of Central Ave. in Memphis, Tennessee, and was allegedly forced into a GMC Terrain after a fight, according to cops.
The GMC Terrain reportedly “passed and then waited for the victim to go past” before Cleotha Abston went “aggressively toward the victim,” according to video footage in the location of the kidnapping.
Around 7:45 a.m., she was reported missing. Officers got 2 calls on Friday, one from Fletcher’s husband, Richard Fletcher III, and the other from the University of Memphis.
According to court filings, the GMC Terrain sat in a neighboring parking lot for four minutes with the victim inside before driving away. Cops were able to link Cleotha Abston to the crime using DNA evidence recovered from a pair of Champion slides sandals left near the crime site.
Eliza Fletcher “experienced severe substantial injuries,” according to police, and “placed proof, such as blood, in the vehicle that the Defendant cleaned.”
Cleotha Abston is scheduled to appear in court at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Based on a Memphis Police Department representative, law enforcement officers were observed across Memphis on Sunday and conducted searches at “several” places.
Anyone with information on the kidnapping is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.
