Found Deceased TN - Eliza "Liza" Fletcher Abducted While Jogging Near University of Memphis #2

[Defendress]

https://twitter.com/RebeccaB_TV@RebeccaB_TV
#NEW: Cleotha Abston the suspect in the #ElizaFletcher case has a bond set at $500,000. He remains behind bars tonight.
@ABC24Memphis

He has a bond?!?

 

[vaporlass]

They picked the dumpster up this morning and took it away.

I think she means did the city trash pickup come and empty it before LEO got there?

 

[shefner]

I’ve seen various times of RF’s call - from 7:00 to 8:00 am
I’m still curious if he was stalking her since he seemed to be waiting for 20 minutes before she got there.
Any runners? It was 4.4 miles from her house to abduction point. I’m going to assume she normally ran 10 miles in training?!? How long does it take to run 10 miles? My Google maps gives WALK time at 1hr 35 minutes.
#GoogleMaps

An experienced runner could run 4 miles in about 20 minutes. That's a 5 minute mile. She might be able to maintain that pace for the full 10 miles although my friend who is a marathon runner says that during training, athletes will often vary their pace for conditioning purposes.

 

[Warwick7]

Law enforcement spent majority of Sunday in South Memphis. Police telling WREG that they got a tip to check out Pine Hill Park, prompting dozens of officers to fill the area.

A mile away from Pine Hill Park, officers were seen removing a dumpster from Longview Garden Apartments, which is where a relative of Abston lives.

Officers later returned to complex to conduct a manhunt but did not provide specific details about who they were looking for.

Despite officers stopping at several other locations across the city, Fletcher has yet to be found.

Search for Eliza Fletcher continues

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The search continues for Eliza Fletcher, the missing mother of two. From the sky to the ground, a massive search is underway across Memphis for Fletcher. “More than anything …

wreg.com

In you link up above it says:

"We believe someone knows what happened..."

Search for Eliza Fletcher continues

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The search continues for Eliza Fletcher, the missing mother of two. From the sky to the ground, a massive search is underway across Memphis for Fletcher. “More than anything …

wreg.com

 

[steeltowngirl]

Maybe they can get his brother to get him to tell where she is? If they were close, he just may be able to convince his brother to tell the truth and help bring her home.

That would be nice. If Pookie actually has a conscience.
Of which I am quite doubtful.

jmo

 

[Vegasgrl]

Over three hours unaccounted for. That's actually a very significant amount of time.

I'm thinking he made multiple stops before making the ultimate decision, so the phone/car data could be all over the place. This would explain the various search areas.

 

[MadMcGoo]

This just makes me sick to my stomach.

As much as I hate to say it, I can’t think of too many reasons he’d be cleaning the vehicle unless something awful happened in it. This really is what nightmares are made of. I feel for her poor family.

 

[redfishingirl]

I'm having so much trouble keeping up with this. Thank you for the timeline! I'm confused about the phone and slides being handed over (to a family member?) before she was reported missing. I must've missed something. Can you elaborate or point me towards this info please.

My personal speculation is that person was looking for her since it was shortly after she had been reported missing and found it, perhaps a location services pointed them in that direction and they knew it would be important. But why not just notify LE?
MOO

 

[TKG]

Sorry, maybe I am misunderstanding your post- the link you posted states the same as the arrest affidavit that informed the timeline posted upthread (that a citizen found the water bottle and phone, gave them to EF family, who then gave to investigators):

The UofM police said Fletcher’s cell phone and water bottle were found in front of a home owned by the university in the 3800 block of Central Ave.
The affidavit reports that a citizen riding their bike on Central Avenue near Zach Curlin found that phone and sandals. That citizen turned these items over to Fletcher's family, who gave them to investigators, according to the affidavit.

I apologize for the confusion, another member asked about the original source citing RF called LE at 7am and another stated 7:45.

We are on the same page. Just some clarity by an MSM for those that were wondering.

 

[kccorona]

My personal speculation is that person was looking for her since it was shortly after she had been reported missing and found it, perhaps a location services pointed them in that direction and they knew it would be important. But why not just notify LE?
MOO

6:45am (when phone and slides were found) was before she was reported missing.

Husband called MPD to report her missing at 7am.

Source: official arrest affidavit

 

[TKG]

My personal speculation is that person was looking for her since it was shortly after she had been reported missing and found it, perhaps a location services pointed them in that direction and they knew it would be important. But why not just notify LE?
MOO

Great point. Often people question themselves in these scenarios.

1. Am I making something out of nothing?
2. What if I call and this is irrelevant?
etc.
However, your point elicits some questions. I'm not sure I've read anywhere that the cyclist returned home and then they called LE. I went back and read it and it does in fact state that.
I'm sure as a loved one you're just reeling and unsure of what to do. You're hoping she just walks through the door to end the nightmare.

 

[gliving]

He has a bond?!?

Hopefully a cash bond.

 

[vaporlass]

I never thought of him as a 'sweet kid'. He's clearly messed up and is messing other people up. I was just differentiating him from a straight up murderer. BTW, I believe there are many, many Americans with firearms. Americans constantly tell me that it is a lifestyle and necessary. (I can't relate, but yet again I am willing to try to understand different cultures.)

I was being facetious. I’m just sick about this … but his list of opioid drugs on hand kill more than twice as many people in America than guns do.
Per CDC - 2021
Death by Gun: 49,000
Opioid Drug Overdose: 100,306

Drug Overdose Deaths in the U.S. Top 100,000 Annually

National Center for Health Statistics

www.cdc.gov

 

[redfishingirl]

6:45am (when phone and slides were found) was before she was reported missing.

Husband called MPD to report her missing at 7am.

Source: official arrest affidavit

My mistake on the timing of the report but same speculation. Hubby calls friends, can you help me look for Eliza? Friend finds phone and things, guves to family member, then report to police, because now they DEFINITELY know something is wrong wrong wrong.
MOO

 

[whitelilac]

Yes, I saw that. I was talking about other prominent dumpsters that would be between where the attack took place and the apartments. THOSE dumpsters.

Yes, that's been on my mind too.

Do you remember the awful Jasmine Fiore case, killed by her husband Ryan Jenkins, who then drove some 1000 miles and escaped to Canada?
He had stuffed her body in a suitcase and dumped it into a trash bin in an out of the way alley in LA someplace.

CA could possibly have done similar, dumped her poor body on whatever routes he took. He also had approx 3 hours before he turned up at his brother's place. Those bins and dumpsters may have been emptied before the search of the dumpsters LE have been looking at. Or not even emptied yet depending upon the schedules.

I don't see this guy being meticulous in burying or hiding a body. I lean to him getting rid of it quickly.
So hate typing that.

 

[kccorona]

My mistake on the timing of the report but same speculation. Hubby calls friends, can you help me look for Eliza? Friend finds phone and things, guves to family member, then report to police, because now they DEFINITELY know something is wrong wrong wrong.
MOO

Yeah, because of the short time between friend finding items and husband calling LE (15 mins) I wonder if when the friend found the items he called the husband and says “hey, this doesn’t look good, she’s not here but her phone is”… and then husband calls MPD. Very possible he didn’t wait until having the items in his hand to call LE given the short time elapsed between items found and missing person reported.

All pure speculation and opinion.

 

[vaporlass]

Everyone defines "long run" differently. For me, it is anything in the double digits (10+). Training, recovery, tempo, race pace and/or speed work would indicate pace. 4.4 miles would likely take her anywhere between 30 and 35 minutes at my best guess. 10 miles would have been 70-80 minutes.

She was well trained and I did not see a water bottle in her hand in the released photo. Her stride also did not look overly long, a bit more casual at first glance.

Edited to add quote from article:
Clears up who found what etc.
"The UofM police said Fletcher’s cell phone and water bottle were found in front of a home owned by the university in the 3800 block of Central Ave.
The affidavit reports that a citizen riding their bike on Central Avenue near Zach Curlin found that phone and sandals. That citizen turned these items over to Fletcher's family, who gave them to investigators, according to the affidavit."

Again JMO, MOO.

Thank you!

 

[crhedBngr]

May be overkill but this kind of timeline helps me to keep facts straight so thought I would share. Please feel free to let me know if any needs corrected. All of this is straight from CA’s arrest affidavit:


Friday 9/2

4:00am - Eliza leaves for run

~4:06am - surveillance captures black GMC Terrain vehicle in area of abduction and captured partial plate.

~4:30am - Surveillance video from 3876 Central Avenue showed a black GMC Terrain passing and then waiting for victim to run by. When she ran by, man exited vehicle, ran aggressively at victim and struggle ensued. Eventually forced her into passenger side of black GMC. Vehicle remained in parking lot for 4 minutes. Then drove away.

6:45am - citizen riding bike finds phone and pair of Champion slides lying in the street (area of Central Ave and Zach Curtain Street). Items turned over to EF family member, then given to LE.

7:00am - RF, husband of EF, reported his wife missing after she failed to return from her morning run.

7:50am - SA sees CA outside home of his brother (MA) at 1700 block of S Orleans Street aggressively cleaning/scrubbing interior of black GMC Terrain, reports he was acting strangely. Both SA and MA reported that CA also cleaned his clothes in the sink of this home.

Regarding the three-hour time difference, I have some questions about traffic in Memphis.

1. The initial kidnapping event took place at 4:30 a.m. (according to the surveillance video from 3876 Central Avenue).

2. He was then seen at 7:50 a.m. at the home of his brother cleaning out his vehicle.

Is traffic in Memphis on a working day heavy? Fridays in the metropolitan area where I live, especially on a holiday weekend like Labor Day, have heavily-congested freeways and streets. People may have been going into work early, so that they could leave early. Even with COVID, and people working from home, traffic may have been slow.

Even side streets (residential areas) can be crazy. He was disposing of evidence (including her, if we assume he had no help from anyone else), so I'm thinking he must have been slowed down somewhat by traffic.

If my assumption is true, then she has to be reasonably close to where she was taken.

JMVHO and thoughts.

 

[Charlot123]

A solid timeline that clarifies some previous discrepancies.

Phone and Water bottle given to LE by UofM police after they were found on a property owned by the University. A few subtle yet important differences. ABC Memphis timeline and updates

Luckily, there are other sources of evidence besides the sandals. By returning them to EF’s family and not straight to the police, this “Good Samaritan” has just violated the chain of custody. Who does it?

 

[vaporlass]

6:45am (when phone and slides were found) was before she was reported missing.

Husband called MPD to report her missing at 7am.

Source: official arrest affidavit

Maybe they had Life360 - but would it have told him exactly where her phone was before it was stomped?
I didn’t know it was a friend who found her items - I missed that or forgot it.