Man charged with murder and kidnapping of missing school teacher (includes video story)

Yesterday morning the body of missing school teacher Eliza Fletcher was positively identified. The corpse was found seven miles from where she was abducted on Friday morning during a run.

Police arrested Cleotha Abston and charged him with first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping. His bail is set at $500,000 due to a past kidnapping conviction that kept him in jail for 20 years.

“While the outcome of this investigation is not what we hoped for, we are nonetheless pleased to remove this dangerous predator from the street of Memphis,” said Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn Davis. 

The murder of Fletcher is believed to be an isolated attack on a stranger. She is survived by her husband and two young children, along with her parents. 

Daisy is majoring in Broadcast Media and Communications and will be graduating in December. She works at WPLG as a floor director and aspires to be a reporter once she graduates.

Amanda Milian is a senior at Florida International University majoring in Digital Broadcasting. She enjoys educating the future broadcasters of America, watching college football and baseball and expanding her knowledge in the realm of communications and broadcasting. Amanda hopes to someday be an anchor on Good Morning America and looks forward to the path ahead of her in broadcast journalism.