Body of Eliza Fletcher who was kidnapped last Friday found in Memphis

Eliza Fletcher with her family
Image: Instagram/Eliza Fletcher

Eliza Fletcher, a granddaughter of a local billionaire, was kidnapped while on her morning run on Friday, 2 September in Memphis. Last night, the worst expectations of those who followed the story were proven true as her body was discovered dumped in the city. She was 34 years old and a mother of two.

The man suspected of the crime has been arrested. His name is Cleotha Abston, he is 38 years old. At 16 he was arrested and prosecuted for a violent kidnapping of a lawyer whom he had forced to withdraw money from ATM's at gunpoint. He served 20 years in prison for the crime. It is not clear if he knew who Fletcher was and if her social status had anything to do with his alleged choice to attack her. The evidence against Abston seems reasonably strong and with the criminal history he had - which included multiple assaults, allegations of sexual assault, etc. - in this author's opinion, it is highly likely that he is indeed responsible.

Based on available surveillance footage, it looks like Fletcher fought for her life, but fighting against a large male (and Abston does seem to have a strong build and is about 6 ft/1.8 m tall) she clearly did not have odds in her favor. One can only wish she had a weapon to deter or neutralize the attacker. One can only wish...

Once again, there are always two parties present at the scene of a violent crime - the aggressor (or multiple aggressors) and the victim (or multiple victims). Perhaps, in some situations - two or more aggressors, but that seems to be fairly rare in street crime situations. So when it comes to defending yourself you can never assume some third party will be there to bail you out. That is an important thing to remember.