Memphis PD detain man in connection to abducted woman

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WSMV) - A man was detained by the Memphis Police Department after officials found a vehicle of interest to the jogger that was abducted on the University of Memphis campus.

While the man was detained, the jogger that was abducted, Eliza Fletcher, has not been located.

34-year-old Fletcher went missing early Friday morning. Police found her items, but didn’t find her.

MPD said she left her home on Carr Avenue and was abducted on Central Avenue near the University of Memphis campus.

Fletcher is 5′6″ and weighs around 137 pounds. She has blond hair and green eyes and was last seen wearing a pink jogging top and purple/blue running shorts and her hair was in a bun.

According to our sister station WMC, the University of Memphis sent students an alert that a woman had been kidnapped at around 4:30 a.m. on Central Avenue.

Officials were called to the scene around 7 a.m. Officers said the woman frequently jogs in the area, was approached by an unknown person, and was forced into a dark-colored SUV driving westbound.

Police said Fletcher’s phone was found smashed and the phone and her water bottle were found in front of a home.

Friends said Fletcher was known as an avid runner and is a mother of two children. She also teaches at St. Mary Episcopal School, where she teaches junior kindergarten.

Investigators with MPD used bloodhounds to search for Fletcher.

From Friday morning until the evening, investigators were in and out of Fletcher’s home on Carr Avenue and Central Gardens. At one point, investigators entered the front door with a riot shield, according to WMC.

One forensic investigator was seen carrying evidence marks and authorities left the home with a laptop and garden shears towed away in a cream Jeep Wagoner.

Copyright 2022 WSMV. All rights reserved.