News

Ex-Con Busted In Hardware Heiress’ Disappearance Was ‘Weird Pervert’ Who Did Time For Kidnapping

Search still underway

   DailyWire.com
Memphis Police department

The Memphis man arrested in connection with the abduction of a kindergarten teacher and heiress to a billion-dollar hardware fortune served 20 years in prison for a kidnapping charge and was described by one neighbor as a “weird pervert.”

Cleotha Abston, 38, was charged Saturday in the kidnapping of Eliza Fletcher, a married mother of two whose abduction as she was jogging early Friday was caught on video. Fletcher, 34, is the granddaughter of Joseph Orgill III, founder of a multi-billion dollar hardware wholesaler. She has not been found despite an investigation that includes local police, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI.

Memphis police department

Abston’s DNA was reportedly found on a pair of shoes known as “slides” left at the crime scene, near the University of Memphis. His GMC Terrain also matched the vehicle seen in surveillance video, and Abston was seen cleaning the interior of the vehicle and washing his clothes in a sink shortly after Fletcher’s abduction, according to witnesses, one of whom is Abston’s brother.

A neighbor of Abston’s told The Daily Mail that Abston once asked her for sex and also propositioned other women in the apartment complex in which he lived.

“When women were around, he would sit in the truck and stare,” she said. “He was a weird pervert. He watched me come on the porch, then came up the stairs behind me and said, ‘I will give you $100 to f***.”

“Do you think I’m a h** that needs your money?” she recalled saying, adding, “He approached at least two other girls here with the same line, offering money for sex.”

On May 25, 2000, Abston kidnapped Kemper Durand, robbed him and forced him into the trunk of his car. After hours passed, he took him to an ATM, but Durand alerted a housing authority officer, prompting Abston to flee.

Abston is being held on $500,000 bond. Fletcher has brown hair and green eyes and is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 137 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink athletic top and purple running shorts.

Create a free account to join the conversation!

Already have an account?

Log in

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
Download Daily Wire Plus

Don't miss anything

Download our App

Stay up-to-date on the latest
news, podcasts, and more.

Download on the app storeGet it on Google Play
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  Ex-Con Busted In Hardware Heiress’ Disappearance Was ‘Weird Pervert’ Who Did Time For Kidnapping