New details are emerging about the frantic search for a missing Tennessee mother who was reportedly abducted early Friday.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher was abducted around 4:40 a.m. Friday while out for her regular run near the University of Memphis.
Fletcher is a married mother of two and a schoolteacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School.
Overnight, crews spent several hours scouring a park in Memphis, according to News Channel 3. Volunteers associated with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office searched a wooded section of Overton Park late Friday in connection with Fletcher’s disappearance, and K-9s were used in the effort, ABC 24 reports.
It is not clear if a specific lead prompted the park search or what, if anything, may have been found.
The park is located about 1.3 miles from Fletcher’s residence on Carr Avenue.
Earlier Friday, local, state, and federal authorities, including the FBI, were seen removing items from Fletcher’s home and also towed away a light-colored SUV. A computer and lawn shears appeared to be among the items collected as evidence.
NOW: Law enforcement officers are starting to clear Overton Park after investigating a tip regarding the disappearance of 34yo Eliza Fletcher.
Despite the rumors, MPD tells us no arrests have been made so far in the abduction case. @3onyourside pic.twitter.com/OZbmsfXsbs
— Bria Jones (@BriaJonesTV) September 3, 2022
Surveillance cameras captured video of Fletcher running in a pink jogging top and purple shorts at Central Avenue and Zach Curlin Street, where investigators believe she encountered an unknown male and was forced into a dark-colored vehicle, believed to be a GMC Terrain.
Fletcher’s damaged cell phone and a water bottle were found in front of a home along Central Avenue.
Fletcher’s husband reportedly alerted police that his wife did not come home from the early morning run, prompting the intense search effort.
Investigators believe Liza’s abductors were in this vehicle. Do you recognize it?
If you do or you have information about Liza? Call MPD at 901-528-CASH (2274), 901-545- COPS (2677), or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/jPQXs8UGDz— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) September 2, 2022
Fletcher and her husband, Richard James Fletcher III, were married in 2014. Her grandfather is the founder of Orgill Inc., a hardware distribution business that does about $3 billion in sales each year, according to its website. The family is offering $50,000 for information that leads to her recovery.
“We don’t know what’s going on, but everybody is desperately looking for her and the police here are on it,” Hart Robinson, Fletcher’s friend, told WREG-TV. “You can see there is a lot of activity, so if you know anything or saw anything early this morning, we just ask that you come forward. We want to find her.”
Fletcher is described as 5-foot-6 and weighs about 137 pounds. She has blondish-brown hair and green eyes. As of midnight Saturday, no arrests had been made in connection with Fletcher’s disappearance.
To report information about the case or Fletcher’s whereabouts, call 901-528-CASH or 1-800-TBI-FIND.
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[Featured image via TBI]
