The abduction of Eliza Fletcher: Cops DETAIN suspect as vehicle of interest located but no sign of Memphis heiress
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Tennessee police "detained" a suspect and found the car they were looking for in connection with the abduction of Memphis billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher. Authorities have not released the identity of the person in custody. The Lakes at Ridgeway, an apartment building in southeast Memphis, had a significant police presence on Saturday night, September 3. A complex resident also claimed to have seen an ambulance on the scene.
Eliza Fletcher, 34, heiress to the billion-dollar fortune of her family’s hardware business Orgill Inc was forced into a black SUV on Friday, September 1, 2022, by an unknown individual. The Memphis school teacher went missing after she was abducted near the city university during an early morning jog.
RELATED ARTICLES
UPDATE: the vehicle of interest has been located and a male who was occupying the vehicle has been detained. Eliza Fletcher has not been located. This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.
— Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) September 3, 2022
Memphis Police Department updated people on social media and shared a statement on Twitter that reads, "UPDATE: the vehicle of interest has been located and a male occupying the vehicle has been detained. Eliza Fletcher has not been located. This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH."
A different resident shared a picture of the SWAT Team from the Memphis Police Department getting ready for a raid on the apartment building. The same resident claimed that the police and someone inside the apartment are engaged in a standoff. The activity is connected to the hunt for Fletcher, according to local police. This neighbor claimed that the police entered an apartment through the door and brought a woman, her daughter, and a baby. Ian Ripple of ABC24 reports that the SUV sought in connection with the case was discovered following a collision with an ATF vehicle close to the complex.
Fletcher's family, including her father Beasley, mother Adele, brother Gill, and husband Richard, as well as their attorney Mike Keeney, appeared on camera following the discovery of the car. In the statement, after Thanking the law enforcement for their search efforts, Keeney in the statement said, "We believe someone knows what happened and can help." Fletcher's husband lost control of his emotions at this station. A Memphis Police Department spokesperson told DailyMail in an interview that detectives were still trying to determine whether the male detained is connected to the case. According to the spokesperson, there won't be a press conference on Saturday evening.
As part of their investigation into the puzzling case, police searched a park close to the location where a wealthy heiress was kidnapped and thrown into a car on Friday, September, 1.
Fletcher was last seen around 4.20 am on Friday while out for a jog in Memphis when a man approached her and, after a brief struggle, forced her into an SUV, according to police. The latest developments took place after Fletcher's husband Richard "Richie" Fletcher III was spotted outside their home with others hours earlier.
Shay Arthur of WREG3 posted the family's statement on Twitter and wrote, "Family of Eliza Fletcher releases statement thanking community and law enforcement. Investigators say they have located a vehicle of interest in her disappearance and a man occupying the SUV has been detained. Eliza Fletcher has not been located."
The abducted woman is the granddaughter of hardware magnate Joseph 'Joe' Orgill III who died in 2018. However, it has not been confirmed who reported her missing. Fletcher's family announced a $50,000 reward through Crimestoppers for information that results in the capture of those accountable for her disappearance on Friday, September 2 night.