Who is Mario Abston? Cleotha Abston’s brother arrested as hunt for Eliza Fletcher picks up pace
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: The Memphis police have arrested Mario Abston, the brother of Cleotha Abston, who was taken into custody on Saturday, September 3, 2022, just over 24 hours after the mother of two, Eliza Fletcher got abducted from an area near the University of Memphis campus. Cleotha Abston, 38, the prime suspect in the Fletcher kidnapping case is being held on a $500,000 bond on especially aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence charges. The accused is going to make his first appearance in Shelby County, Tennessee, on September 7.
Speaking to Daily Mail, a woman named April, familiar with Abston described him as a sex pervert and revealed that he used to stalk other women around the apartment complex from where his brother, Mario Abston lived. Responding to the claims made by the woman, the Memphis police instantly investigated Mario’s residence where they found a semi-automatic handgun, a scale with a bag of heroin and fentanyl in his possession.
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As per the report by Daily Mail, the police have taken Mario into custody on drug charges. Mario, who was an aspiring rapper and goes by the moniker Yola Bizza, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin and one count with intent to distribute fentanyl. Police have even charged him with felony possession of a firearm.
Just like his brother Cleotha, Mario too has a long criminal history. "They're blood brothers from the same mother," April said. April recalled how Mario's wife, Nakita Dixon, overdosed last year while in bed with him. April allegedly witnessed the aftermath. "Mario's wife died in the same bed, and Mario's definitely going through something himself," she said.
Back in 2018, Mario was arrested for domestic violence, in which he was accused of brutally beating a woman and repeatedly punching her in the face. Earlier to this arrest, Mario was convicted of possessing an illegal weapon in 2007 and sentenced to one year in criminal court. Then, he was transported to Shelby County Jail for booking.
In the latest development of Fletcher's missing case, a pair of sandals left behind at the scene led the police to her alleged abductor, Cleotha Abston, who reportedly stalked her and waited for her to run past him on her morning jog before he could ambush her. According to the court records, prior to this arrest Abston pleaded guilty to the aggravated kidnapping and robbery of lawyer Kemper Durand in 2000. The court sentenced him to 24 years and 11 years in prison respectively but he reportedly served only 20 years in jail.
The officials have arrested Abston but still haven’t managed to locate Fletcher who is the granddaughter of late Joseph 'Joe' Orgill III, a hardware magnate. Fletcher was last seen at approximately 4.30 am, Friday, September 2, on Central Avenue in midtown Memphis before an unknown individual approached her and forced a dark-colored GMC Terrain. Fletcher is described as a White woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She is about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighs around 137 pounds. She was wearing a pink athletic top and purple running shorts, with her hair up and a matching headband. Anyone with information related to the abduction is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.