Billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher found dead after violent kidnapping

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A body found dumped in Memphis has been confirmed to be billionaire heiress Eliza Fletcher, who was snatched while out on a 4am jog.

The 34-year-old, the granddaughter of a late Memphis billionaire, was violently kidnapped during the early morning jog four days ago.

Police in Tennessee confirmed today that a body located in South Memphis is hers. Officers found the body at 5:07 pm on Monday, after a suspect was already charged.

READ MORE: 'Body found' in investigation of abducted billionaire heiress who was snatched from street

“The deceased victim that was located yesterday in the 1600 block of Victor has been identified as 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher,” the force tweeted.

Authorities confirmed they have charged suspect Cleotha Abston with first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping against the suspect.

Abston has already served 20 years in prison for a violent kidnapping in the past.

The mum-of-two's body was found in an area close to where police say Abston was seen cleaning out the vehicle seen in CCTV footage of Mrs Fletcher's abduction, as per the New York Post.

The same title reported that Abston's own brother reported him acting "strange" in the horus after the abduction, scrubbing his clothes.

An affadavit also noted that the GMC Terrain had been spotted in the area she ran through, near University of Memphis, just 24 minutes before she arrived there.

The footage shows the vehicle pull up just ahead of the victim and a man getting out and running “aggressively toward” Fletcher.

“During this abduction, there appeared to be a struggle,” the affidavit said — warning then that Fletcher likely “suffered serious injury.”

Abston's DNA was matched to a pair of sliders left at the scene, reports stated.

Her phone and water bottle were found close by having been flung to the floor and broken, according to a report from Action News 5.

The victim's husband, Richard Fletcher, informed authorities that she had not returned home at 7am.

Mrs Fletcher, an heiress to a family fortune from the Orgill hardware company, was a teacher at St Mary’s Episcopal School as the institution released a letter to parents, stating that support for students was available in the form of counsellors and chaplains.

Headteacher Albert Throckmorton said while the younger pupils had not been told about the kidnapping, the school was supporting older students who understood the ordeal.

The support was offered before it was confirmed that the body was that of Mrs Fletcher.

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