Smell of rot and decay leads police to the discovery of Memphis heiress Eliza Fletcher's body

Eliza Fletcher’s body was found here at this South Memphis home. (Matt Symons for Fox News Digital)

According to records obtained by The Post on Tuesday, Eliza Fletcher, an heiress from Tennessee, was discovered dead by a police search and rescue team.

Fletcher, of Memphis, went missing on her early-morning jog on Friday and was located by officials following a multi-day search on Monday.

Cleotha Abston, 38, was accused of her murder and kidnapping. In the affidavit filed on Tuesday, authorities described new gory details about how they discovered 34-year-old Fletcher in the tall grass outside a vacant property on Victor Street in south Memphis.

"The officers noticed vehicle tracks in the grass … and the officers smelled an odor of decay " according to the affidavit.

Following the scent, a police officer "located an unresponsive female lying on the ground."

Fox News has photos of the house and surrounding area where Fletcher's body was discovered.

Monday, authorities revealed the finding of a body, but Fletcher's identity was not confirmed until Tuesday. Her body was discovered more than three miles southwest of her Central Gardens residence.

"The scene investigation revealed that the female fit the description of missing person, Eliza Fletcher," the doctor said.

Following the discovery, law officers also discovered a garbage bag that "contained purple Lululemon running shorts that were consisted [sic] with the ones Eliza Fletcher was last seen wearing.”

The body of Fletcher was discovered in an area near where police believe Abston was seen cleaning out the GMC Terrain captured on security film of Fletcher's traumatic kidnapping.

She was abducted off the roadway around five miles east of her residence.

Abston, who had served 20 years in prison for a brutal kidnapping, refused to divulge Fletcher's location following his arrest.

Fletcher was the mother of two young boys, a kindergarten educator, and the granddaughter of a multibillionaire hardware manufacturing owner.

Publish : 2022-09-07 09:50:00

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