Memphis teacher abduction: Man detained, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (NewsNation) — New details in the abduction of Eliza Fletcher were revealed Sunday morning when NewsNation affiliate WREG obtained a copy of the police affidavit. The records portray the abduction as “violent” and “caught on camera.” Read the update here.

An earlier update of the story continues below:

Memphis Police said a man was detained in connection to the Sept. 2 abduction of Eliza Fletcher, who authorities said was abducted and forced into a vehicle while she was jogging near the University of Memphis campus.

A vehicle of interest was also found, police said Saturday.

Memphis police, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI have been urgently searching for Fletcher, 34, who was last seen at about 4:20 a.m. Friday.

Fletcher was jogging when a man approached her and forced her into an SUV after a brief struggle, university police said. She was reported missing when she did not return home from her regular morning run, authorities said.

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information on the case.

“We look forward to Eliza’s safe return and hope that this award will help the police capture those who committed this crime,” Fletcher’s family said in a statement released Friday night through Crimestoppers.

The mother of two is described at being 5-foot-6 and 137 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink jogging top and purple running shorts.

Fletcher is the granddaughter of the late Joseph Orgill III, an extremely wealthy businessman who owned hardware distributor Orgill Inc., a company worth an estimated $3.2 billion, according to Forbes. Fletcher is the heiress of the company.

Eliza Fletcher. (Courtesy of Memphis Police Department via AP)

Fletcher’s cellphone and water bottle were discovered in front of a house owned by the university, police said.

Authorities shared an image of the SUV believed to be connected to the case.

Lucas Finton, a breaking news reporter at Memphis newspaper The Commercial Appeal, said on “NewsNation Prime” that police gathered where the cellphone and water bottle were found.

Fletcher was a teacher at St. Mary’s Episcopal School.

“She was beloved on all accounts, working in the school,” Finton said. She was “very much well-known and loved within the circles around her.”

Tipline for Eliza Fletcher