(CNN) — A man has been charged in connection with disappearance of a professor from Memphis Investigators believe she was abducted while jogging Friday morning, police said.
Cleotha Abston, 38, has been charged with particularly aggravated kidnapping and tampering with evidence, according to a Tweeter from the Memphis Police Department released early Sunday.
“Eliza Fletcher has not been located at this time. MPD investigators and officers, along with our local and federal partners, continue to search for Ms. Fletcher,” the post read.
Fletcher, 34, was jogging around 4:30 a.m. Friday when an unidentified person approached her, police said. She was forced into a dark mid-size SUV and taken off the scene, police said.
Memphis police search for school teacher kidnapped while jogging early in the morning
Abston was arrested on Saturday after police found a vehicle they were looking for in the case.
“The vehicle of interest has been located and a male occupant of the vehicle has been arrested,” police said. announcement on Twitter.
Photos released by police show Fletcher running in the neighborhood near the University of Memphis. She was last seen wearing a pink jogging top and purple running shorts, police said in an alert.
Fletcher is white, 5-foot-6, has brown hair and green eyes, police said. She weighs 137 pounds.
The teacher’s damaged phone was found near the scene where she was allegedly abducted, CrimeStoppers executive director Buddy Chapman said, according to a press release obtained by CNN Affiliate WHBQ.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation.
We continue to ask for help from the community. If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, they should call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.
— Memphis Police Department (@MEM_PoliceDept) September 4, 2022
The mother-of-two’s family is offering a $50,000 reward through CrimeStoppers for information leading to an arrest in the case, WHBQ reported.
“We look forward to Eliza’s safe return and hope this award will help police capture those who committed this crime,” her family said in a statement shared by Chapman.
In a post on Twitter, St. Mary’s Episcopal School said Fletcher is a kindergarten teacher.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a tweet he assists the Memphis police in the investigation.
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