Loved ones gathered in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday, Sept 10 for the funeral of Eliza Fletcher, the missing jogger who was abducted and found dead earlier this month.
The service was held at the Second Presbyterian Church, where she married her husband Richard James Fletcher III eight years earlier on March 8, 2014. According to Memphis magazine, the church was the same location where she first met her husband.
The 34-year-old was a beloved kindergarten teacher, who was known for her "boundless childlike energy" at Promise Academy and later at St. Mary’s Episcopal School.
St. Mary's thanked supporters for the outpouring of love during what they called a "week of darkness."
"'Light and life' are at the heart of the St. Mary’s community, and so many people have borne light to us during the dark days of this past week," a statement shared on Facebook said. "You have strengthened us with your prayers, words of encouragement, and kindness. We saw the loving light of community today as we gathered for fresh air and friendship with our students."
"Thank you for the Light and Life you showed our community during a week of darkness," the statement concluded.
Her obituary described her love for teaching, saying: “As with everything Liza took on, she nurtured and cared for her students with her whole heart. A strong believer in the importance of personal growth, she was not afraid to be vulnerable. To the contrary, she embraced it."
After playing collegiate soccer for the University of Memphis, Fletcher was known by family and friends to have remained a devoted athlete, running marathons as an adult.
"She found great joy in her morning runs with friends. She channeled her competitive nature into enthusiastic participation in all that she undertook."
After the mother of two did not return from her usual 4 a.m. run on Sept. 2, Richard Fletcher reported his wife missing at around 7 a.m., according to an amended arrest affidavit obtained by NBC News.
While running near the University of Memphis, a black GMC Terrain passed Fletcher and waited for her to run by the SUV, according to surveillance footage. A man subsequently exited vehicle, ran aggressively toward Fletcher and forced her into the passenger seat.
According to the affidavit, the man stayed in the vehicle with Fletcher for about four minutes before driving away.
Police arrested Cleotha Abston, 38, on suspicion of kidnapping and tampering with evidence in connection with Fletcher’s disappearance. Investigators linked Abston to the SUV after a pair of Champion slide sandals were found near the scene of the abduction, the affidavit read. Cell phone records also placed his phone's location near the same site.
Authorities on Sept. 6 then filed first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping charges against Abston following the discovery and identification of Fletcher's body the day before.
In the evening on Sept. 5, officers searched for the 34-year-old near a vacant residence on Victor Street in Memphis, according to the affidavit. Officers discovered vehicle tracks near the driveway of a home and "smelled an odor of decay."
After searching around the residence, police found an unresponsive woman near the steps of the home that matched the description of Fletcher, the affidavit read.
According to authorities, an officer located a discarded trash bag in the surrounding area that contained purple Lululemon running shorts that looked like “the ones Eliza Fletcher was last seen wearing."
