A body discovered during the investigation into the disappearance of jogger Eliza Fletcher has been identified as the 34-year-old mother of two, Memphis police said Tuesday.
Police had been searching for Fletcher after she was abducted while on a run early Friday morning, and previously charged Cleotha Abston, 38 with kidnapping and tampering with evidence in connection with Fletcher's disappearance.
Additional charges of first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping were filed against Abston on Tuesday, police said.
Officers had located a "deceased party" around 5:07 p.m. on Monday, Memphis police said in a statement. The identity of the person and the cause of death was initially unconfirmed.
Authorities have not yet released a cause or manner of death.
Police announced the kidnapping and tampering charges against Abston over the weekend after locating a pair of sandals near the site of the kidnapping that bore his DNA.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC News, a man inside of a black GMC Terrain passed the kindergarten teacher jogging along the street and then waited for her to run by around 4 a.m.
A man then exited the SUV, ran aggressively toward Fletcher and forced her into the passenger seat. The man remained in the vehicle with the victim for about four minutes before driving away, according to the affidavit.
"During this abduction, there appeared to be a struggle," the affidavit said. Investigators wrote in the affidavit a man on a bike found the victim's cell phone and a pair of Champion slide sandals lying in the street in the area of the abduction around 6:45 a.m.
Authorities filed the kidnapping and tampering charges against Abston on Sunday after confirming the DNA on the slides matched Abston's DNA.
Investigators also found that Abston's cell phone was allegedly near the site of the abduction, according to cellular records obtained by authorities cited in the affidavit.
Officers arrested Abston on Saturday after they located the GMC Terrain with a matching license plate number and damage to the rear taillight in a parking lot near Abston's residence, according to the affidavit. Abston attempted to flee when officers approached, but ultimately was taken into custody.
Two witnesses told police they saw Abston cleaning the GMC Terrain with floor cleaner and washing his clothes in the sink Friday morning, according to the affidavit. The witnesses said Abston was "behaving oddly" and "acting very strange," the affidavit said.
Memphis police told NBC News in a Monday evening email "the investigation into the abduction is ongoing" and that "once additional info is available, we will advise."
