Eliza Fletcher // 335
Explicit content warning
08/29/23 • 44 min
2 Listeners
In September of 2022, a well-known Memphis mom, heiress, and kindergarten teacher disappeared during an early morning run. As police scrambled to find a trace of her, disturbing surveillance footage was collected showing her abduction just after 4am. But who was responsible, and why did the crime occur in the first place? This is the story of Eliza Fletcher.
BONUS EPISODES
Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398
Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast
CASE SOURCES
1. Eliza's Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dailymemphian/name/eliza-fletcher-obituary?id=36442652
2. Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/eliza-fletcher-memphis-kidnapping-cleotha-abston-b2160090.html
3. Court TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UddUcSr69Ps
4. Good Morning America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwWRde-B5J0
6. Action News 5: https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/09/07/look-into-cleotha-abstons-lengthy-juvenile-record/
8. Nancy Grace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn5dneZGMfY
9. WREG: https://wreg.com/news/eliza-fletcher/what-we-know-about-kidnapping-suspect-cleotha-abston/
10. Memphis Magazine: https://memphismagazine.com/style/a-memorable-memphis-wedding/
12. Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2018/03/14/memphis-joseph-joe-orgill-iii-died-dead/425062002/
13. The U.S. Sun: https://www.the-sun.com/news/6163498/eliza-fletcher-posts-true-crime-suspect-cleotha-abston/
14. Action News 5: https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/09/05/new-charges-face-cleotha-abston-ahead-first-hearing/
15. Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/courts/2023/07/06/shelby-county-seeks-death-penalty-for-cleotha-abston-henderson/70387194007/
16. News 3: https://wreg.com/news/eliza-fletcher/suspect-charged-in-eliza-fletcher-abduction/
17. Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2022/09/07/eliza-fletcher-news-murder-charges-cleotha-abston/8009665001/
18. People: https://people.com/crime/eliza-fletcher-cause-death-revealed-after-t...
In September of 2022, a well-known Memphis mom, heiress, and kindergarten teacher disappeared during an early morning run. As police scrambled to find a trace of her, disturbing surveillance footage was collected showing her abduction just after 4am. But who was responsible, and why did the crime occur in the first place? This is the story of Eliza Fletcher.
BONUS EPISODES
Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398
Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast
CASE SOURCES
1. Eliza's Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dailymemphian/name/eliza-fletcher-obituary?id=36442652
2. Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/eliza-fletcher-memphis-kidnapping-cleotha-abston-b2160090.html
3. Court TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UddUcSr69Ps
4. Good Morning America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwWRde-B5J0
6. Action News 5: https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/09/07/look-into-cleotha-abstons-lengthy-juvenile-record/
8. Nancy Grace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn5dneZGMfY
9. WREG: https://wreg.com/news/eliza-fletcher/what-we-know-about-kidnapping-suspect-cleotha-abston/
10. Memphis Magazine: https://memphismagazine.com/style/a-memorable-memphis-wedding/
12. Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2018/03/14/memphis-joseph-joe-orgill-iii-died-dead/425062002/
13. The U.S. Sun: https://www.the-sun.com/news/6163498/eliza-fletcher-posts-true-crime-suspect-cleotha-abston/
14. Action News 5: https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/09/05/new-charges-face-cleotha-abston-ahead-first-hearing/
15. Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/courts/2023/07/06/shelby-county-seeks-death-penalty-for-cleotha-abston-henderson/70387194007/
16. News 3: https://wreg.com/news/eliza-fletcher/suspect-charged-in-eliza-fletcher-abduction/
17. Commercial Appeal: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/local/2022/09/07/eliza-fletcher-news-murder-charges-cleotha-abston/8009665001/
18. People: https://people.com/crime/eliza-fletcher-cause-death-revealed-after-t...
Previous Episode
Yuba County Five // 334
In February of 1978, a group of five men went missing in the lush wilderness of Northern California while on their way home from a college basketball game. After the snow melted in June, four of their bodies were recovered, scattered miles from their abandoned car. As for the fifth member of their group, he mysteriously vanished altogether. As their causes of death were revealed, police wondered what had driven the men into the forest in the first place, and why things unfolded the way they did. These are the stories of Ted Weiher, Jack Madruga, Bill Sterling, and Jackie Huett, and Gary Mathias, also known, as the Yuba County Five.
BONUS EPISODES
Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398
Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast
CASE SOURCES
1. Historic Mysteries: https://www.historicmysteries.com/yuba-county-five/
2. Strange Outdoors: https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/tag/Ted+weiher+death
3. The Sacramento Bee: https://www.newspapers.com/image/620944080/?terms=yuba%20county%20five&match=1
4. All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/yuba-county-five
5. Autobiography: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B09PR565KY/ref=atv_dp_sign_suc_3P
6. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/07/06/5-boys-who-never-come-back/f8b30b11-baeb-4351-89f3-26456a76a4fb/
7. Jack's Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74257245/jack-antone-madruga
8. Ted's Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170496384/theodore-earl-weiher
9. Jackie's Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154899123/jackie-c-huett
10. Oroville Mercury Register: https://www.newspapers.com/image/681872430/?terms=ted%20weiher%20obituary&match=1
11. Without A Trace: https://without-a-trace.com/2020/07/31/strange-stories-the-bizarre-case-of-the-yuba-city-five/2/
12. The Human Exception: https://www.thehumanexception.com/l/the-yuba-county-5-revisited/
13. The Human Exception: https://www.thehumanexception.com/l/the-yuba-county-5/
14. The Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/gary-dale-mathias
Next Episode
Oklahoma State Fair Murders // 336
In September of 1987, two sisters headed to their local state fair in Oklahoma to commemorate the end of summer. But after they failed to meet their brother at the prearranged time and place, they were reported missing. When their bodies were discovered weeks later, a local’s account would begin a lengthy battle to find justice for the girls. These are the murders of Lisa Pennington and Cheryl Genzer, also known as the Oklahoma State Fair Murders.
BONUS EPISODES
Apple Subscriptions: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-west-true-crime/id1448151398
Patreon: patreon.com/goingwestpodcast
CASE SOURCES
1. Lisa's Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/233002973/lisa-marie-pennington#view-photo=238007232
2. OKC Fox: https://okcfox.com/news/fox-25-investigates/state-fair-murders-the-30-year-old-mystery
3. Watonga Republican: https://www.thewatongarepublican.com/obituaries/state-fair-murders
4. Cheryl's Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/233002920/cheryl-ann-genzer
5. The Daily Oklahoman: https://www.newspapers.com/image/454821160/?terms=lisa%20pennington&match=1
6. Rhetty for History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF8ughL4bWg
7. The Daily Oklahoman: https://www.newspapers.com/image/452821529/?terms=lane%20henley&match=1
8. The Oklahoman: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2008/02/08/okc-slayings-suspect-hurt-in-fire/61636945007/
9. News on 6: https://www.newson6.com/story/5e35914fd41c957a5ef7b25f/parents-of-slain-sisters-still-waiting-for-justice
10. The Daily Oklahoman: https://www.newspapers.com/image/453903312/?terms=molly%20keahey&match=1
11. Tapatalk: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missing87975/unsolved-child-murder-lisa-pennington-t2799.html
12. The Oklahoman: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1990/08/29/charges-filed-against-man-implicated-in-1987-killings/62554088007/
13. Oklahoma Daily News: https://www.oklahomadaily.news/state-fair-murders-who-killed-cheryl-genzer-lisa-pennington/
14. The Daily Oklahoman: https://www.newspapers.com/image/453873711/?terms=douglas%20eugene%20lawson
15. The Daily Oklahoman: https://www.newspapers.com/image/452399094/?terms=%22doug%20lawson%22%20drug&match=1
16. Amy's Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/alamogordonews/name/amy-mirabal-obituary?id=7928341
17. Oklahoma Cold Cases: https://oklahomacoldcases.org/charlotte-kinsey/
18. KOCO: https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-state-fair-cold-case-unsolved/41415951
19. The Oklahoman: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/crime/2022/09/21/case-of-missing-girls-from-1981-oklahoma-state-fair-remains-unsolved-cinda-pallett-charlotte-kinsey/69506580007/
20. The Oklahom...
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