Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Memphis police are looking for a school teacher who was abducted while out for an early morning jog

Memphis Police are searching for a school teacher they say was abducted while she was out on a jog Friday morning. (Memphis Police Department/CNN) Memphis Police are searching for a school teacher they say was abducted while she was out on a jog Friday morning. (Memphis Police Department/CNN)
Share

Memphis police are searching for a school teacher they say was abducted while she was out on a jog Friday morning.

Eliza "Liza" Fletcher, 34, was jogging around 4:30 a.m. when an unidentified person approached her, police said. She was forced into a mid-sized dark SUV and taken from the scene, police said, adding that they do not have any idea the direction the vehicle was traveling.

"When we arrived on the scene we were handling possibly a missing person," Memphis Police Major Karen Rudolph told a news conference. "After further investigating we found video that did show a black SUV pull into the area across the street here where the victim was taken."

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, the police said in an alert.

Fletcher is White, 5'6," with brown hair and green eyes, police said. She weighs 137 pounds.

The teacher's damaged phone was found near the scene where she is believed to have been abducted, CrimeStoppers Executive Director Buddy Chapman said, according to a news release obtained by .

Now, the family of the mother of two is offering a US$50,000 reward through CrimeStoppers for information that would lead to an arrest in the case, WHBQ reported.

"We look forward to Eliza's safe return and hope that 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, said Fletcher is a junior kindergarten teacher.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigationthat it is is also assisting Memphis police in the investigation into Fletcher's disappearance.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.