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Autopsy: Tennessee teacher died of gunshot wound to the head

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Posted at 7:14 PM, Sep 29, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-29 19:14:14-04

MEMPHIS — An autopsy report released Thursday said a Tennessee woman who was kidnapped and later murdered earlier this month died of a gunshot wound to the back of the head and blunt force trauma.

According to an autopsy completed by the West Tennessee Regional Forensic Center in Memphis, the Associated Press reported that Eliza Fletcher also had blunt-force injuries to her right leg and jaw fractures.

The kindergarten teacher was running on the University of Memphis campus on Sept. 2 around 4:30 a.m. when she was forced into a dark-colored SUV.

Memphis Police said the 34-year-old's body was found behind a vacant home on Sept. 5, the Associated Press reported.

Police arrested 38-year-old Cleotha Henderson, who also has gone by the name Cleotha Abston, two days before Fletcher's remains were found, The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported.

The news outlets reported that he had been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

According to the Associated Press, the autopsy report said that a shell casing was recovered from the area where Fletcher was found.