Thursday 8 September 2022 12:59 AM More than 1,400 runners will finish murdered billionaire heiress Eliza ... trends now
More than 1,400 people have signed up to run through the streets of Memphis at 4am on Friday - marking a week since Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped and murdered on her morning run, and completing her regular route.
Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher, was snatched at 4:30am while running through Memphis, and forced into a SUV. Her body was found on Monday, dumped in long grass near an abandoned house in the city.
Cleotha Abston, a 38-year-old career criminal who served 22 years in prison for kidnapping a lawyer, has been charged with her kidnap and murder, and appeared in court on Wednesday.
Fletcher's family on Wednesday released a video, showing the beloved kindergarten teacher addressing her pupils, in a tribute to her and her legacy.
In the clip, filmed during the pandemic, she sings 'This Little Light of Mine' to her students, and chats about her dog.
A group of Memphis women are now organizing a run to mark the week since she disappeared.
'We created this run as way to honor Liza and cope with our own feelings,' the organizers write on Facebook, adding that the 8.2 mile run follows a route she would regularly run.
'Our goal is to stand up for the women in the Mid South and emphasize that women should be able to safely run any time of day.'
Fletcher was last seen about 4.20am on Friday, when she was jogging (right) in Memphis and a man approached her and forced her into an SUV after a brief struggle, police said
Fletcher, 34, (pictured with her husband) was kidnapped after being forced into a black SUV on Friday. Cleotha Abston, 38, has been charged with her kidnap and is set to be charged with her murder after a her body was found in long grass against an abandoned house
Cleotha Abston, 38, appeared in court on Wednesday and could face the death penalty. He has not yet entered any pleas to the charges against him, which include murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence
A Facebook group has been set up to coordinate Friday's run, in Fletcher's memory
Danielle Heineman, a mother and keen runner, who is among the organizers, said that she was shaken by Fletcher's killing, and angry at some of the response.
'I think it's important for us to stand up, for the women in this community to stand up for ourselves,' said Heineman.
'We all just feel like we can't run alone, and we should not feel that way.'
She said some of the reaction bothered her.
'Why isn't she running on a treadmill? Why isn't she running after work? Women can't do that,' she said.
'We have jobs, we have families to take care of, and we have other commitments. Yet we have a right to be runners also.'
Heineman said the event was originally just a few friends, but has now snowballed.
'My thought was that a few of us would go out, and we would just kind of stand up for that right and say, you know what, I am running at 4 in the morning, and nobody is going to stop us from doing that,' she told Fox News.
'We have a very strong running community here in Memphis, and this just shows it.'
Danielle Heineman, a mother and keen runner, is among the organizers of Friday's run
Fletcher's family on Wednesday released a video showing clips of her teaching remotely during the pandemic
Fletcher taught kindergarten at St Mary’s Episcopal school, and filmed the video of her singing and talking about her dog
Heineman and the team emphasize that the event is not organized by her family or endorsed by them, and ask participants not to speak to the media out of respect for the family.
They are asked to wear bright colors, but not bring dogs or strollers to avoid disturbing residents.
On Wednesday the man accused of killing Fletcher, Cleotha Abston, appeared in court in Memphis, Tennessee, charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
The judge refused him bail.
Tennessee is a state with the death penalty, and prosecutors said that they were not ruling it out if he is convicted.
Abston wore a green prison issued uniform and a mask, and only spoke to his public defender during the short hearing.
Prosecutors would not confirm if he would be issued with any further charges, with the judge adjourning the hearing until Thursday.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy confirmed that the incident was 'isolated' and that Fletcher had never met her attacker before.
When asked whether Abston should have been released early after spending 22 years in prison for kidnapping a lawyer, Mulroy said: 'It's easy to talk about things 2020 hindsight.
'In this particular case clearly, he shouldn't have been on the street. Our office opposed parole at the time and in
