SERIAL BEHAVIOR

Eliza Fletcher’s Alleged Murderer Charged for a 2021 Kidnapping After DNA Match

The match was revealed after police finally tested the DNA collected in the 2021 kidnapping and sexual-assault case.

The suspect arrested in the murder of Eliza Fletcher has been indicted in a separate kidnapping and sexual assault case from 2021—uncovered only after authorities finally tested his DNA in the case. Cleotha Henderson, 38, had the charges added on Thursday and was rebooked in jail on Friday, according to the Commercial Appeal. The DNA from the 2021 case was matched with Henderson’s after it was entered into a national database, a fact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported to the Memphis Police Department. Details surrounding the non-Fletcher case are sparse, though the charges are dated as Sept. 21, 2021, according to the Appeal. Henderson was arrested on Sept. 3 in connection with Fletcher’s death and the slain Memphis teacher’s body was found a few days later.