The Disappearance of Gretchen Fleming

EARLY LIFE:

Gretchen Fleming was calved connected December 24, 1994, successful Warrenton, Virginia. Her parents divorced erstwhile she was child, with her and her sister surviving full-time with their father, David, successful Parkersburg, West Virginia. When she was astir 14 years old, Gretchen’s begetter met and joined a pistillate named Jennifer, who became her stepmother. She had 2 twins from a erstwhile relationship, and it wasn’t agelong earlier she and David had a kid of their own.

Growing up, Gretchen was precise adjacent to her father, with David saying they had an unfastened enactment of communication. She was described arsenic a escaped tone who was precise progressive successful extracurriculars, whether that beryllium clubs, sports oregon church. She was besides known to beryllium an avid reader, with a passionateness for music, penning and travel.

Following her graduation from Parkersburg High School, Gretchen wasn’t definite what she wanted to bash with her life. She moved to North Carolina, wherever she studied Political Science astatine assemblage and held down a mates of unusual jobs. She yet met idiosyncratic and moved to Charleston, wherever she lived for astir a twelvemonth earlier they went their abstracted ways.

According to her family, the breakup enactment Gretchen successful a atrocious place, a feeling lone made worse by the decease of her parent astir the aforesaid time. She subsequently returned to West Virginia, wherever she moved successful to her grandparents location successful Vienna, adjacent Parkersburg. She got a occupation astatine the H&M store successful Grand Central Mall, with aspirations of perchance becoming a formation attendant.

DISAPPEARANCE:

On December 11, 2022, Gretchen’s grandmother, Louise, went to Jennifer and David’s location to archer them she was disquieted astir her granddaughter, whom she seen oregon spoken to since December 3. She said she’d dropped the 27-year-old disconnected astatine enactment that afternoon, astatine which constituent Gretchen told her she wouldn’t beryllium location that night, arsenic she was readying connected going retired with friends aft her shift.

Initially, Louise wasn’t disquieted erstwhile she hadn’t heard from Gretchen successful the days that followed, arsenic it was communal for her to sofa surf with friends for days astatine a time. However, erstwhile it had been a week with nary communication, she knew thing was wrong. This feeling was lone further elevated erstwhile David and Jennifer couldn’t scope their daughter.

The brace decided to thrust astir Parkersburg and sojourn section bars, hoping there’d beryllium idiosyncratic who recalled seeing Gretchen the nighttime of December 3. When they visited the Front Row sports barroom astatine 4000 Emerson Avenue, they met a bartender who recalled seeing her that evening. What’s more, she said a person had dropped disconnected Gretchen’s purse, which inactive contained her cellphone, her debit and recognition cards, her ID and her tablet. The bartender besides said she’d near with a man.

After moving into immoderate of her friends, Gretchen’s parents learned she’d gone to My Way Lounge connected Juliana Street aft her clip astatine Front Row. The brace drove to the establishment, wherever a DJ said he’d seen her determination with a antheral named John.

When they returned home, David and Jennifer charged her cellphone and saw the past clip she had immoderate connection with idiosyncratic was December 3. They past started calling her contacts, asking if anyone had seen her since that night, but came up empty.

On December 12, 2022, the brace filed a missing person’s study with the Parkersburg Police Department.

INVESTIGATION:

Right disconnected the bat, the Parkersburg Police Department took Gretchen’s disappearance seriously. They kicked disconnected their probe by calling section hospitals and shelters, and they checked their ain systems to spot if officers had travel into interaction with her.

The authorities besides posted astir the lawsuit connected societal media, prompting John to interaction them. According to him, helium and Gretchen had begun their nighttime astatine Front Row, aft which she suggested they caput to My Way Lounge for karaoke.

Later that night, helium went to look for her successful the establishment, but couldn’t find her. This prompted him to look astir the contiguous downtown area. When helium couldn’t find her, helium returned to the lounge to spot if she was there. Unable to find Gretchen, John returned to his residence.

He returned to Front Row the adjacent day, arsenic the 27-year-old had near her purse successful his car and helium figured she’d instrumentality to the sports barroom to cod it, arsenic it was 1 of her favourite spots to frequent.

Investigators saw however acrophobic John was for Gretchen’s wellbeing, noting that helium felt atrocious due to the fact that he’d been the 1 to instrumentality her to My Way Lounge. Given this and however cooperative he’s been, neither they, nor Gretchen’s parents, judge helium had immoderate engagement successful her disappearance.

On December 13, 2022, the owners of My Way Lounge contacted David to accidental they’d collected surveillance footage from the nighttime Gretchen was determination and that helium was much than invited to presumption it. It showed Gretchen sitting astatine the extremity of the barroom alone, portion John was a fewer seats implicit talking to different radical of people.

At immoderate point, a antheral with achromatic hairsbreadth walked retired of the gambling country and approached her. The brace past went backmost into the room, wherever they spent astir 30 minutes. It was noted the 27-year-old appeared to beryllium heavy intoxicated by this constituent successful the night.

Gretchen and the antheral yet near the lounge together, portion John was successful the bathroom, and headed toward the bluish parking lot, which is retired of scope of the cameras. The adjacent happening the surveillance strategy caught was a Black Nissan Rogue sports SUV driving away. The conveyance had a missing licence plate, a Pittsburgh Penguins licence sheet cover, an “OBX” sticker connected the precocious close broadside of the backmost model and Darth Vader stickers connected some sides.

The owners of My Way Lounge were capable to place the idiosyncratic seen leaving with Gretchen arsenic Preston Pierce. It’s since been reported by section quality stations that the 55-year-old, who utilized to spell by the sanction Darrell Lott, is simply a erstwhile instrumentality enforcement serviceman whose vocation spanned 12 years. He’d worked astatine assorted constabulary departments crossed West Virginia, the past successful Barbour County, and had since obtained employment arsenic a nutrient transportation driver.

Having gotten the surveillance footage themselves, investigators brought Pierce successful for questioning the pursuing day. While helium admitted to speaking with Gretchen and offering her a ride, helium said he’d dropped her disconnected downtown.

Upon learning that Gretchen whitethorn person been dropped disconnected successful downtown Parkersburg, section constabulary canvassed for further surveillance footage, allowing them to amended enactment unneurotic a timeline of the 27-year-old’s past known movements connected the greeting of December 4:

• 3:10 AM – Pierce and Gretchen permission My Way Lounge and locomotion toward his car. There’s nary footage showing them entering the vehicle, arsenic the parking batch is located successful a unsighted spot.

• A Black Nissan Rogue, believed to beryllium Pierce’s vehicle, exits the parking batch via an alleyway and drives toward Sixth Street.

• The sports SUV is caught driving down Ann Street, toward Pierce’s residence connected Division Street.

It should beryllium noted that astatine nary clip does immoderate of the footage amusement Gretchen being dropped disconnected downtown.

Given the inconsistencies betwixt Pierce’s communicative and the collected surveillance footage, 3 hunt warrants were executed connected his location and electronics, his conveyance and a retention portion nether his name. Anything deemed to beryllium imaginable grounds was bagged and sent distant for forensic testing. There person been nary updates regarding the results of these tests.

While investigators didn’t initially uncover Pierce’s individuality – they referred to him simply arsenic a “person of interest” – his sanction was yet discovered by the media. This prompted a big of women to travel guardant to accidental he’d harassed and stalked them aft obtaining their telephone numbers done his occupation arsenic a nutrient transportation driver.

In January 2023, it was misreported by a quality outlet that Gretchen’s assemblage had perchance been recovered successful a adjacent river. That aforesaid month, constabulary received a extremity that her assemblage whitethorn person been enactment down a 25-foot good successful Ravenswood, West Virginia, astir 40 minutes from Parkersburg. Investigators drained the good and searched the surrounding area, but determination was nary motion of the missing woman.

That February, a assemblage hunt was held astatine Mountwood Park, astir 30 minutes from wherever she was past seen. The pursuing month, different was conducted astatine Johnson T. Janes Park successful Parkersburg.

The past nationalist update successful the lawsuit came successful May 2023, erstwhile investigators revealed that further hunt warrants had been executed since the archetypal 3 were conducted.

The Parkersburg assemblage has rallied unneurotic to rise consciousness for Gretchen’s disappearance and enactment her family. T-shirts and signs person been made, and respective vigils were held. A billboard was besides enactment up connected Murdoch Avenue, featuring her representation and accusation astir her disappearance.

Investigators are inactive actively looking into Gretchen’s case. That being said, Pierce has stopped communicating with them.

DETAILS:

Gretchen Eve Fleming was past seen leaving the My Way Lounge astatine 501 Juliana Street successful Parkersburg, West Virginia, successful the aboriginal hours of December 4, 2022. She was 27 years aged astatine the clip of her disappearance.

Gretchen stood betwixt 5’0″ and 5’2″ and weighed astir 100-125 pounds. She has brownish hairsbreadth and eyes, and there’s a tattoo of a satellite representation connected her precocious back.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:

There’s presently a $100,000 reward disposable for accusation starring to Gretchen’s whereabouts and the condemnation of the person(s) liable for her disappearance.

Anyone with accusation regarding the lawsuit is asked to interaction the Parkersburg Police Department astatine either (304) 424-1072 oregon (304) 424-8444.

Image Credit: NamUs

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