Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Gretchen Fleming
One Dark Night
On the evening of Saturday, December 3, 2022, twenty-seven-year-old West Virginia native Gretchen Fleming decided to visit a couple of local bars, something she had done in the past without incident. On this occasion, however, when she left just before closing time, she walked out the door and has not been seen since.
After not hearing from the aspiring artist and musician for several days, her family reported her missing on Monday, December 12. Once the news was made public, witnesses began coming forward to say what they had seen on that fateful night.
If the accounts are accurate, Gretchen, who had recently moved back to the Parkersburg area from North Carolina, got a lift to a watering hole called the Front Row. After spending several hours there, she moved on to another popular local haunt, the My Way Lounge & Restaurant. In her rush to leave, she had forgotten her purse, which contained her cell phone and credit cards. This bit of absentmindedness would figure heavily in events yet to come.
The Last Sighting
It’s uncertain who she spent time with as the night transitioned to morning, but it is alleged that she left the bar around 3 A.M. with a man by the name of Preston Pierce. Authorities would later report that surveillance video captured the pair as they exited the establishment.
Unfortunately, he had parked in an area that was out of camera range, therefore, there is no way of knowing if Gretchen actually got into the vehicle. Since she didn’t have a car of her own and depended on others for transportation, it has been speculated that he had given her a ride, though this has yet to be confirmed.
Cameras situated around town supposedly show Pierce’s car traveling toward his home some two miles away. Unsurprisingly, since he was the last person seen in her company, he was brought in for questioning.
According to the ever-churning rumor mill, though Pierce admitted that he had given a clearly inebriated Gretchen a lift that night, he claimed that he had dropped her off in the parking lot of the local police station. He had allegedly also informed them that he had been too intoxicated to remember what — if anything — happened after that.
Within days of her being reported missing, a search warrant was obtained for Pierce’s home and property. What they found, including possible DNA evidence, is being kept under wraps at this time.
A Person of Interest
On December 29th, authorities announced that they had a person of interest in the case. Though his name hasn’t been released pending further developments, many believe that Preston Pierce is the party in question. As word spread, those who had dealings with him in the past, especially women, had a lot to say about the man who was seen leaving the bar with Gretchen.
A delivery driver for various eateries, the fifty-five-year-old Pierce is the divorced father of a teenage daughter. He is also a former police officer who allegedly left the force under less than honorable circumstances.
Born Darrell Lott, he would eventually change his name to Preston Pierce. While some claim he did this to distance himself from his father, the reason behind the drastic move is something only he would know.
In his capacity as a food delivery person, he had daily interactions with customers, many of them female. According to social media posts related to Gretchen’s disappearance, some of these encounters crossed the line from unprofessional to downright disturbing.
One woman after another told shockingly similar stories regarding their brushes with the overly attentive Pierce. Some claimed that after the deliveries were made, they would receive unsolicited messages from him, complimenting their looks and asking them out. Though they had allegedly complained to the stores he contracted with, there is nothing to indicate that any steps were taken to curb his behavior.
One woman who was expecting a delivery from a grocery store wrote that he had tried to convince her to let him bring the bags inside. Unwilling to allow a stranger to enter her home while she was there alone, she had refused. Though he had ultimately given up, the incident — which may have been perfectly innocent — had nonetheless left her shaken.
Since it was an open secret that Pierce carried a gun on him at all times, many businesses wouldn’t allow him to enter the premises. In those instances, workers would have to meet him outside. One woman claimed that he had held onto the order until she agreed to give him her contact information. His behavior had allegedly put some customers off to the point that they would decline the orders if he was the driver.
Workers at a daycare center — all female — allegedly had so many bad experiences with him that they had eventually resorted to taking a loss rather than risk going out to his car and being subjected to the harassment they feared awaited.
Women who had uncomfortable encounters with him in other settings were quick to commiserate. One in particular had a chilling story to tell. It seemed that a few years ago, she and a friend had driven back to her place after a night out on the town. As they pulled in the driveway, they realized they had been followed. The friend was the first to spy a man she recognized as Pierce parking his car down the street and making his way up the sidewalk to where they were sitting.
Alarmed by his presence, one of them had contacted her boyfriend, who was inside the house. Storming out the door, he had confronted Pierce while the girls phoned police. According to the original poster, the responding officers had allegedly found suspicious items in his vehicle, including zip ties. Unfortunately, since he hadn’t technically done anything illegal, he was let go with a stern warning.
While he may be a shady character, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is in any way responsible for Gretchen’s disappearance. That being said, neither does it paint him in a positive light.
Time Stands Still
Gretchen Fleming turned twenty-eight on December 24, 2022, a day she would have normally spent celebrating with family. Sadly, her loved ones have been forced to face her last two birthdays without the guest of honor.
As of this writing, Gretchen remains a missing person. She has not been seen or heard from since the early morning hours of December 4, 2022. Her cell phone, purse and personal belongings found within, are currently being held as evidence.
While the hope that she is alive diminishes as the months pass slowly by with no break in the case, it hasn’t been extinguished altogether. If the worst outcome does become reality, officials who are working tirelessly to solve the mystery of what happened to Gretchen on that cold December night over a year ago are determined to see the investigation through to the end.
When all is said and done, if Gretchen did meet an untimely end, let’s just hope that the hammer of justice falls hard upon the person (or persons) responsible, whomever they may be.
Resources:
·Mid-Ohio Valley Most Wanted
·wtap.com
·Gretchen Fleming Search Community
·WV Metro News
·nbc.news
·facebook.com
·wchstv.com
Images used under provisions of the Fair Use Act for purposes of reporting and education.