PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – Nearly four years after her disappearance, a man has been arrested in connection with the Gretchen Fleming case.
On May 15, authorities in North Carolina arrested Preston D. Pierce during a traffic stop in connection with the disappearance of Gretchen Fleming. Fleming was last seen leaving My Way Lounge with Pierce in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2022.
Pierce is being charged with first-degree murder, felony murder (described as a death occurring during the commission of an enumerated felony, in this case kidnapping), kidnapping and concealment of a deceased human body.
Police said a major break came in September 2025, when human remains were located in Wirt County, West Virginia. Officials said the remains were collected and sent for genetic testing, and the results determined the remains were Fleming’s…