BREAKING: Parkersburg police make arrest in Gretchen Fleming case 4 years after her disappearance
PARKERSBURG, W.Va . (WTAP) –
UPDATE-5/15/2026 @ 6:28 P.M.-An arrest has been made in the disappearance of Gretchen Fleming, who was last seen late Dec. 3 into early Dec. 4, 2022, according to Parkersburg Police.
Fleming was reported missing to the Parkersburg Police Department on Dec. 12, 2022. Police said their investigation determined Preston D. Pierce,58 was the last person Fleming was known to be seen with.
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 Wood County, West Virginia. Officials said the remains were collected and sent for genetic testing and the results determined the remains were Fleming’s.
Authorities said Pierce was taken into custody outside West Virginia after an indictment was returned by a grand jury and entered into NCIC, allowing other agencies to execute the arrest warrant. Police said he is currently being held in the Asheville, North Carolina area awaiting an extradition hearing. Officials said the timeline for his return to West Virginia could range from about a week to several months, depending on the extradition process.
During the press conference, police said additional evidence in the case will be presented through the court process.
Police said the remains were identified by comparing DNA extracted from the remains to a DNA profile investigator developed using family DNA and items collected during the missing-person investigation, with assistance from the West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Marshall University. Officials said multiple agencies assisted in the investigation, including West Virginia State Police and the FBI.
ORIGINAL:
The Parkersburg Police Department has arrested a suspect in the Gretchen Fleming case.
Friday afternoon, police said they arrested Preston D. Pierce
Fleming was reported missing nearly four years after she was last seen at My Way Lounge in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2022.
The FBI – Pittsburgh and Parkersburg Police Department started asking the public for information regarding Fleming.
One year after Gretchen Fleming was last seen, her disappearance is still under investigation(Chase Campbell, WTAP)
Fleming was last seen leaving My Way Lounge in Parkersburg in the early morning hours of December 4, 2022.
In November 2024, the Parkersburg Police Department and FBI searched a house on Division Street. This was the same location authorities searched in January 2023, shortly after Gretchen’s disappearance.
No new evidence sparked the 2024 search warrant. Authorities said it was part of the investigation process.
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