On May 15, 2026, news broke that Gretchen Fleming's remains had been positively identified. That same day, it was also announced that Preston Pierce had been arrested on charges related to her murder. This story is developing, so this week we have a mini update on the charges and what is happening next on the case.

What follows is our original episode on Gretchen Fleming from February 23, 2024.

After dealing with a breakup and the sudden loss of her mother, Gretchen Fleming found herself back in her hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia. She was staying with family as she tried to get herself back together and figure out her next move.

On December 3, 2022, Gretchen told her family that she wasn’t going to be home that night, and she headed out to a local bar. After going to a second bar with a friend, Gretchen walked out and was never seen again.

Did the friend, who later turned in Gretchen’s purse and cell phone know something about her disappearance, or was it the man she was seen leaving the last bar with who had something to hide? For over a year, the small town of Parkersburg has been abuzz with theories of what happened that night, and continue to hold out hope that someday soon, they will find out who really knows what happened to Gretchen Fleming.

Anyone with information regarding Gretchen Fleming’s disappearanc is asked to call lead Detective James Zimmerman at 304-424-1072 or the Police Department at 304-424-8444.

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