She Vanished In 2022 After Leaving A West Virginia Bar With An Older Man

Gretchen Fleming is remembered by her loved ones as a creative and independent young woman who loved traveling, music, and writing.
She grew up in West Virginia, and she went on to study political science at William Peace University and Shaw University, located in North Carolina.
Then, by 2022, she was 27-years-old and had recently returned home from college. She lived in Vienna – a small town in West Virginia – with her grandmother. She also worked at an H&M location in the Grand Central Mall.
The evening of December 3, 2022, started off normally, too. That night, Gretchen went out with a friend and visited various bars and restaurants located in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
At one point, they stopped at an establishment known as the Front Row Bar. Afterward, Gretchen moved on to a tavern known as the My Way Lounge & Restaurants, which was located at 501 Juliana Street.
Later, at 3:00 a.m. the following day, December 4, she was last captured on surveillance footage leaving the tavern. However, Gretchen was with an older man, and together, they walked toward his vehicle – a Black Nissan Rogue 1 Sports SUV.
Now, because of the security camera’s location, the pair were not captured entering the car together. But Gretchen never made it back to her house that night and was never seen or heard from again.
About a week later, on December 12, 2022, her loved ones contacted the Parkersburg Police Department and filed a missing person report after they couldn’t get in touch with her.
Once an investigation was launched, it was discovered that Gretchen had left both her purse and phone at a different tavern known as The Front Row. She’d visited this tavern, located at 4000 Emerson Avenue, earlier that evening.

GoFundMe – pictured above is Gretchen
Authorities questioned the man Gretchen was last seen with and claimed that he gave her a ride. He also reportedly stated that she’d gone to an unknown location and no further evidence that the pair knew each other before that evening has been made public.
Surveillance footage captured by other cameras in the area showed the man’s vehicle leaving the bar and traveling toward his residence, which was around 2 miles away.
So, authorities suspect that, after leaving with the man, Gretchen went back to his house. While the man denied that she was in his home, investigators executed search warrants that covered his home, vehicle, and electronic devices. He’s also considered a person of interest in the case.
Still, while the man’s name has reportedly since been confirmed as Preston Pierce, police have declined to share more information about him, and what evidence was uncovered during the search efforts by authorities remains unknown.
According to Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board, though, the case is “not even close” to being cold.
“There’s not a day that goes by that she and her family are not on my mind and the minds of the men and women of the Parkersburg Police Department. [Lead] Detective [James] Zimmerman comes in every day, and that’s still his priority,” Board said.
As for why the investigation is taking a while, Board claimed that it “cannot be emotionally driven.”
“There is a due diligence to Gretchen, to her family, and to the community at large to do this methodically,” he explained.
Gretchen’s loved ones have also stood by investigators’ efforts to find her and solve her disappearance.
“They are working so hard on this case; please don’t second guess what they are doing,” said Gretchen’s grandmother, Louise Fleming.
“We are 100% supporting their efforts. They will see that Gretchen gets the justice she deserves.”
Additionally, the Fleming family organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise awareness and garner contributions from community members to fund a reward for information.
A new reward of $100,000 has since been offered for information that leads to the discovery of Gretchen, as well as the arrest and conviction of the person(s) involved in her disappearance.
“It is my continual prayer that they [anyone with information] come forward and speak with us, that they feel compelled to do so,” Board stated.
David Fleming, Gretchen’s father, also issued a thankful message to community members, as well as a heartfelt message to his daughter.
“I really want to thank the community for coming together for our family. The passion, donations, just being there for us. Thank you,” David said.
“Gretchen, I love you. We will find you, I promise.”
At the time she vanished, Gretchen was between 5’0″ and 5’2″, weighed between 100 and 120 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes.
If you have any information regarding her case, you are urged to contact the Parkersburg Police Department at (304) 424-8444 or lead Detective James Zimmerman at (304) 424-1072.
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