Preston Pierce Indicted in Gretchen Fleming Murder Case
Preston Pierce was indicted Friday by a Wood County grand jury in the gretchen fleming disappearance, moving the 2022 case into a formal criminal proceeding. The indictment includes first-degree murder, felony murder, concealment of a dead body and kidnapping charges.
Parkersburg police said Pierce was the last person Fleming was known to be seen with. Investigators also said Friday that remains found in the Palestine area of Wirt County in 2025 were Fleming’s.
Wood County Grand Jury
Fleming, 27, disappeared in 2022 after last being seen leaving a bar on Juliana Street in downtown Parkersburg on Dec. 4, 2022. She was not reported missing until Dec. 12, 2022, and investigators later found her purse and phone in the weeks after her disappearance.
Pierce was apprehended Friday in Asheville, North Carolina, and records show he was being held in Buncombe County Detention Center awaiting extradition back to West Virginia. Police said he is scheduled for a court appearance on May 18.
Matthew Board Statement
Parkersburg Police Chief Matthew Board said after the indictment, "Our investigation from the onset quickly determined Mr. Pierce was the last person Gretchen was known to be seen with." He added, "As the investigation proceeded, it revealed Mr. Pierce was a person of interest. Over the next three-and-a-half years, it was unrelenting."
Board also said, "From my heart, I want to thank the Fleming family" and called the process "arduous." He said, "The faith they have shown throughout the course of this, not just the investigation but the tragedies that have happened on the periphery of this," and added, "The patience they’ve shown over three-and-a-half years and their support of us and faith in us is more appreciative than I can put into words."
Parkersburg Investigation
Parkersburg police said in January 2023 that Pierce told them Fleming was in his car around the time she went missing. Pierce declined to comment further after that statement. FBI and local law enforcement searched multiple properties belonging to Pierce as the case continued.
The indictment adds murder and kidnapping charges to a case that had already stretched across more than three years, with investigators now tying the disappearance to remains they said were identified in 2025. The court appearance set for May 18 is the next step in the case against Pierce.
