PARKERSBURG, W.Va. –The man accused in the 2022 disappearance and murder of Gretchen Fleming is back in Wood County after waiving his extradition hearing in North Carolina.
According to a release from the Parkersburg Police Department, Preston Pierce, 58, was extradited back to Parkersburg by detectives with the PPD.
Pierce was arrested on May 15 in Buncombe County, N.C. That same day a Wood County Grand Jury indicted Pierce on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, concealment of a human body, and kidnapping.
Earlier this week, Pierce waived his extradition hearing originally scheduled for Friday, allowing him to be brought back to Wood County to face those charges.
Fleming disappeared in 2022. She was last seen leaving My Way Lounge & Restaurant in downtown Parkersburg during the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2022. She was reported eight days later by her family.
Pierce is being held in custody pending arraignment.