Preston Pierce

PARKERSBURG – The man who was indicted in connection with the disappearance and death of Gretchen Fleming was arraigned Thursday in Wood County Circuit Court.

Preston D. Pierce, 58, appeared before Wood County Circuit Judge Jason Wharton where he pleaded not guilty to the charges he was indicted on, including first-degree murder, felony murder, concealment of a deceased human body and kidnapping.

Pierce was extradited back to Parkersburg last week from North Carolina.

Fleming was last seen early Dec. 4, 2022, and was reported missing to the Parkersburg Police Department on Dec. 12, 2022. Parkersburg Police investigators determined early in the case that Pierce was the last person Fleming was known to have been seen with.

Pierce, who has also gone by the name Darrell Lott, was a former police officer across different municipalities in West Virginia.

A major break in the case came in September 2025, when human remains were found in Wirt County, officials said. At the time the remains were found, West Virginia State Police said a squirrel hunter discovered a human skull off Courtney Ridge Road in Palestine. A crime scene team and coroner responded to the site, where officials said they found “a human skull, teeth and a suspected small forearm bone.”

The remains were collected and submitted for genetic testing, which determined they were Fleming’s. Officials said DNA from the remains was compared with a profile developed from Fleming’s family members and items collected from where she had lived.

During the hearing Thursday, multiple media outlets reported Pierce’s attorney from the public defender’s office disqualified themselves due to a conflict of interest.

A trial date had not been set yet nor have any additional hearings have been set at this time as Pierce tries to secure legal counsel.

Pierce was remanded back to the custody of the North Central Regional Jail.