Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Missing, Exploited and True Crime => Missing Found or Presumed Deceased => Topic started by: Shellbell on June 30, 2006, 06:11:42 PM



Title: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased
Post by: Shellbell on June 30, 2006, 06:11:42 PM
There is a new myspace set up for Tara Grinstead.  She has been missing for 8 months now.
www.myspace.com/findtaragrinstead


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: mrs. red on June 30, 2006, 07:13:27 PM
Quote from: "Shellbell"
There is a new myspace set up for Tara Grinstead.  She has been missing for 8 months now.
www.myspace.com/findtaragrinstead


Thank you ShellBell.... do you have any more info to share?  I was wondering what was going on?


Title: tara
Post by: Cat on August 16, 2006, 08:58:24 PM
I have worked with a member of her family.The G.B.I. have given 2 lie detector tests to the person they feel is guilty.No arrest yet.cat


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Bearlyhere on August 17, 2006, 08:28:22 AM
Quote from: "Shellbell"
There is a new myspace set up for Tara Grinstead.  She has been missing for 8 months now.
www.myspace.com/findtaragrinstead


Thanks, Shellbell.  I have been thinking of Tara.  It's good to see you.  Drop by and chat with us some time.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Jennifer34 on August 17, 2006, 09:34:47 AM
Cat, who have they given the 2 lie detector tests to?  The Mark guy?  Just curious as to who they think is behind this.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: mrs. red on August 17, 2006, 06:09:22 PM
Quote from: "Jennifer34"
Cat, who have they given the 2 lie detector tests to?  The Mark guy?  Just curious as to who they think is behind this.


Jennifer... who is the Mark guy?  Is it Tara's ex-boyfriend?


Title: Missing for over a year....
Post by: Jacqueline on November 07, 2006, 08:07:01 AM
http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5626930&nav=5kZQ


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Shellbell on April 29, 2007, 07:45:24 PM
There have not been any leads in this case.  They are treating it as if she left on her own free will.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Bobo2 on April 29, 2007, 09:53:30 PM
Thanks for the update Shellbell, although that is sad news.  That certainly does not seem in character for her  - deserting her beloved pet and not calling family and friends. I have been thinking and wondering about this case lately.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: pdh3 on May 11, 2007, 07:00:22 PM
I think about Tara from time to time. I can't see her as the type to just leave and never come back. She had family, friends, a career she loved, and she was pursuing an advanced degree. People like that don't just vanish in the night. Her mother is elderly, and I can't see Tara not caring about how her Mom would feel.
I think either her ex did it, or that friend named Heath.
And the house and car that burned near her home a short time later....very suspicious.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Peaches on May 13, 2007, 09:00:31 AM
Quote from: "Shellbell"
There have not been any leads in this case.  They are treating it as if she left on her own free will.


That's pretty lame.  

There is nothing to suggest Tara would up and leave of her own volition.  

LE needs to try harder.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Sleeks on June 15, 2007, 11:42:21 AM
Not to offend any monkeys from Georgia.  But just like in the case of Sue Ann Ray.  I kept scratching my head about the local LE then.  Same stuff (almost anyway) - like they went there with the notepads - listened a little.  Meanwhile no one doing extensive searches.  No one getting warrants.  I was starting to think (in that case) LE was afraid of her nut job exhusband and his family and just really didn't want to get involved - EVEN THOUGH THAT IS THEIR JOB!!!

Well I am starting to think the same thing here.  This beautiful woman is almost gone 2 years.  WTH!!!  I mean let's face it - even if things weren't going great in her personal life - for one thing - no animal lover just up and leaves a dog to fend for itself.  And if she wanted to disappear - she was pretty much a grown woman - I am sure she could have found a way.  Not just up and leave everything and everyone.  I just do NOT believe she just left.  And SHAME ON THEM for not keeping on all of those closely involved.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: mrs. red on July 05, 2007, 09:59:50 AM
Sleeks you are right... and wasn't one of the mysterious people involved an officer?  I wonder if we will ever know what happened to Tara?


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Sleeks on July 10, 2007, 02:06:35 PM
Quote from: "mrs. red"
Sleeks you are right... and wasn't one of the mysterious people involved an officer?  I wonder if we will ever know what happened to Tara?


Mrs. Red - I wonder the same thing.  And yes, her ex-boyfriend was an officer.  I hope this is not like another Ramsey case where (I believe) they do know what happened but are not in the position to say it.  It is so disheartening to know that a nice person like Tara could go 'missing' and there were (are) people out there who care about her, like her students and friends.  Not sure what to think about her family.   :?  That of course, is because of the stories that were going around once upon a time.  But still, she is missing all this time, no arrests (Like Natalie) and someone is getting off scott free possibly because they are LE.  That infuriates me!!!


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: pdh3 on July 10, 2007, 04:00:00 PM
Someone knows what happened. It's a small town, and people talk......but the case has been allowed to go cold. That seems suspicious to me. It's like no one in LE is motivated to solve it.


Title: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on July 12, 2007, 03:02:32 PM
Quote from: "Shellbell"
There have not been any leads in this case.  They are treating it as if she left on her own free will.



That is ridiculous!! It is obvious to so many that 'something BAD happend....just like in so many cases. There is an epidemic in this country (and others) and all these pervs need to be found and put to death!! PERIOD!!! ROUND em' up, give the freaks a trial...then send them to the chair the very next day. It is out of control. EVERY single day another goes missing...man, woman or child, every single day  :cry:  :evil:


Title: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: Levi on October 26, 2007, 09:57:02 PM
What a kind hearted, nice lady. She would loan students money to buy their prom gowns. I remember when this case was in the news, many of her students seemed like they admired her. Leave it to some psychopathic, evil scum bag to take advantage of her and off her when she is useless to him/her.  :roll:

Such a sad case.
---------------------------------
Missing teacher to be remembered in weekend tribute
By Liz Fabian - lfabian@macontel.com

OCILLA --
Family and friends will gather in Ocilla this weekend to remember missing teacher Tara Grinstead.

The former beauty queen vanished from her Ocilla home sometime after 11 p.m. on Oct. 22, 2005.

A memorial tribute is planned for 7 p.m. Saturday at the old Irwin County High School Stadium on Ga. 129.

For two years people in the town of 3,000 have been bewildered by her unexplained disappearance.

Hundreds of volunteers unsuccessfully searched the rural community for the beloved Irwin County High School teacher who often loaned students money to buy their prom gowns.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into Grinstead's disappearance, but no one has ever been named a suspect in the case.

SOURCE: http://www.macon.com/149/story/170252.html


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: San on October 27, 2007, 09:43:18 AM
I always thought her ex boyfriend murdered her.  I watched his interview on Greta and my gut feeling thinks that he did it.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: Rob on October 27, 2007, 12:47:26 PM
Dr. Maurice Godwin was working this case and found some interesting items. A tooth under the bed. A drop of blood on the car port. A broken leg to the bed.

Did anything ever develop from those items?

Dr. Godwin, as some may remember, did the predator triangulation map in Natalee's case. I spoke to him a few times and he thought Tara's case would be solved.

It might be interesting to see what he thinks has happened.

Maybe Dana can get him on the show.



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: Nut44x4 on October 27, 2007, 01:10:09 PM
I always thought her ex boyfriend murdered her.  I watched his interview on Greta and my gut feeling thinks that he did it.


I agree. He is in law enforcement, no??


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: Sleeks on October 29, 2007, 09:54:33 AM
I always thought her ex boyfriend murdered her.  I watched his interview on Greta and my gut feeling thinks that he did it.


I agree. He is in law enforcement, no??

I completely agree with you both.  They "looked" into him.  But let's face it, in a case such as this (hate to say it but especially in GA), LE (imo) is looking the other way or no way at all.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: San on October 29, 2007, 12:03:05 PM
I always thought her ex boyfriend murdered her.  I watched his interview on Greta and my gut feeling thinks that he did it.


I agree. He is in law enforcement, no??

I completely agree with you both.  They "looked" into him.  But let's face it, in a case such as this (hate to say it but especially in GA), LE (imo) is looking the other way or no way at all.

I totally agree.  I also think he got one of his buddies to help him dispose of her.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: Sleeks on October 30, 2007, 01:35:53 PM
I always thought her ex boyfriend murdered her.  I watched his interview on Greta and my gut feeling thinks that he did it.


I agree. He is in law enforcement, no??

I completely agree with you both.  They "looked" into him.  But let's face it, in a case such as this (hate to say it but especially in GA), LE (imo) is looking the other way or no way at all.

I totally agree.  I also think he got one of his buddies to help him dispose of her.

I agree with you again San and as far as GA. I really think LE doesn't seem to want to get involved when there is a possible domestic issue.  That is totally tragic!!!  Makes me think of Sue Ann Ray and Leslie Marva Adams. :-x :-x :-x


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead Remembered
Post by: pdh3 on October 31, 2007, 11:38:04 AM
I always thought her ex boyfriend murdered her.  I watched his interview on Greta and my gut feeling thinks that he did it.


I agree. He is in law enforcement, no??

I totally agree. Her ex Marcus was previously in law enforcement in GA, but at the time of their break-up he had been in the military I believe. He may have been in Iraq or something, I can't remember exactly.
She was probably killed because she refused to be just Marcus' booty call. She had wanted to get married to him at one time and he turned her down, and left her. I think she was trying to move on, and he wanted to just come around when it was convenient for him. I think he dropped by after his night out at the bar with friends, when he was riding around with his LE buddy. He may have been spying on her, and caught her with the other guy - Heath. And he used her car to move her body.This is just my theory....but the local cops know more than they are telling.
I find that house fire to be very suspicious as well. Did they burn the eveidence?


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on March 21, 2008, 01:20:46 PM
Suspect Gary Michael Hilton to be questioned about Grinstead case!??


PERRY — Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents say they want to talk with police in Dawson County to see if accused murderer Gary Hilton had any connection to the disappearance of an Ocilla school teacher two years ago, despite differences in the cases.
GBI Special-Agent-in-Charge Gary Rothwell said Friday that his office is interested in speaking with agents working the murder of 24-year-old Meredith Emerson, who was found dead after going for a hike in the North Georgia mountains. They say they’re doubtful that the suspect, Gary Michael Hilton, had any involvement.

The 61-year-old Hilton has been charged with malice murder and is being held in Dawson County. Leon County, Fla., authorities said Friday they intend to charge Hilton with the murder of 46-year-old Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, who was found dead in the Apalachicola National Forest.

Hilton may also be charged in connection with the deaths of a couple in North Carolina.

But Rothwell said that investigators are eager to chat with agents in Buford about any possible link between Hilton and missing Ocilla teacher Tara Grinstead, who vanished in October 2005 after a beauty pageant.

“The agent in charge of the investigation up there is very familiar with the Grinstead investigation, and so we’re interested in talking with them about the case,” Rothwell said. “But initial indications, at least the published reports, would suggest that what happened to the hiker and what happened in the Grinstead case are different in many ways and probably aren’t connected.”

Hilton, a former contractor in the Atlanta area, pointed police to Emerson’s body, which was found decapitated in a wooded area in Dawson County. Preliminary autopsy results show that Emerson was bludgeoned to death.

Without going into detail, Rothwell said that the methods used to kidnap and kill Emerson and Dunlap don’t mesh with the facts of the Grinstead investigation.

While the two victims Hilton is suspected of murdering were apparently abducted and killed in wooded areas, Grinstead was last seen at her home in Ocilla after a local beauty pageant.

“Right now, every law enforcement agency in the three-state area with open missing persons investigations are calling for information about him,” Rothwell said. “We’re just one of the ones in line.”

Rothwell said the investigation is still open in the disappearance of the former beauty queen and said that it will be until she’s found.

“I’m not retiring until we find her,” Rothwell said.




Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on March 21, 2008, 01:21:34 PM
oops.....link 4 above ...I was so shocked I 4got the link
http://www.albanyherald.com/stories/20080112n6.htm


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: bleachedblack on March 21, 2008, 01:36:35 PM
WOW that is a shocker!


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: pdh3 on March 21, 2008, 03:43:38 PM
I still think Tara was killed by someone she knew. I'll be surprised if this guy is good for it. I just can't see it.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on June 11, 2008, 03:25:57 PM
Oh, I agree. I, like San said on page 1, think it is the X-boyfriend. On another very sad note....Tara's Mom passed away>>>

Grinstead, Faye Bennett     
 
Faye Bennett Grinstead -HAWKINSVILLE - Memorial Services for Faye Bennett Grinstead, 64, of Hawkinsville, who died June 7, 2008, will be held at 11A.M. on Tuesday, June 10th in the First Baptist Church of Hawkinsville. -Born December 14, 1943 to Florence Owen Bennett and Chester Lee Bennett, Ms. Grinstead was a lifelong resident of Pulaski County. She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Murielda D. Wynne; brothers, Lawrence L. Bennett, Albert C. Bennett, T. Kent Bennett; sister-in-law, Kathryne D. Bennett. -Survivors include daughter and son-in-law, Anita G. and Dr. Larry D. Gattis; grandson, Gabriel D. Gattis, all of Hawkinsville; brothers, Rouel W. (Patsy) Bennett of Hawkinsville, Russell (Claudia Mae) Bennett of Griffin; sister, Elousie (Don) Ruble of Dalton; sisters-in-law, Mae H. Bennett, Lucille C. Bennett, both of Hawkinsville; brother-in-law, Merritt Wynne of Hawkinsville; closest friend and source of strength, Barbara C. Woodard of Hawkinsville; special cousin, Betty Jo Conner; many nieces, nephews and cousins. -On October 22, 2005 Ms. Grinstead's youngest daughter, Tara Faye Grinstead who was living and teaching high school history in Ocilla, disappeared without a trace at the age of 30. Tara Grinstead has never been found. Through this tragedy, Faye carried herself with a quiet grace and dignity, just as she had her entire life. -In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make donations to the Texas EquuSearch, P.O. Box 395, Dickinson, TX 77539 or by calling their office at (281) 309-9500. Tim Miller, director and founder of Texas EquuSearch, continues to search for Faye's daughter, Tara. Ms. Grinstead put her confidence and faith in this organization with hopes that they will find her precious Tara. -The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. in the social hall at First Baptist Church of Hawkinsville on Monday night. -Fisher Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.
 
http://legacy.suntimes.com/Macon/DeathNotices.asp?Page=SearchResults


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 23, 2008, 03:53:30 AM
     (http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j120/Bearlyhere/Tara.jpg)


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 23, 2008, 03:57:40 AM
From above:

http://findtara.com/MissSpiritofTara2008.pdf

         June 28, 2008
Time:  7:00 p.m.
Place: Tift Historical Theatre
Deadline to Enter June 24, 2008

Wee Miss 12 months – 35 months
Teeny Miss 3 years – 4 years
Tiny Miss 5 years – 7 years
Little Miss 8 years – 11 years
Jr. Miss 12 years – 15 years
Miss 16 years – 23 years


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Bearlyhere on June 23, 2008, 03:59:41 AM
CBS 48 Hours is covering the disappearance of Tara Grinstead and Jennifer Kesse.

Please tune in on July 1st at 9pm EST


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 02, 2008, 10:19:40 AM
CBS 48 Hours is covering the disappearance of Tara Grinstead and Jennifer Kesse.

Please tune in on July 1st at 9pm EST


As I posted in Jennifer Kesse's thread, I watched this last night.  I truly hope that something comes up for Tara's case, including the ID of the DNA on the latex glove...anything to help her family.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: 2NJSons_Mom on July 02, 2008, 11:19:31 AM
CBS 48 Hours is covering the disappearance of Tara Grinstead and Jennifer Kesse.

Please tune in on July 1st at 9pm EST


As I posted in Jennifer Kesse's thread, I watched this last night.  I truly hope that something comes up for Tara's case, including the ID of the DNA on the latex glove...anything to help her family.

The episode is 6 pages, found here if you missed it:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/30/48hours/main4219397.shtml


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on July 02, 2008, 12:08:39 PM
The show was very good.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: bleachedblack on July 02, 2008, 01:44:55 PM
TV show, DNA search put focus back on missing Ocilla woman

Jul. 02, 2008
PERRY --
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation wants to know whose DNA and fingerprint are on a glove found near the home of an Ocilla woman missing for nearly three years.

The GBI released new evidence Tuesday in the Tara Grinstead case, hoping it could lead to an answer of where the young teacher has been since her disappearance sometime after 11 p.m. Oct. 22, 2005.

The new evidence was aired Tuesday night on CBS's "48 Hours" news magazine TV show.

Although it has previously been reported that police found the glove outside Grinstead's house, Gary Rothwell, special agent at the GBI's Perry office, said investigators withheld information about the DNA for investigative purposes. But when the GBI was contacted by "48 Hours" about producing a TV segment concerning Grinstead's disappearance, agents saw an opportunity to generate phone calls from people with new information about the case.

At the time of her disappearance, the 30-year-old former beauty queen, a Hawkinsville native, had moved to Ocilla as a student teacher. After falling in love with the town, Grinstead accepted a full-time job teaching high school history.

When she didn't show up for work on a Monday morning in October 2005, co-workers called police. They found her cell phone inside the house where she lived alone. Her car was outside, unlocked. Her purse and keys were gone.

Police officers found the latex glove in Grinstead's yard, just a stone's throw from her front stoop, Rothwell said.

But Grinstead never was found.

Rothwell did not identify as a suspect the person whose DNA was found in the glove, but he said that person could help lead to a break in the case.

"We believe it is a critical element to solving the case," Rothwell said.

Rothwell said the DNA has been analyzed and agents know it's a man's DNA. But they haven't identified the man.

During the course of the investigation, he said, agents have compared the DNA to dozens of men who knew Grinstead or who were associated with her.

"None of them matched," Rothwell said.

The DNA also has been entered into Georgia and national databases, but still no match has been found.

Agents also recovered a fingerprint from the glove, but Rothwell said it isn't of sufficient quality to enter into a database for comparison.

"It is one of the most extensive investigations undertaken by the GBI," Rothwell said during an interview for the TV program.

The "48 Hours" show also examined the similar disappearance of an Orlando, Fla., woman three months after Grinstead vanished.

Like Grinstead, Jennifer Kesse disappeared with no sign of forced entry into her home or a struggle. Only Kesse's keys and purse were missing.

Orlando investigators have uncovered grainy surveillance footage showing an unidentified person exiting Kesse's car. Authorities say that person could be Kesse's abductor.

Rothwell said early in the investigation GBI agents spoke with Orlando officers and shared information, but there's no obvious connection between the two cases.

"There's nothing concrete," he said. "But it was worth looking at."

Even though it's been nearly three years since Grinstead disappeared, Rothwell said the case is being actively investigated on a daily basis as agents reinterview witnesses and reassess evidence in hopes of finding a breakthrough.

"If there's somebody with information, we want that information," Rothwell said. "We don't want them to assume we know something. We might not know."

http://www.macon.com/198/story/393808.html


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on September 30, 2008, 06:36:59 PM
NANCY GRACE COLD CASE
9/30/08
 
Missing beauty queen was mending broken heart

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Tara Grinstead, a 30-year-old schoolteacher and former beauty queen, attended a Saturday night beauty pageant and then left a dinner party, telling friends she was going straight home. She has not been seen since that night -- October 22, 2005.

Friends and family called Grinstead the next day, but couldn't reach her.

The following Monday, when she did not show up for work at Irwin County High School, co-workers called police and reported her missing.

When police arrived at her home in Ocilla, Georgia, they found the clothes she wore Saturday night piled on her bedroom floor. Her cell phone was charging in the wall outlet, and her car was parked in the driveway.  Watch how Grinstead's home looked »

Her purse and keys were missing.

A latex glove found in Grinstead's front lawn was sent to a laboratory for DNA testing. The results were inconclusive.

Grinstead's family says she was a very tidy person and would never leave her clothes on the floor. They said she never went anywhere without her cell phone.

They found it strange that her car doors were unlocked and that her car seat was pushed back way too far for someone her size. She was petite -- 5 feet, 3 inches tall -- and typically kept the seat much closer to the steering wheel.

Also strange: An envelope full of cash was found on her dashboard, and her dog and cat were abandoned. Neither police nor family could say where the money came from or whether it belonged to Grinstead, and her sister and friends say Grinstead was an animal lover who wouldn't leave her pets without making arrangements for them.

The house showed no signs of a break-in or struggle, but Grinstead's bedside clock was found under her bed, and the time it displayed was six hours off. A lamp that was broken into two pieces was propped against the wall on her nightstand.

Co-workers and students at Irwin County High say the 11th-grade teacher was well-liked. She always seemed to be happy and appeared to lead a charmed life. She was beautiful, popular, dedicated and determined.

She was applying for a doctoral program in history and making plans for a very bright future, said her sister Anita Gattis.

But there were hints of trouble in her personal life. Grinstead's boyfriend of six years left her broken-hearted a year before, but had returned to town just a few weeks before she disappeared.

He was dating a much younger woman but continued to call Grinstead. The former couple had argued a week before her disappearance, Grinstead's sister said.

Then there was Grinstead's young former student, who claimed to have had an affair with her. Police records show that she had him arrested for coming to her house and harassing her. Later, those charges were dropped.

And Grinstead had lodged a complaint with the police department against one of its officers. The officer was friendly with her former boyfriend, and on the night Grinstead disappeared, the two men were seen together in his patrol car, on what is known in police circles as a "ride-along."

Police characterize their investigation as a missing-person case. Investigators are not ruling out the possibility of foul play, but without more evidence, they say it is also quite possible that Grinstead may have just walked away from all the drama in her personal life.

Grinstead's family and friends insist she is not the kind of person to go off on her own without being in touch with her family. They emphasize that the circumstances surrounding her disappearance are highly of out of character for her. They are certain she was abducted.

Police have not named any suspects but continue to hope for tips that could help their investigation. The total reward offered is $200,000 -- $100,000 for Grinstead's safe return and $100,000 for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for abducting her. To report a tip, call 229-468-TIPS.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/30/grace.beauty.missing/index.html?eref=rss_us


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: pink angel on July 02, 2009, 11:41:14 PM
Man behind 'Catch Me
Killer' Hoax Jailed

Updated: Thursday, 02 Jul 2009, 10:43 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 02 Jul 2009, 10:43 PM EDT

    * George Franco George Franco
    * Edited By: Leigah Baugham | myfoxatlanta.com

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - A Gainesville man dubbed the "Catch Me Killer" on the internet was behind bars Thursday night.

Authorities said 26-year-old Andrew Haley posted a hoax video on YouTube.com claiming to have killed 16 people.

Haley insisted it was all a misunderstanding Thursday before he turned himself in to authorities and that prosecutors were wasting taxpayers' money in taking him to trial.

Hall County's' district attorney, investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and others said it was a hoax that hurt a lot of people and cost them hundreds of man hours.

Investigators said an internet was posted by a man who called himself the "Catch Me Killer."

In the video, a man whose identity was concealed claimed to have killed 16 people including 30-year-old Tara Grinstead.

Grinstead was a former teacher and beauty queen from Ocilla, Georgia.

The so-called Catch Me Killer also said he was going to kill again. Investigators said Haley made the video.

A grand jury indicted Haley on charges of making false statements and evidence tampering.

"If you ask me, I think it's a waste of taxpayers' money. It was just a game, it says in the beginning it was just a game," said Haley.

On Thursday, Haley said he arranged for his bond to be paid once he turned himself in at the Hall County jail. The 26-year-old said he drove in from Augusta after learning of the charges.

"It was just a movie, it was just a movie that everybody took too seriously," said Haley.

The chief jailer said Haley will be held until his first court appearance.

The GBI officials said the Catch Me Killer video was flagged by the father of a missing woman in Orlando, Florida. Investigators said the video was linked to a website set up to find her abductor.

"This is a very serious issue it shouldn't be considered a joke and it should be taken seriously like the Hall County grand jury did," said John Bankhead of the GBI.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone or anything like that," said Haley.
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/Man_Behind_Catch_Me_Killer_Hoax_Jailed_070209


A joke? a game? I hope they throw away the key for this evil guy. The pain Tara's family and any family with a missing loved one must have felt watching these videos.

He can rot in jail and put a nice video of that on youtube.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Edward on July 03, 2009, 01:09:53 PM
I was looking at you-tube video yesterday on abductions..
I came cross one I thought was serious.. and it was a joke. I was astounded..It looked real in the beginning..
People who make jokes out of serious subjects just shows me how immature our culture can be..
   


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Lovinlife on August 26, 2009, 05:50:13 PM
http://www.ajc.com/news/blairsville-case-puts-highlight-123959.html

Blairsville case puts highlight on other missing persons
By MEGAN MATTEUCCI


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Connie Grinstead should be happy to have more tips coming in to help find her missing stepdaughter, but all she can do is cry and pray.

The hunt for a missing Blairsville mom Kristi Cornwell has spawned more tips to come in for Tara Grinstead, a south Georgia teacher who was reported missing almost four years ago.

“It is not a cold case. A tip came in as recently as last week,” Connie Grinstead said Tuesday. “I still get phone calls. It’s amazing to me that people have not forgotten.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has spent the past two weeks searching for Cornwell, who was reportedly abducted while walking near her parents’ Blairsville home. The search for Cornwell, a 38-year-old former probation officer, has captured media attention across the nation.

While the Cornwell case has brought in a few hundred tips, the Grinstead mystery has attracted thousands of tips and remains the GBI’s largest case file. Grinstead has garnered more tips than other case in the GBI’s history, Special Agent Gary Rothwell said.

“It’s the darndest case I’ve ever seen,” said Rothwell, a GBI agent for 28 years. “We get information on that case all the time, just not information that is leading us anywhere. Typically with a case like this - even high profile cases - information diminishes. But we get information on the Grinstead case all the time.”

As of Tuesday, there were 421 women over the age of 18 missing in Georgia, according to GBI spokesman John Bankhead. The majority of the cases have turned “cold,” leaving investigators and families at a standstill.

For investigators, it means an open case file, random emails from psychics claiming to have the answer and having to let down family members.

For Connie Grinstead, not knowing what happened to her stepdaughter is harder than having to say goodbye at a funeral.

“We already lost her, but add on top of that we don’t even know what happened to her,” said Grinstead, of Birmingham. “You are still stuck in time, sitting on fence and can’t get off on either side because you don’t know.”

Tara Grinstead was a 30-year-old high school history teacher and former beauty queen. She was last seen Oct. 22, 2005 at a cookout about six blocks from her Ocilla home in south central Georgia.

She got a call on her cell phone and left. She didn’t show up at work the next day and her family has not heard from her, Rothwell said.

Grinstead’s cell phone, dog and cat were left in her house and there were no signs of a struggle. But her purse and car keys were gone, despite her car still sitting in the driveway, Rothwell said.

A cell phone call is also the last contact investigators have for Cornwell, who was talking to her boyfriend Douglas Davis in Atlanta when she was reportedly abducted.

Douglas told investigators Cornwell complained a car was following her. He then heard signs of struggle and Cornwell say “don’t take me,” Davis said.

Investigators have combed sections of three states, interviewed sex offenders and reviewed hundreds of tips in the Cornwell case, but received no “significant” leads, Bankhead said Tuesday.

This week, U.S. Marshals spent two days traipsing through woods in North Carolina after Fox’s “America’s Most Wanted” received a tip following Cornwell’s family’s appearance on the show.

“We didn’t think [the tip] was reliable from the beginning,” Bankhead said Tuesday. “But we’re checking into everything. You have to.”

The GBI said it prioritizes each tip based on the information, the caller’s knowledge of the individual and investigators’ ability to check it out.

Much of the time, the number of tips depends on the amount of media attention a case receives. The Grinstead case appeared on CBS’ “48 Hours,” along with regional media.

“You got cases in Atlanta that don’t receive that kind of attention,” Bankhead said. “We don’t make the decision about the media. We prioritize leads, not cases.”

In the majority of missing person’s cases, the victim usually knows their attackers, Bankhead said.

While the possibility a missing person simply left without telling anyone always exists, the GBI said in each of the cases they investigate it appears a crime occurred. Last year, the GBI went through all missing person cases in its files and trimmed the list by about 100 women who had returned on their own, Bankhead said.

Despite some cases growing cold, the GBI said it never assumes a person is dead until they find the individual.

In some cases, tips come out of nowhere like when a caller said Mary Shotwell Little, a newlywed reportedly abducted from a Buckhead parking lot in 1965, was under a garage floor in Forsyth County. The tip came in 30 years after the woman went missing. Agents dug up the floor, but found nothing, Bankhead said.

Little remains on the GBI’s list, a list that Connie Grinstead reviews frequently.

“Until we find her, we can not totally shut the door on hope,” Grinstead said about her stepdaughter. “When I saw the Kristi Cornwell story, I felt sick to my stomach because I know what is ahead for that family. I know they are just beginning that journey.”

Grinstead said she lights a candle on a Web site for her missing stepdaughter and posts a message each morning. She said she wants the Cornwell family to know that tiny steps like that help.

“If you start to think about what ifs, all the maybes and possibilities, the pain becomes unbearable,” she said. “Somebody may have taken our loved ones, but they can never take our precious memories of them. They are ours forever.”


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Edward on August 26, 2009, 08:36:41 PM
As of Tuesday, there were 421 women  over the age of 18 missing in Georgia, according to GBI spokesman John Bankhead. The majority of the cases have turned “cold,” leaving investigators and families at a standstill.


Just one state Georgia and 421 women missing..
If that holds nation wide throughout all the states as typical..
Nationwide this could be considered a Mass murder equal to a war or even a Holocaust...


The amount of unsolved cases with no clues is astounding..


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: linds1980 on September 19, 2010, 04:31:25 AM
http://tiftongazette.com/local/x422132704/Grinstead-case-to-be-featured-on-Discovery-Channel-Oct-4

September 18, 2010
 
Grinstead case to be featured on Discovery Channel Oct. 4

Angie Thompson/Senior Reporter
 CNHI CNHI


TIFTON — The case of the Oct. 22, 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead from her Ocilla home will be featured in “The Beauty Queen Mystery,” set to air at 10 p.m. Oct. 11 on Investigation Discovery’s DISAPPEARED.

According to a press release from Investigation Discovery, Season 2 of DISAPPEARED premieres at 10 p.m. Oct. 4 with “The Secret Journey,” the story of 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel of Rochester, N.Y., who went on spring break vacation in Myrtle Beach, S.C. without the consent or knowledge of her parents. On April 25, 2009, the night before she was supposed to come home, Drexel disappeared.

Grinstead vanished from her Ocilla home nearly five years ago after attending the Georgia Sweet Potato Pageant in nearby Fitzgerald, where she had assisted some of the contestants with their hair and makeup. She didn’t show up for work Monday and co-workers at Irwin County High School called Ocilla Police Department. Investigators found no sign of a struggle and only Grinstead's pocketbook and keys were missing. A latex glove was found in her front yard.

According to the press release, DISAPPEARED  provides the families of missing persons an outlet to profile  their stories in hopes that fresh leads or new information may be found.

“This series has had such tremendous support from our viewers from the beginning and it’s truly remarkable to work on something that can possibly bring answers and hopefully closure to some of these missing persons cases,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager for Investigation Discovery.

Each episode of DISAPPEARED begins at the time immediately before the individual vanished and chronicles the search for clues hidden beneath seemingly everyday behavior that may indicate what happened to the individual. For the open cases that have gone cold, DISAPPEARED asks viewers to share any fresh leads in hopes of deciphering what truly happened to the missing and whether foul play may have been involved, or if the person simple chose to leave on their own.

Grinstead’s case has garnered national attention and hundreds of people joined in on the search for her. Family, friends, and co-workers, as well as law enforcement, scoured the county trying to find any clue they could to solve the mystery and give family and friends answers. A $100,000 reward is being offered for Grinstead’s safe return and another $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for her disappearance.



To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on October 23, 2010, 03:43:50 PM
Just watching ID Disappeared.... Tara is on, almost over now. 144 DNA samples taken did not match the dna at the scene. I still think the cop BF had something to do with it and certainly would know how to hide shit.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on October 23, 2010, 03:44:49 PM
Just my opinion :cool:


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: KittyMom on January 24, 2012, 08:43:33 AM
Not to offend any monkeys from Georgia.  But just like in the case of Sue Ann Ray.  I kept scratching my head about the local LE then.  Same stuff (almost anyway) - like they went there with the notepads - listened a little.  Meanwhile no one doing extensive searches.  No one getting warrants.  I was starting to think (in that case) LE was afraid of her nut job exhusband and his family and just really didn't want to get involved - EVEN THOUGH THAT IS THEIR JOB!!!

Well I am starting to think the same thing here.  This beautiful woman is almost gone 2 years.  WTH!!!  I mean let's face it - even if things weren't going great in her personal life - for one thing - no animal lover just up and leaves a dog to fend for itself.  And if she wanted to disappear - she was pretty much a grown woman - I am sure she could have found a way.  Not just up and leave everything and everyone.  I just do NOT believe she just left.  And SHAME ON THEM for not keeping on all of those closely involved.
Considering how old this post is, I'm sure by now that you know that LE was in fact investigating the case of Sue Ann Ray.  They had an informant who was able to get them info on Sue Ann's killers.  Her ex and his father. 



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: KittyMom on January 24, 2012, 08:44:19 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Grinstead

Wikipedia page for Tara.  I Keep hoping that some day someone will talk.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: KittyMom on January 24, 2012, 08:55:32 AM
http://www.mysouthwestga.com/news/story.aspx?id=684548#.Tx61BG8S2Ag
Special Report: What happened to Tara Grinstead?
by Allen Carter
Updated: 11.10.2011 at 3:45 PM


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: iluvmua on February 10, 2015, 10:19:43 PM
Guys we have somewhat of breaking news.......... investigators are searching a pond off of Bowens Mill Road in Ben Hill County Ga.


http://www.tiftongazette.com/news/pond-drained-to-search-for-evidence-in-grinstead-case/article_00dd2f64-b160-11e4-8166-abe419e16566.html

Clearing up some misinformation that has been circulating, he said they did not find a body. Not giving details, he said they found "some items that substantiated original information that came in."


Also, If you follow the rumor mill a certain Ronnie Towns was the one who provided the information.


(take this with a grain of salt).



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 11, 2015, 03:15:07 AM
Wow.   ::MonkeyShocked::

Wish they would find her, it's been too long.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

Thanks for the update, iluvmua.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: iluvmua on February 11, 2015, 10:54:15 AM
http://valdostatoday.com/2015/02/ben-hill-county-search-on-for-body-of-missing-beauty-queen/


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: MuffyBee on February 11, 2015, 10:58:36 PM
Wow.   ::MonkeyShocked::

Wish they would find her, it's been too long.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

Thanks for the update, iluvmua.

It's been so long...  Hopefully they can bring her home soon. 


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: MuffyBee on February 11, 2015, 10:59:25 PM
http://valdostatoday.com/2015/02/ben-hill-county-search-on-for-body-of-missing-beauty-queen/

Thank you for the updates iluvmua.   


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on February 12, 2015, 06:47:09 AM
WoW!!!


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on February 12, 2015, 06:59:58 AM
 ::santawink::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on October 18, 2015, 12:35:00 PM
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article39641307.html

CRIME
OCTOBER 17, 2015
Ten years later, Tara Grinstead's disappearance still baffles

BY JOE KOVAC JR.
jkovac@macon.com

Tara Grinstead was a country girl, a beauty queen, a high school history teacher with dreams of becoming a principal.

Instead, to many who otherwise would never have heard of her, she became "that missing woman," "that teacher who disappeared."

She was a 30-year-old brunette with an easy smile and a Georgia-farm-town drawl. A Hawkinsville native, she'd been Miss Tifton in 1999 and, soon after, a contestant in the Miss Georgia pageant. She wore a yellowish suit as one of her outfits at the Miss Georgia contest, telling an interviewer at the time, "It shows I'm a happy person."

She lived by herself in south Georgia -- in a place that a national TV-news personality referred to after her disappearance as "the sleepy town of Ocilla."

She knew her neighbors well enough that when she went home at night, she switched on a light to signal that all was well.

Though she hadn't married, she had dated a local cop for the better part of five years. She collected Barbie dolls and was a fan of the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard."

Grinstead's vanishing in late October 2005 has remained a mystery for a decade now. Hers is perhaps the region's most widely publicized missing-persons case in history. Her story has been told and retold on network television crime programs and been the subject of cable news talk shows.

Hers was the rare local case that rose to some degree of national prominence despite the remoteness of its geography.

 ::snipping3::

Grinstead, who taught at Irwin County High for about eight years, had gone to work there out of college. Her folks moved to town later.

Oct. 22, 2005, the last night anyone is known to have seen her, was a Saturday. That afternoon she had helped out at the Miss Georgia Sweet Potato pageant in Fitzgerald.

She'd later gone to a cookout at the home of a former county school superintendent's family. When she was reported missing after not showing up at school on Monday, the clothes she'd worn to the Saturday cookout were found at her house. Her cellphone was charging in her bedroom. But she was gone.

Her purse and keys were missing. Her cat, Herman Talmadge, and her dog, Dolley Madison, were in the house. There were no certain signs of a struggle. A bedroom lamp was broken. Her car, a white Mitsubishi, was parked outside, unlocked.

Investigators spoke to dozens of people who knew Grinstead, including men she'd had relationships with. They also interviewed a former student who was arrested in March 2005 for apparently trying to break into her house while she was home.

Her longtime boyfriend, a man named Marcus Harper, told Fox News commentator Greta Van Susteren that Grinstead had ended their relationship well before she went missing. He said he felt "a little rejected at first" but that "we continued to be friends."

Harper, in the televised interview with Fox, described his relationship with Grinstead as "a commitment."

"We did not date other people," he said. "But I was honest with her when I said I had no intentions of marriage."

After they broke up, Harper said in the interview that Grinstead "approached me crying. She was very irrational and she told me that if she found out I was dating someone she would commit suicide."

Harper was not the only man she had been close to.

In a 2009 feature about the case on the CBS show "48 Hours," the lead GBI investigator said, "One of the things that made this case so complicated is that she did have several romantic relationships that occurred in relative proximity to one another."

 ::snipping3::

"What really bothers me about this is how unfair this case is," Rothwell said. "To everyone involved. Obviously to Tara and her family, but also unfair to many other people whose lives have been scrutinized. ... Irresponsible public accusations have been made about them, and they have no way to respond or defend themselves. And it's frustrating that we don't have evidence to rule anyone in or out."

There is one piece of evidence that is now considered a significant clue: a latex glove.

Investigators found it in Grinstead's yard. The glove contained what authorities have said contained "male-profiled" DNA and a fingerprint. But so far no match has turned up.

Meanwhile, Rothwell said there is "information we have never released that we can't explain."

"It's astounding to me," he said, "as many resources as we have devoted to this case, we really don't know any more about what happened to her than we did in the first week. ... It's just baffling."

J.T. Ricketson, the GBI agent in charge of the Perry field office, which is overseeing the Grinstead probe, said last week that Grinstead's disappearance and other unsolved cases are reviewed every few months.

"With this particular case, as leads come in we follow them," he said.

Earlier this year, in February, authorities acting on a tip drained a pond in Fitzgerald. Ricketson said the information was credible enough, but "it ended up not materializing into anything."

Potential evidence that was collected in 2005, apparently from Grinstead's house, may in the end prove vital to finding out what became of her.

Though Ricketson declined to go into specifics, he mentioned the scientific "leaps and bounds" that have been made regarding DNA in the past decade.

Labs, he said, are "able to separate DNA that had maybe been meshed."

Ricketson said, "We've had them revisit our evidence with this new technology, and they have come up with a couple of things that are hopeful or promising to us that may be able to head us in the right direction."


Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Joe Kovac Jr., call 744-4397.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article39641307.html#storylink=cpy


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on October 22, 2015, 09:42:40 PM
https://www.facebook.com/findtaragrinstead/photos/a.147919241885790.29221.147915191886195/1080929011918137/?type=3&theater

What Happened to Tara Grinstead?
2 hrs ·

The following letter was submitted this week by Mr. & Mrs. Billy Grinstead to the local newspapers in Ocilla & Hawkinsville. We are proud to share it here with you here as we keep all of Tara's family in our prayers.


(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/texasmom55/3ddb27f1-da0b-493c-bcd3-be810b39b395_zpsyuwk6cad.jpg) (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/texasmom55/media/3ddb27f1-da0b-493c-bcd3-be810b39b395_zpsyuwk6cad.jpg.html)

(resized)


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on October 22, 2015, 09:51:47 PM
https://www.facebook.com/findtaragrinstead/photos/a.147919241885790.29221.147915191886195/1080498135294558/?type=3&theater

What Happened to Tara Grinstead?
Yesterday at 7:44pm ·

Thursday, October 22nd, marks the 10-year anniversary of Tara's disappearance. Ten years. That is 10 birthdays and 10 Christmas mornings. Someone's conscience has to be stirred enough to tell what he or she knows. It is hard to fathom an individual [or individuals] with knowledge about Tara's disappearance just living their life with such a burden. It's time to talk, once and for all. Please help put an end to this nightmare. 10 years. It is time for Tara's case to be solved so her family, friends, and concerned people around the world can have closure. Please help make that happen.

(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b258/texasmom55/ca56d08f-651e-41d4-bc5c-dd5c506c8540_zpsv5xdusib.jpg) (http://s21.photobucket.com/user/texasmom55/media/ca56d08f-651e-41d4-bc5c-dd5c506c8540_zpsv5xdusib.jpg.html)

(resized)


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on August 04, 2016, 06:54:24 PM
http://www.walb.com/story/32680067/podcast-to-detail-disappearance-of-tara-grinstead

Podcast to detail disappearance of Tara Grinstead

Wednesday, August 3rd 2016, 5:38 pm CDT
Wednesday, August 3rd 2016, 5:50 pm CDT
By Mike Fussell, ReporterCONNECT

OCILLA, GA (WALB) -
An investigative podcast about the disappearance of an Ocilla teacher is set to premier Monday.

Titled 'Up and Vanished', the story details the findings of Atlanta filmmaker Payne Lindsey as he makes a documentary on Tara Grinstead, who went missing in 2005.

The podcast will be released every other week, as Lindsey works on the documentary.

He said he hopes his projects will help find out what happened to her.   

"I hope to be getting people talking again, making an avenue for people to feel comfortable to say things maybe they were too afraid to say," Lindsey said.

Payne said the podcast is ongoing, and that he's not entirely sure how it will end.

More information about the podcast can be found at http://www.upandvanished.com/.



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on February 23, 2017, 11:00:03 AM
 ::germanshep::   The GBI has scheduled a news conference for 3 p.m. Thursday on the 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead.

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/gbi-plans-news-conference-on-tara-grinstead/413366904


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: klaasend on February 23, 2017, 11:26:15 AM
::germanshep::   The GBI has scheduled a news conference for 3 p.m. Thursday on the 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead.

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/gbi-plans-news-conference-on-tara-grinstead/413366904

http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article134451989.html (http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article134451989.html)

 ::snipping3::

Ricketson did say new developments surfaced in recent days and will be shared with the news media Thursday afternoon.

Investigators did talk with Grinstead’s family members Wednesday, he said.


 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 23, 2017, 04:48:06 PM
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article134538299.html

FEBRUARY 23, 2017 3:09 PM
Man charged with murder in long-baffling Tara Grinstead disappearance

(http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/lhfmqf/picture134573964/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/20170223%20Grinstaed%20Presser%20WM%20589)

Ryan Duke, the accused killer of Tara Grinstead, arrives at the Irwin County Courthouse on Feb. 23, 2017. The GBI announced his arrest in an earlier news conference. Liz Fabian The Telegraph

BY JOE KOVAC JR.
jkovac@macon.com

Authorities have charged Ryan Alexander Duke with murder in the puzzling disappearance of Tara Grinstead, a high school history teacher and former beauty queen who went missing nearly 12 years ago.

Officials made the announcement at a Thursday news conference at the Irwin County Courthouse.

Few details about the arrest or killing were discussed. Authorities said Duke was a student at Irwin County High School and graduated about three years before Grinstead went missing.

A tip led authorities to Duke, said J.T. Ricketson, special agent in charge of the GBI office in Perry.

“The search efforts never ceased,” he said.

Connie Grinstead said her family always believed her daughter’s disappearance would be solved.

“We just didn’t know when,” she said.

 ::snipping3::

(http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/bx9ftq/picture134560504/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/Duke)
Ryan Duke


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 23, 2017, 05:07:15 PM
http://heavy.com/news/2017/02/ryan-alexander-duke-murder-tara-grinstead-teacher-student-charged-disappearance-georgia-beauty-queen-who-is/

Ryan Alexander Duke: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Published 3:47 pm EST, February 23, 2017 Updated 5:25 pm EST, February 23, 2017   
By Chris Bucher

Ryan Alexander Duke has been charged with murder stemming from the 2005 disappearance of Georgia teacher and beauty queen Tara Grinstead. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation revealed during a press conference that Duke had been arrested and charged with her murder, over 11 years from when she went missing.

In 2011, investigators continued to pursue leads and the chief investigator from the GBI said that “this case has never gone cold.” He said that leads would come in on a weekly basis.

Here’s what you need to know about Duke:

1. Duke Was Charged With the Murder of Grinstead

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Duke, who is 33, for the murder of Tara Grinstead. The GBI announced the arrest and charge at a press conference February 23.

Officials said someone came forward with information and through a series of interviews with subjects that had never been interviews in connection with the case, investigators obtained enough information to arrest Duke. He was taken into custody February 22, and a warrant was issued the day after on February 23.

https://twitter.com/WTOCJarvis/status/834866763837865984/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Jarvis Robertson @WTOCJarvis
The Tara Grinstead case has been open for more than 10yrs. @WTOC11

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5YK4_dUYAAFVyh.jpg)

2:45 PM - 23 Feb 2017
 
Grinstead was first reported missing from her Ocilla, Georgia home on October 22, 2005. Foul play was immediately suspected, but a lack of evidence had made connecting anyone to the disappearance difficult. Investigators continued to pursue leads, but came up empty with any information on her whereabouts. The GBI promised during the press conference that the investigation is still ongoing and they will interview more people in connection with the case and continue to search for Grinstead’s remains.


2. Duke Went to the Same School Grinstead Taught At

https://twitter.com/upandvanished/status/834858069641281536/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Up and Vanished @upandvanished

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5YC9qHXUAMw3_q.jpg)

This is the man who killed Tara Grinstead.
2:10 PM - 23 Feb 2017 · Georgia, USA

Grinstead taught at Irwin County High School in Ocilla beginning in 1998. She taught 11th-grade history after graduating from Middle Georgia College. She later earned her master’s degree in education from Valdosta State University.

GBI investigators said that Duke had graduated high school three years before her disappearance in 2002.

3. Duke Is a New Suspect to Investigators & Media

https://twitter.com/MissVWaters/status/834859065549398016/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Veronica Waters @MissVWaters

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5YD4XVW8AQ7Q3v.jpg)
"This gentleman never came up in our radar," says GBI of Ryan Duke, the man now charged with the '05 murder of Tara Grinstead @wsbradio
2:14 PM - 23 Feb 2017

Local media covering the story since Grinstead’s appearance in 2005 say that Duke is a completely new suspect in the investigation.

Hundreds of people had been interviewed over the past 11 years, but investigators were still left to little to no leads on the suspect.

 ::snipping3::

GBI investigators said that Duke “never came up” on their radar while pursuing leads in the case.

 ::snipping3::

Details of Duke’s alleged murder of Grinstead are still coming in and will be updated once they are made available.


 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 23, 2017, 05:20:44 PM
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/237650010-story

GBI charges Ryan Alexander Duke in Tara Grinstead case

POSTED:FEB 23 2017 12:14PM EST
UPDATED:FEB 23 2017 05:48PM EST

OCILLA, Ga. - Investigators have charged a man in the disappearance of a south Georgia teacher and beauty queen who vanished without a trace more than 11 years ago. The suspect, Ryan Alexander Duke, made his first court appearance late Thursday afternoon in Irwin County.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation filed arrest warrants for Duke charging him, among other things, with the murder of Tara Grinstead. During Duke’s first appearance, the judge revealed he is also being charged with burglary, aggravated assault and concealing a death.

 ::snipping3::

Investigators said they still have not found Grinstead's remains, but believe Duke took her body from her home to conceal her death.

 ::snipping3::

(http://static.lakana.com/media.fox5atlanta.com/photo/2017/02/23/Capture%2000825%20_OP_Output1_CP__1487887736674_2798787_ver1.0_640_360.jpg)

Ryan Alexander Duke


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 23, 2017, 06:21:26 PM
I'm guessing they finally got a match on the DNA from the glove that was found in her yard.   ::MonkeyCool::

Justice for Tara!   ::MonkeyGavel:: ::justice2nj2::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on February 24, 2017, 05:08:46 AM
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now she needs to be found and brought home!!


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: klaasend on February 24, 2017, 08:56:47 AM
FINALLY!    ::MonkeyGavel::  ::justice2nj2::

Shout out to SHELLBELL, if you don't remember your password or have troubles logging in email me at smklaas@hotmail.com


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 24, 2017, 06:30:28 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEZZuunu82U

https://www.youtube.com/v/hEZZuunu82U

Stepmother makes statement after arrest in murder of Tara Grinstead
WSB-TV

Published on Feb 23, 2017
Law enforcement officials from several agencies gathered Thursday afternoon to announce that Ryan Alexander Duke had been arrested and charged in the 2005 killing of Tara Grinstead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaaQFbAXL50

https://www.youtube.com/v/WaaQFbAXL50

Small Georgia town braces for more arrests in teacher's murder
WSB-TV

Published on Feb 24, 2017
Ryan Alexander Duke has already been arrested in the murder of Tara Grinstead in 2005.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Red on February 24, 2017, 07:12:04 PM
Tara Grinstead: Ex-student accused of murdering missing Georgia teacher

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/02/23/tara-grinstead-missing-suspect-accused-killing-georgia-teacher.html

Quote
A man has been charged with murdering a south Georgia teacher and beauty queen who disappeared more than 11 years ago, authorities said Thursday.

Ryan Alexander Duke has been arrested in connection with the death of Tara Grinstead, Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman J.T. Ricketson said.

Authorities said Duke was arrested Wednesday evening after a tipster came forward with new information this week.

"This gentleman (Duke) never came up on our radar through the investigation," Ricketson said. Asked if more arrests were possible, he said, "That's a very good question. Again, we have several more interviews to do."

Quote
Ricketson declined to say how Grinstead and Duke knew each other and would not say if authorities know what became of Grinstead's body.

Connie Grinstead, the missing woman's stepmother, told reporters she thanked God "for answered prayers."

"We always believed that it would be solved," she said, reading a statement at the courthouse news conference. "We just did not know when."
::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Red on February 24, 2017, 07:13:07 PM
Missing for 11 Years … 33 Year Old Ryan Alexander Duke Arrested & Charged with the murder of 30 Year Old Tara Grinstead

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2017/02/24/missing-for-11-years-33-year-old-ryan-alexander-duke-arrested-charged-with-the-murder-of-30-year-old-tara-grinstead/?preview=true&preview_id=83523&preview_nonce=2d427986d8

(http://scaredmonkeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ryan-Alaxander-Duke-300x270.jpg)

Quote
AN ARREST HAS BEEN MADE IN THE 11 YEAR OLD TARA GRINSTEAD MISSING PERSONS COLD CASE …

It has been 11 years since 30 year old Tara Grinstead went missing, but there has now been an arrest in the case. According to reports, 33 year old Ryan Alexander Duke has been arrested and charged with the murder of Tara Grinstead. The Irwin County High School teacher was 30 years old when she vanished on Oct. 22, 2005 from her home in the farm town of Ocilla, about 165 miles south of Atlanta.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Red on February 24, 2017, 07:17:18 PM
Tara Grinstead missing: Ex-student used hands to kill teacher in home, warrant says

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tara-grinstead-missing-suspect-used-hands-to-kill-teacher-inside-home-warrant-says/


Quote
The suspect, 33-year-old Ryan Alexander Duke, was being held at the Irwin County jail in Ocilla, about 165 miles southeast of Atlanta.

“We always believed that it would be solved,” Connie Grinstead, the missing woman’s stepmother, told reporters at a courthouse news conference Thursday in which the GBI announced the arrest. “We just did not know when.”

CBS News’ “48 Hours” investigated the case in the episode “Stolen Beauty.”

The arrest provides some answers for a small farming community that has long grappled with Grinstead’s strange disappearance.

“When I heard, I just broke down in tears of relief, of anger, of sadness and frustration,” said Wendy McFarland, a fellow teacher and friend of Grinstead’s. “Everything that had been carried for the last 11 years and four months just bubbled to the surface.”

Duke burglarized the teacher’s home, and used his hands to kill her inside the residence, according to warrants that were read at a late Thursday court hearing, area news outlets reported. He then removed her body from the home with the intent of concealing her death, the warrants state.

During an arraignment soon after the announcement, Duke was charged with murder, aggravated assault and burglary, reports CBS affiliate WGCL. He was appointed an attorney by the court and waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Red on February 24, 2017, 07:25:07 PM
“We always believed that it would be solved,” Connie Grinstead

 


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 24, 2017, 07:31:01 PM
Missing for 11 Years … 33 Year Old Ryan Alexander Duke Arrested & Charged with the murder of 30 Year Old Tara Grinstead

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2017/02/24/missing-for-11-years-33-year-old-ryan-alexander-duke-arrested-charged-with-the-murder-of-30-year-old-tara-grinstead/?preview=true&preview_id=83523&preview_nonce=2d427986d8

(http://scaredmonkeys.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Ryan-Alaxander-Duke-300x270.jpg)

Quote
AN ARREST HAS BEEN MADE IN THE 11 YEAR OLD TARA GRINSTEAD MISSING PERSONS COLD CASE …

It has been 11 years since 30 year old Tara Grinstead went missing, but there has now been an arrest in the case. According to reports, 33 year old Ryan Alexander Duke has been arrested and charged with the murder of Tara Grinstead. The Irwin County High School teacher was 30 years old when she vanished on Oct. 22, 2005 from her home in the farm town of Ocilla, about 165 miles south of Atlanta.

Thanks, Red!   ::MonkeyCool::

This link will work for the front page article, Red's link has the "preview" extension on it.

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2017/02/24/missing-for-11-years-33-year-old-ryan-alexander-duke-arrested-charged-with-the-murder-of-30-year-old-tara-grinstead/


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 26, 2017, 10:38:11 AM
Video at the link:

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/tara-grinsteads-best-friend-baffled-by-arrest-in-disappearance-case/413834205

Tara Grinstead's best friend 'baffled' by arrest in disappearance case


"I want to know why. Was she stalked? Was she hurt?"

Justin McDuffie, WMAZ 11:49 AM. EST February 25, 2017
 
Tara Grinstead's best friend says her disappearance has haunted her for years.

“I’m baffled I just can’t believe it,” Maria Woods Harber said. “I feel like I’m going to wake up tomorrow, and this is going to be a dream just like the day she went missing.”

Harber is Tara Grinstead’s best friend and can’t believe police have named Ryan Duke the suspect in her murder, more than 11 years later.

“I've heard the name and another connected but it was never red flags,” Harber said.

She's says Grinstead knew Duke since she was a teacher at Irwin County High, but is sure she never taught him.


“Why didn’t you come forward sooner,” Harber said. “Why have you done this because he’s taken away a lot of my life. He’s taken away her family’s life.”

Even after Thursday’s announcement, she still has questions that have gone unanswered.

“I want to know why,” Harber said.  “I want know when, was she targeted was she stalked, was she hurt. I pray that she didn’t feel any pain.”

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on February 27, 2017, 04:18:56 AM
Great article...I too was wrong.
https://www.huntakiller.com/blog-articles/2017/2/26/the-tara-grinstead-investigation-a-lesson-in-humility


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 05:18:20 PM
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/dozens-digging-for-remains-of-tara-grinstead/498308864

Dozens digging for remains of Tara Grinstead in south Georgia
by: Tony Thomas Updated: Feb 28, 2017 - 5:30 PM

BEN HILL COUNTY, Ga. - Dozens of people are searching a pecan farm in a south Georgia town for Tara Grinstead’s remains.

A crew of more than 40 people are involved in the massive dig set up in the city of Fitzgerald in Ben Hill County.

"There are agents from eight different GBI officers. I have five crime scene specialists here. We actually enlisted the services of two anthropologists in case we find any skeletal remains," GBI Special Agent in Charge JT Ricketson said.

The new evidence they've uncovered, live from the scene on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m.

Grinstead, a teacher and former beauty queen, was reported missing in October 2005 from her Ocilla home.

Last week, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and local Georgia authorities announced an arrest in the case. Ryan Alexander Duke was charged murder, burglary, aggravated assault and concealing a death.
 
The GBI said that someone walked into the sheriff's office earlier last week with information that led to several new interviews and an arrest.

"Through these interviews, enough probable cause was discovered so we could swear out an arrest warrant charging Ryan Alexander Duke with the murder of Tara Grinstead," said GBI Special Agent in Charge J.T. Ricketson.

During his first court appearance, we heard for the first time authorities believe Duke used his hands to kill Grinstead.

Investigators told a judge they first believe Duke went to Grinstead’s home for a burglary and he killed her and then took her body elsewhere to hide it.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5xymexUsAAy1T5.jpg)
 Follow
 Tony Thomas ✔ @TonyThomasWSB
Breaking : GBI digging in a Ben Hill County for the remains of Tara Grinstead. Authorities say some "evidence" has been found .
2:09 PM - 28 Feb 2017


 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 05:24:37 PM
https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034 (https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034)

Tony ThomasVerified account
@TonyThomasWSB
Reporter for WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Tony Thomas‏ Verified account @TonyThomasWSB 
34 minutes ago

Judge issued a gag order in Tara Grinstead murder case . I learned the latest on search efforts just before ruling came down @wsbtv at 6.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5yRms-WcAIrrgO.jpg)


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 05:30:00 PM
https://twitter.com/LJphotog54/status/836701194634543105 (https://twitter.com/LJphotog54/status/836701194634543105)

LeVar James‏ @LJphotog54 
52 minutes ago
More
 Nearly 40 GBI investigators are on the scene of this field searching for remains of Tara Grinstead. @TonyThomasWSB @AllThingsWSB @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/rh2CCHNGmN

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5yPS9WXQAATILC.jpg:large)


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 05:42:16 PM
Lot of rumors about someone named Bo Dukes being involved.  No relation to Ryan Duke, just a good friend. 
Looks like maybe he's connected to the property being searched too...hmmm

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=134249876

William Newton "Newt" Hudson

Birth:    Dec. 12, 1926
Ocilla
Irwin County
Georgia, USA
Death:    Aug. 12, 2014
Wilcox County
Georgia, USA

Obituary for William Newton (Newt) Hudson
William Newton (Newt) Hudson died August 12, 2014, at his home in Rochelle, Georgia, with his family at his side.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 14, at 2 P.M. in the Rochelle United Methodist Church with Reverend Nancylee Cater officiating and assisted by Reverend James Faircloth . His oldest grandson, Scott Hudson, will give the eulogy. Interment will follow at the Frank Cemetery in Ocilla, Georgia, at 4 P.M. The family will receive friends from 9:30 A.M until 12:00 noon at the W. N. (Newt) Hudson Agricultural Center, on Thursday morning, prior to the funeral service.
Mr. Hudson was born December 12, 1926, in Ocilla, GA, to the late Dudley D. Hudson and Ella Frances Williams Hudson. In 1944, prior to his high school graduation, he left school and joined the Navy. He served in the South Pacific for 18 months during World War II. After the war, he returned to and graduated from Irwin County High School. After his high school graduation in 1947, he also graduated from ABAC and was a 1950 Honor graduate of the University of Georgia.
After his college graduation, Mr. Hudson taught classes to World War II Veterans in Irwinville. He accepted his first Extension job in Gwinnett County and later served Colquitt County as assistant County Agent. In 1955, he accepted the position of Extension Agent for Wilcox County, where he served for 28 years. After his retirement, Mr. Hudson was elected to the State Legislature and served in the State House of Representatives for 20 years, serving as co-chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Co-Chairman of the Health and Ecology Committee, Chairman of the Industry and Trade Committee, Vice Chairman of the Rules and Regulations Committee, and also served on the Appropriations Committee. During his tenure as State Representative, Mr. Hudson worked tirelessly for the people of his district and was instrumental in passing significant educational, agricultural and industrial legislation that benefited southern Georgia.
Mr. Hudson was a long time member of Rochelle United Methodist Church, Elks Lodge, Rochelle Lions Club, Masonic Lodge, and member of American Legion #71. He also served on numerous boards within the community, the Colony Bank Board, Middle GA EMC Board, and the Wilcox County Fish and Game Board. Mr. Hudson was an avid huntsman and fisherman and loved growing pecans. He greatly enjoyed the beauty of nature and spending time on his farm, along with a deep love for his wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family.
Mr. Hudson is survived by his wife, Gayle Davis Hudson, Rochelle; son, Randy and Mary Jo Hudson, Ocilla; daughter, Dixie Hudson, Rochelle; daughter, Suzanne and Bobby Conner, Ocilla; Six grandsons and one granddaughter, Scott Hudson, Ocilla; Casey Conner (Holly), Ocilla; Shane Hudson (Whitney), Tifton; Wesley Conner, Ocilla; Bo Dukes (Emily); Jake Dukes, Atlanta; and Randi Conner, New York, NY; Two great grandsons and three great granddaughters, Nate Hudson, Miles Hudson, Addison Conner, Avery Conner, and Hadley Hudson; One sister, Beverly Hudson Bauerband, Boynton Beach, FL; One “Bonus” son, John Rycroft, Fitzgerald; one “Bonus” daughter , Andrea and Roger Sutton, Fitzgerald; “Bonus” grandchildren, Rhett Rycroft, Rylee Rycroft, Rob Rycroft, Raegan Rycroft, and Sophie Sutton.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Hudson was preceded in death by his first wife and mother of his children, Gracie Dix Hudson. Six brothers, Wilson Hudson, Ted Hudson, Homer D. Hudson, Randall Hudson, Milton Hudson and J. W. Hudson also preceded him in death.
His beloved grandchildren will serve as their grandfather’s pallbearers.
Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle is in charge of arrangements.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 06:03:06 PM
http://qpublic7.qpublic.net/ga_display.php?county=ga_benhill&KEY=+4+9+++++10

Owner Name    Hudson, Randy D    Today's Date    February 28, 2017
Mailing Address      P.O. Box 527    Parcel Number     4 9 10
      Ocilla, Ga 31774    Tax District    COUNTY (District 02)
Location Address     BOWENS MILL HIGHWAY    2015 Millage Rate    33.139
Legal Description    3087-90 3095-97    Acres    145
Property Class(NOTE: Not Zoning Info)      V5-Consv Use     
Neighborhood   
Zoning         Homestead Exemption    No (S0)
Landlot/District     297/4     Parcel Map   Maps available with subscription

2016 Tax Year Value Information 
Land
Value   Improvement
Value   Accessory
Value   Total
Value   Previous
Value
  $ 225,750      $ 0      $ 3,000      $ 228,750      $ 228,750


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 06:15:59 PM
http://www.hudsonpecan.com/pecans/


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 06:23:29 PM
https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034 (https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5yRms-WcAIrrgO.jpg)

Justice for Tara!

 ::justice2nj2::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 06:25:23 PM
Lot of rumors about someone named Bo Dukes being involved.  No relation to Ryan Duke, just a good friend. 
Looks like maybe he's connected to the property being searched too...hmmm

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=134249876

William Newton "Newt" Hudson

Birth:    Dec. 12, 1926
Ocilla
Irwin County
Georgia, USA
Death:    Aug. 12, 2014
Wilcox County
Georgia, USA

Obituary for William Newton (Newt) Hudson
William Newton (Newt) Hudson died August 12, 2014, at his home in Rochelle, Georgia, with his family at his side.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 14, at 2 P.M. in the Rochelle United Methodist Church with Reverend Nancylee Cater officiating and assisted by Reverend James Faircloth . His oldest grandson, Scott Hudson, will give the eulogy. Interment will follow at the Frank Cemetery in Ocilla, Georgia, at 4 P.M. The family will receive friends from 9:30 A.M until 12:00 noon at the W. N. (Newt) Hudson Agricultural Center, on Thursday morning, prior to the funeral service.
Mr. Hudson was born December 12, 1926, in Ocilla, GA, to the late Dudley D. Hudson and Ella Frances Williams Hudson. In 1944, prior to his high school graduation, he left school and joined the Navy. He served in the South Pacific for 18 months during World War II. After the war, he returned to and graduated from Irwin County High School. After his high school graduation in 1947, he also graduated from ABAC and was a 1950 Honor graduate of the University of Georgia.
After his college graduation, Mr. Hudson taught classes to World War II Veterans in Irwinville. He accepted his first Extension job in Gwinnett County and later served Colquitt County as assistant County Agent. In 1955, he accepted the position of Extension Agent for Wilcox County, where he served for 28 years. After his retirement, Mr. Hudson was elected to the State Legislature and served in the State House of Representatives for 20 years, serving as co-chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Co-Chairman of the Health and Ecology Committee, Chairman of the Industry and Trade Committee, Vice Chairman of the Rules and Regulations Committee, and also served on the Appropriations Committee. During his tenure as State Representative, Mr. Hudson worked tirelessly for the people of his district and was instrumental in passing significant educational, agricultural and industrial legislation that benefited southern Georgia.
Mr. Hudson was a long time member of Rochelle United Methodist Church, Elks Lodge, Rochelle Lions Club, Masonic Lodge, and member of American Legion #71. He also served on numerous boards within the community, the Colony Bank Board, Middle GA EMC Board, and the Wilcox County Fish and Game Board. Mr. Hudson was an avid huntsman and fisherman and loved growing pecans. He greatly enjoyed the beauty of nature and spending time on his farm, along with a deep love for his wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family.
Mr. Hudson is survived by his wife, Gayle Davis Hudson, Rochelle; son, Randy and Mary Jo Hudson, Ocilla; daughter, Dixie Hudson, Rochelle; daughter, Suzanne and Bobby Conner, Ocilla; Six grandsons and one granddaughter, Scott Hudson, Ocilla; Casey Conner (Holly), Ocilla; Shane Hudson (Whitney), Tifton; Wesley Conner, Ocilla; Bo Dukes (Emily); Jake Dukes, Atlanta; and Randi Conner, New York, NY; Two great grandsons and three great granddaughters, Nate Hudson, Miles Hudson, Addison Conner, Avery Conner, and Hadley Hudson; One sister, Beverly Hudson Bauerband, Boynton Beach, FL; One “Bonus” son, John Rycroft, Fitzgerald; one “Bonus” daughter , Andrea and Roger Sutton, Fitzgerald; “Bonus” grandchildren, Rhett Rycroft, Rylee Rycroft, Rob Rycroft, Raegan Rycroft, and Sophie Sutton.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Hudson was preceded in death by his first wife and mother of his children, Gracie Dix Hudson. Six brothers, Wilson Hudson, Ted Hudson, Homer D. Hudson, Randall Hudson, Milton Hudson and J. W. Hudson also preceded him in death.
His beloved grandchildren will serve as their grandfather’s pallbearers.
Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle is in charge of arrangements.


(Bo Dukes not listed with a spouse in Sept 2005)

http://www.currentobituary.com/obit/20484

Eddie Gracie Dix Hudson
September 04, 2005

Eddie Gracie Dix Hudson, age 76, of 1161 Pecan Road, Rochelle passed away Sunday in the Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton. Funeral Services will be at 10:30 AM Tuesday in the Rochelle United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jack Taylor, Rev. Richard Newton, and Rev John Carroll will officiate. Interment will be in the Frank Cemetery in Irwin County.


Mrs. Hudson was born in Irwin County on November 19, 1928. She was daughter of the late E.G. Dix and Maude Martin Dix. She was a homemaker and member of the Rochelle United Methodist Church. She was a graduate of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the University of Georgia. She was a former dance teacher and beauty consultant. She was the first woman in Wilcox County to win a city election (City council).


Survivors include: Husband-W.N. "Newt" Hudson of Rochelle, son-Randy (Mary Jo) Hudson of Ocilla, Daughters-Dixie Hudson of Rochelle and Suzanne (Bobby Conner) of Ocilla, Brothers-Bobby Dix of Ocilla and Sammy Dix of Albany, and Sister-Frances Winn of Ocilla. Grandchildren-Scott and Julia Hudson of Tifton, Casey and Holly Conner of Savannah, Shane Hudson and Whitney Fears of Macon, Wes Conner of Ocilla, Bo Dukes of Rochelle, Randi Conner of Ocilla, and Jake Dukes of Ocilla.


Visitation will be from 6-8 PM Monday at Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle.


The family may be contacted at the Hudson residence at 1161 Pecan Road, Rochelle.

Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle has charge of arrangements. (229) 365-2226


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 06:34:59 PM
 ::MonkeyEek::

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/pr/savannah-couple-plead-guilty-tostealing-over-150000-army

U.S. Attorneys » Southern District of Georgia » News
 
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Georgia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 12, 2013

Savannah Couple Plead Guilty ToStealing Over $150,000 From The Army


SAVANNAH, GA: BO DUKES, 29, and EMILY DUKES, 29, husband and wife from Savannah, Georgia, pled guilty on Monday before United States District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. to conspiring to steal over $150,000 worth of property paid for by the Army.

Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing showed that BO DUKES, a Unit Supply Specialist in the United States Army, ordered televisions, cameras, power tools, cooper wires and other property totaling over $150,000, which he was able to fraudulently bill to the Army through the General Services Administration (GSA).  BO DUKES caused the fraudulently obtained items to be shipped to his personal residence.  He and his wife EMILY DUKES then pawned the items for their own personal benefit.

 ::snipping3::

BO and EMILY DUKES both face a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.  A sentencing date will be set after the United States Probation Office conduct a presentence investigation.

The DUKES’ conviction arose out of a joint investigation by the General Services Administration and the Department of the Army, Criminal Investigation Command, Major Procurement Fraud Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Tania D. Groover is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.  For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547
USAO - Georgia, Southern
Updated April 10, 2015


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 06:54:58 PM
https://twitter.com/wsbtv/status/836732885235269633 (https://twitter.com/wsbtv/status/836732885235269633)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5ysGz5WAAEKwaM.jpg:large)

WSB-TV‏Verified account @wsbtv
12 minutes ago

Dozens dig for Tara Grinstead's remains in south Georgia: http://2wsb.tv/2lTmbby  pic.twitter.com/EnVByLLAS5


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 06:59:40 PM
http://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/investigators-dig-search-for-tara-grinstead-remains/5ASM7wHfnHmYpOOUNrimWI/

Investigators dig in search for Tara Grinstead’s remains

Alexis Stevens  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5:23 p.m Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017

(http://www.ajc.com/rf/image_large/Pub/p8/AJC/2017/02/28/Images/newsEngin.17930876_grinstead-search.jpg)

A wooded area was being searched Tuesday afternoon for the remains of Tara Grinstead, a former beauty queen and history teacher. (Photo: Channel 2 Action News)

An extensive search of a south Georgia pecan farm has yielded evidence in the homicide case of Tara Grinstead, investigators said Tuesday.

 “We’re hopeful we can find her remains and that’s why we are there,” GBI Special Agent in Charge J.T. Ricketson said Tuesday afternoon.

But details on what was found weren’t released and won’t be any time soon. Late Tuesday, a judge signed a “gag order” preventing law enforcement from discussing the case of Grinstead, a teacher and former beauty queen who has been missing for more than 11 years. Potential witnesses, court personnel and family members of both Grinstead and her alleged killer are all prohibited from making statements about the case, the order states.

 “Because this case is high profile and has generated extensive media coverage, and because the Defendant’s sixth amendment right to a fair trial may be prejudiced by extra-judicial statements, the Court has considered and weighed the issue and hereby finds that there is a reasonable likelihood the Defendant’s sixth amendment right to a fair trial by an impartial jury may be prejudiced by extra judicial statements,” Superior Court Judge Melanie Cross wrote in the order.

 A team of 41 investigators and anthropologists dug through a wooded area Tuesday behind a farm in Ben Hill county. It’s the second time in a week investigators have searched the area, Ricketson said. The property’s owners are not involved with the investigation, he said.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 07:05:36 PM
http://www.macon.com/news/local/article135528728.html

FEBRUARY 28, 2017 5:12 PM

Authorities search a pecan farm for remains of Tara Grinstead

BY BECKY PURSER
bpurser@macon.com

Authorities combed a pecan farm in Ben Hill County for remains of Tara Grinstead, media outlets reported.

“This is a possible site where she may have been disposed of,” J.T. Ricketson, special agent in charge of the GBI’s Perry office, said in a televised interview on WALB News on Tuesday.

Contacted by telephone, Ricketson said a Tifton Judicial Circuit judge had subsequently issued a gag order and he could no longer comment on the investigation.

The gag order was issued by Superior Court Judge Melanie B. Cross.


The search in Fitzgerald comes just days after the arrest of 33-year-old Ryan Duke on a charge of murder in the 2005 disappearance of the history school teacher and former beauty queen.

Duke, a former student of Grinstead’s, graduated from Irwin County High School in 2002.

The GBI had more than 40 people, WSB TV reported, from eight different agencies involved in the search Tuesday.

A body recovery team was also involved. The same property was also searched last week.

Duke is accused of killing Grinstead on Oct. 22, 2005 in her West Park Street home during a burglary and then moving the body elsewhere, arrest warrants alleged.

He “willfully used his hands in an offensive manner to cause bodily harm,” the documents state.

Other charges against Duke include aggravated assault, burglary and concealing a death.

A search of Irwin County Superior, Magistrate and Probate court records found no prior felony charges against Duke.

He had a 2010 misdemeanor conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol less safe, according to Ocilla court and police records. He also pleaded guilty to speeding and driving without a license on his person.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 07:12:12 PM
https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034 (https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034)

Tony ThomasVerified account
@TonyThomasWSB
Reporter for WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Tony Thomas‏ Verified account @TonyThomasWSB 
34 minutes ago

Judge issued a gag order in Tara Grinstead murder case . I learned the latest on search efforts just before ruling came down @wsbtv at 6.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5yRms-WcAIrrgO.jpg)

https://twitter.com/13wmaznews/status/836689045505912833 (https://twitter.com/13wmaznews/status/836689045505912833)

13WMAZ News‏Verified account
@13wmaznews


BREAKING: A copy of the gag order issued by Judge Melanie Cross in the Grinstead case. http://on.wmaz.com/2mBEAdd

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5yEHbSVUAAJ3IY.jpg)


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 07:23:09 PM
Have to wonder?!!!   ::MonkeyNoNo::

https://twitter.com/BlckdByJilZarin/status/836682065517154305 (https://twitter.com/BlckdByJilZarin/status/836682065517154305)

BBJZ‏ @BlckdByJilZarin 
4 hours ago

 #TaraGrinstead alleged accomplice, initials BD, is the grandson of a former GA State Rep for 20 yrs. Is this why Cops didn't fu on tips? 2/2

https://twitter.com/BlckdByJilZarin/status/836681719298281473 (https://twitter.com/BlckdByJilZarin/status/836681719298281473)

BBJZ‏ @BlckdByJilZarin 
4 hours ago

 #TaraGrinstead Case...
GBI searching for remains in a pecan orchard. Property owned by uncle of another guy/man who may be accomplice 1/2


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 07:39:09 PM
http://wgxa.tv/news/local/gbi-search-for-tara-grinsteads-remains-leads-to-fitzgerald-property

(http://static-41.sinclairstoryline.com/resources/media/b1393ba1-5d49-4c87-bd3b-af46cc91e639-large16x9_GBI.JPG?1488322173627)

GBI: Search for Tara Grinstead's remains leads to Fitzgerald property
by Katherine Shepherd

FITZGERALD, Ga. -- Authorities are searching a property in Ben Hill County for what they believe may be Tara Grinstead's remains.
This comes just days after an arrest was made in the nearly 12-year-old case.
Agent J.T. Ricketson with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday afternoon that through interviews during their investigation they have identified a property in Fitzgerald where they believe Grinstead's remains may be located.
Ricketson said that they have collected some items and other evidence on the property and another location that they believe with help to further their investigation into Grinstead's disappearance.
He said that Tuesday the GBI and other agencies are on the property with 41 officials searching the property. This includes a body recovery team.
Ricketson said that authorities have performed a shoulder-to-shoulder search that led them to specify a certain area on the property where they believe evidence may be located. He said teams have begun digging at these locations with small instruments and that they will be there as long as they keep "finding evidence."
"We identified some specific areas that we gridded off so we could do a grid search and now they’re down there with trowels and spoons and very small implements trying to basically dig into the very, very small pieces of the dirt just to see if we can collect any evidence," Ricketson said.
Ricketson said that they have identified a number of people who have information about the case but did not speculate on any future arrests.
He said they are "making very good headway" in the case.
He said that the owner of the Fitzgerald property where his teams are searching is not related "in any way, shape or form" to Grinstead's disappearance.
 ::snipping3::
On Thursday, Ricketson said they recently received a tip about Grinstead's case that led them to Duke.
Ricketson said that Duke has not shared what happened to Grinstead with authorities.
 


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 07:55:53 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS-HcMrOkaA

https://www.youtube.com/v/uS-HcMrOkaA

GBI leaving Ben Hill land
WGXA News


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 08:11:58 PM
"We collected DNA samples from hundreds of men in this investigation.  And, Ryan, his name had not come up, some of his associates had come up.  We're actually going back and revisiting our file, and again, we're looking through hundreds and hundreds of interviews that were conducted back over the last eleven plus years."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FieGsgj-Z1A

https://www.youtube.com/v/FieGsgj-Z1A

GBI searching for remains of Tara Grinstead
FOX 5 Atlanta
 
Published on Feb 28, 2017

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations said agents and local law enforcement were out in Ben Hill County searching for the remains of Tara Grinstead. Grinstead was the south Georgia teacher and former beauty queen who vanished without a trace more than 11 years ago.

A spokesperson for the GBI said more than 40 agents were out since 6 a.m. Tuesday searching for Grinstead’s body. Two interviews led them to the property.

“We identified some specific areas that we gridded off so we could do a grid search and now they’re down there with trowels and spoons and very small implements trying to basically dig into the very, very small pieces of the dirt just to see if we can collect any evidence,” said JT Ricketson, GBI Special Agent.

Anthropologists are at the scene helping agents in the search for remains.

The GBI wanted to make clear the property owner has no association with the murder or disappearance for Grinstead.

Two years ago, agents drained a pond, also in Ben Hill County, which they believed contained evidence related to the case.

Last week, Ryan Alexander Duke, a former student at the high school at which she taught, was arrested for her murder.

Grinstead was last seen the night of October 22, 2005 when she attended a beauty pageant and barbecue in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Investigators said she went home to Ocilla and was never seen again.

Two days later, her co-workers at Irwin County high School, where she taught, called 911 when she didn't show up for work. Police said when they got to Grinstead's home to investigate, they found no signs of a struggle and her purse, keys and cell phone were still there.

She was 30-years-old at the time of her disappearance.

A grand jury is expected to meet on April 12 to see if the murder case against Duke will move forward. He remains in jail without bond.

RELATED: Search continues for Tara Grinstead's remains after man charged with murder


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on February 28, 2017, 08:15:16 PM
Quote from: Shellbell
There have not been any leads in this case.  They are treating it as if she left on her own free will.

That's pretty lame.  

There is nothing to suggest Tara would up and leave of her own volition.  

LE needs to try harder.

Miss you, Peaches and 2NJ!   ::MonkeyKiss:: ::MonkeyAngel:: ::MonkeyAngel::

CBS 48 Hours is covering the disappearance of Tara Grinstead and Jennifer Kesse.

Please tune in on July 1st at 9pm EST


As I posted in Jennifer Kesse's thread, I watched this last night.  I truly hope that something comes up for Tara's case, including the ID of the DNA on the latex glove...anything to help her family.

 ::MonkeyAngel:: ::MonkeyAngel::

 (http://scaredmonkeys.net/useravs/avatar_67.png)    (http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/crazybabyborgs/Valentine%20Avatar/2nj4.gif)   


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 03, 2017, 01:35:25 PM
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/breaking-classmate-of-suspect-in-tara-grinstead-murder-also-arrested/419530999

BREAKING: Warrants say 2nd suspect concealed Tara Grinstead's body
 

13WMAZ's Jacob Reynolds recaps the second arrest of an Ocilla man in the Tara Grinstead murder case.

WMAZ 1:54 PM. EST March 03, 2017
 

BEN HILL COUNTY, GA. - Another suspect has been arrested in Tara Grinstead’s disappearance, just one week after suspected killer, Ryan Alexander Duke, was charged in the Ocilla teacher's  2005 disappearance and murder.

Bo Dukes, 32, was arrested and charged with concealing death, hindering apprehension or punishment of a criminal, and tampering with evidence, according to the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a search warrant, Dukes helped "conceal and destroy' Grinstead's body in 2005.

They say it happened at a farm off Bowens Hill Highway 129 in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, between Oct. 23 and Oct. 28.

The warrants accuse Bo Dukes of helping Ryan Alexander Duke, the man already accused of murdering Tara Grinstead.

The two men are apparently not related, but attended Irwin County High School together when Grinstead taught there.

Dukes was released on $16,700 bond after about two hours.

13WMAZ has obtained an obituary that shows that Bo Dukes is a nephew of pecan grove owner Randy Hudson.

Hudson owns the property where law enforcement was searching for the past three days for Grinstead's remains. It appeared that investigators were not searching the property Friday.

(http://www.13wmaz.com/img/resize/content.13wmaz.com/photo/2017/03/03/FullSizeRender_1488562537456_8904352_ver1.0.jpg?preset=320-240)

http://www.wctv.tv/content/news/Suspect-arrested-in-case-of-missing-Georgia-teacher-414644983.html

(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSfkpOQbhMqTVRrb0rG4xebJfDsHfzfw6SDeF7IbpbCWz9lrd4bkA)


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 03, 2017, 01:48:52 PM
https://www.facebook.com/ActionNewsJacksonville/posts/1472812762791205?match=dGFyYSBncmluc3RlYWQ%3D

Action News Jacksonville
25 mins ·
It's arguably the most talked-about missing persons case in Georgia history.
A man named Bo Dukes has been charged in connection to the south Georgia beauty queen who went missing in 2005:

(http://media.beta.wsbtv.com/photo/2017/03/03/grinstead%20and%20dukes_20170303180346256_7452907_ver1.0_640_360.jpg)

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/police-make-second-arrest-in-tara-grisntead-case/499367918


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 03, 2017, 06:50:06 PM
 ::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyTears::

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE-r2gCszo4

Tara Grinstead's sister knew 2nd suspect's family for years
WSB-TV

Published on Mar 3, 2017
Bo Dukes turned himself in to police, accused of helping high school friend Ryan Duke dispose of her body.

https://www.youtube.com/v/hE-r2gCszo4



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 03, 2017, 07:09:19 PM
I just hope they get the whole truth.   ::MonkeyEek:: ::MonkeyNoNo::

Justice for Tara!   ::justice2nj2::

https://www.facebook.com/jim.connell.904/posts/652936854909252

Jim Connell shared FOX 5 Atlanta's video.
Yesterday at 4:08pm ·
I hope Ryan didn't do it! I dont think he did from what I've heard.

Jim Zorn Do you know Ryan?
Yesterday at 4:36pm

Jim Connell I knew him as a kid. I knew his Parents, years ago, I went to high school with them.
Ryan was whimpy like.
Now BO DUKE, the boy everyone suspects did it was nothing but trouble.
He is the Grandson of Newt Hudson.
Yesterday at 5:04pm

Jim Connell Supposedly Bo got Ryan to help with the body.
They think it was Bo and his Brother that Killed her...
But Who knows what will come out.
Yesterday at 5:06pm

Jim Connell It may have been the other way around, but it doesn't seem possible.
I wish they had someone from out of town charged, it would make the arrests more palatable, and a lot easier on some of the people in Ocilla.
4 hrs ago


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 05, 2017, 10:34:46 AM
Lot of rumors about someone named Bo Dukes being involved.  No relation to Ryan Duke, just a good friend. 
Looks like maybe he's connected to the property being searched too...hmmm

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=134249876

William Newton "Newt" Hudson

Birth:    Dec. 12, 1926
Ocilla
Irwin County
Georgia, USA
Death:    Aug. 12, 2014
Wilcox County
Georgia, USA

Obituary for William Newton (Newt) Hudson
William Newton (Newt) Hudson died August 12, 2014, at his home in Rochelle, Georgia, with his family at his side.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 14, at 2 P.M. in the Rochelle United Methodist Church with Reverend Nancylee Cater officiating and assisted by Reverend James Faircloth . His oldest grandson, Scott Hudson, will give the eulogy. Interment will follow at the Frank Cemetery in Ocilla, Georgia, at 4 P.M. The family will receive friends from 9:30 A.M until 12:00 noon at the W. N. (Newt) Hudson Agricultural Center, on Thursday morning, prior to the funeral service.
Mr. Hudson was born December 12, 1926, in Ocilla, GA, to the late Dudley D. Hudson and Ella Frances Williams Hudson. In 1944, prior to his high school graduation, he left school and joined the Navy. He served in the South Pacific for 18 months during World War II. After the war, he returned to and graduated from Irwin County High School. After his high school graduation in 1947, he also graduated from ABAC and was a 1950 Honor graduate of the University of Georgia.
After his college graduation, Mr. Hudson taught classes to World War II Veterans in Irwinville. He accepted his first Extension job in Gwinnett County and later served Colquitt County as assistant County Agent. In 1955, he accepted the position of Extension Agent for Wilcox County, where he served for 28 years. After his retirement, Mr. Hudson was elected to the State Legislature and served in the State House of Representatives for 20 years, serving as co-chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Co-Chairman of the Health and Ecology Committee, Chairman of the Industry and Trade Committee, Vice Chairman of the Rules and Regulations Committee, and also served on the Appropriations Committee. During his tenure as State Representative, Mr. Hudson worked tirelessly for the people of his district and was instrumental in passing significant educational, agricultural and industrial legislation that benefited southern Georgia.
Mr. Hudson was a long time member of Rochelle United Methodist Church, Elks Lodge, Rochelle Lions Club, Masonic Lodge, and member of American Legion #71. He also served on numerous boards within the community, the Colony Bank Board, Middle GA EMC Board, and the Wilcox County Fish and Game Board. Mr. Hudson was an avid huntsman and fisherman and loved growing pecans. He greatly enjoyed the beauty of nature and spending time on his farm, along with a deep love for his wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family.
Mr. Hudson is survived by his wife, Gayle Davis Hudson, Rochelle; son, Randy and Mary Jo Hudson, Ocilla; daughter, Dixie Hudson, Rochelle; daughter, Suzanne and Bobby Conner, Ocilla; Six grandsons and one granddaughter, Scott Hudson, Ocilla; Casey Conner (Holly), Ocilla; Shane Hudson (Whitney), Tifton; Wesley Conner, Ocilla; Bo Dukes (Emily); Jake Dukes, Atlanta; and Randi Conner, New York, NY; Two great grandsons and three great granddaughters, Nate Hudson, Miles Hudson, Addison Conner, Avery Conner, and Hadley Hudson; One sister, Beverly Hudson Bauerband, Boynton Beach, FL; One “Bonus” son, John Rycroft, Fitzgerald; one “Bonus” daughter , Andrea and Roger Sutton, Fitzgerald; “Bonus” grandchildren, Rhett Rycroft, Rylee Rycroft, Rob Rycroft, Raegan Rycroft, and Sophie Sutton.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Hudson was preceded in death by his first wife and mother of his children, Gracie Dix Hudson. Six brothers, Wilson Hudson, Ted Hudson, Homer D. Hudson, Randall Hudson, Milton Hudson and J. W. Hudson also preceded him in death.
His beloved grandchildren will serve as their grandfather’s pallbearers.
Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle is in charge of arrangements.


(Bo Dukes not listed with a spouse in Sept 2005)

http://www.currentobituary.com/obit/20484

Eddie Gracie Dix Hudson
September 04, 2005

Eddie Gracie Dix Hudson, age 76, of 1161 Pecan Road, Rochelle passed away Sunday in the Tift Regional Medical Center in Tifton. Funeral Services will be at 10:30 AM Tuesday in the Rochelle United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jack Taylor, Rev. Richard Newton, and Rev John Carroll will officiate. Interment will be in the Frank Cemetery in Irwin County.


Mrs. Hudson was born in Irwin County on November 19, 1928. She was daughter of the late E.G. Dix and Maude Martin Dix. She was a homemaker and member of the Rochelle United Methodist Church. She was a graduate of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the University of Georgia. She was a former dance teacher and beauty consultant. She was the first woman in Wilcox County to win a city election (City council).


Survivors include: Husband-W.N. "Newt" Hudson of Rochelle, son-Randy (Mary Jo) Hudson of Ocilla, Daughters-Dixie Hudson of Rochelle and Suzanne (Bobby Conner) of Ocilla, Brothers-Bobby Dix of Ocilla and Sammy Dix of Albany, and Sister-Frances Winn of Ocilla. Grandchildren-Scott and Julia Hudson of Tifton, Casey and Holly Conner of Savannah, Shane Hudson and Whitney Fears of Macon, Wes Conner of Ocilla, Bo Dukes of Rochelle, Randi Conner of Ocilla, and Jake Dukes of Ocilla.


Visitation will be from 6-8 PM Monday at Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle.


The family may be contacted at the Hudson residence at 1161 Pecan Road, Rochelle.

Frazier and Son Funeral Home in Rochelle has charge of arrangements. (229) 365-2226

Just thinking about the connections is troubling for me, I can imagine how stunned the people of Ocilla feel. 

 ::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyTears::

https://projectjason.org/forums/topic/35-missing-woman-tara-grinstead-ga-10222005/?do=findComment&comment=484

Quote

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/13094144.html Posted on Sun, Nov. 06, 2005

'An open wound': Community desperate to find missing teacher

By Tim Sturrock  TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER

Grinstead is the small-town beauty queen and confidant of her students at Irwin County High School in Ocilla. Her disappearance two weeks ago has brought national attention to this town of 3,300.

"This is a small community. This is really shock," Irwin High principal Bobby Conner said. "We all expect this type of thing to happen in Macon or Atlanta, but this is hard for us to swallow."

She's a teacher who bought students prom dresses when they couldn't afford them. The students paid her back over time. But she put her students in a fake jail when they didn't pay fake taxes with their "Grinstead dollars" - part of her lesson on taxation without representation.

"She's just been so close to students in her classes," Conner said. "Any type of kid she could talk with, the A-plus students who are basically care free and those kids who are at risk."

https://projectjason.org/forums/topic/35-missing-woman-tara-grinstead-ga-10222005/

Quote

Schoolteacher missing

Publication Date: 2005-10-26 Author: J.D. Sumner

"She is just an exemplary teacher, Suzanne Connor, wife of Principal Robby Connor and a close personal friend, said. "She lives for her students. I hope this community will rally behind her and help us to find her."

Connor said that counselors had spoken with her students and were available to help.

Monday night Connor and other teachers distributed 2,000 flyers throughout the county in an effort to alert the community about their missing friend.

"Teachers for Tara" were also planning a prayer vigil for Grinstead Tuesday night at the Irwin County Courthouse.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 06, 2017, 10:09:39 PM
http://wgxa.tv/news/local/grinstead

'This may not be the end of it': Tara Grinstead's sister reflects on 11-year investigation
by Maggie McGlamry and Katie Shepherd

OCILLA, Ga. -- A little more than a week after the first arrest was made in her sister's 2005 disappearance, Anita Gattis is speaking out about Tara Grinstead's case and the lengthy investigation into what happened to her.

Gattis, Grinstead's older sister, told WGXA that the two new arrests in her sister's disappearance may not mean the investigation is coming to an end.

Ryan Alexander Duke was arrested on Feb. 23 and charged with murder, burglary, aggravated assault and concealing a death in connection to Grinstead's October 2005 disappearance. Bo Dukes was arrested on March 3 and charged with concealing a death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal and tampering with evidence in connection with the case.

Gattis said that the more than 11 years it took to make an arrest in the case is heartbreaking.

 ::snipping3::

She said that she believes that if whoever provided authorities with information that led to Duke's arrest had come forward earlier, her mother could have had closure before her 2008 death.

"It breaks my heart that this may have been solved before my mother passed away and she could have known the answers," Gattis said. "'Course right now I feel that her and Tara are together and that gives me peace in my soul."

Additionally, she said that she could not speak specifically about the progress of the case due to a gag order, but that she thinks more arrests may be on their way.

"They may not be the only people that may be arrested," Gattis said. "Because of things I've been told...I really don't think this may be the end of it."
Gattis said one big question remains: Why?

"There is not one day that Tara was not the first thing I prayed for when I woke up every morning and she was the first thing that I prayed for when I went to bed every night," she said.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 08, 2017, 06:53:34 PM
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/tara-grinstead-case/cousin-speaks-on-bo-dukes-involvement-with-grinstead-murder-case/420677748

Cousin speaks on Bo Dukes' involvement with Grinstead murder case

Chelsea Beimfohr, WMAZ 9:14 AM. EST March 08, 2017

When authorities made a second arrest last week, one of Tara Grinstead's best friends found out that the murder investigation had touched her own family.

Wendy McFarland taught at Irwin County High School with Grinstead before she went missing in 2005, and over the last decade she has been a huge part of the search effort.

On Friday, she learned that her own cousin, Bo Dukes, was charged in the case.

"There are no words that can encompass and express my reaction," says McFarland on when she heard the news that Dukes had been arrested. "Betrayed. That might be the best word for my reaction."

32-year-old Dukes was a student at Irwin County High School a few years before Grinstead went missing. McFarland says she remembers Dukes as an intelligent, social young man who even ran for class president when he was in high school, but over the last few years, McFarland hasn't had much interaction with Dukes.

"Every year, we have a big family reunion. I really can't remember the last time that I saw Bo at a family reunion. I am very close with that branch of the family," says McFarland.

McFarland stressed that although Dukes is a family member, she thinks justice still needs to be served.

"Make no mistake, I love my family, but I do not condone some of the decisions that have been made concerning this case, and if it means that someone that I love and someone that is in my family has to be punished in order for Tara's family to have peace and justice, then I'm OK with that," says McFarland.

 ::snipping3::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 09, 2017, 09:17:05 PM
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/240591137-story

News outlets and teacher's family oppose gag in 2005 murder

POSTED:MAR 09 2017 05:25PM EST
UPDATED:MAR 09 2017 05:54PM EST

TIFTON, Ga. (AP) - News organizations are challenging a judge's gag order in a case involving the slaying of a south Georgia high school teacher who vanished nearly 12 years ago.

Three separate groups of newspapers and television stations have filed motions before Superior Court Judge Melanie B. Cross to lift the order.

 ::snipping3::

The Telegraph of Macon (http://bit.ly/2ngaCe1) reports that Cross barred prosecutors, defense lawyers, police and even family members from commenting on the case.

Lawyer Lee Bennett Jr., Grinstead's cousin, says the teacher's family also opposes the gag order. Bennett says Anita Gattis, Grinstead's sister, wants to be able speak publicly.

"She feels she should have her first amendment right of free speech and be able to express her viewpoint and make statements about it," Bennett said.

On Monday, Georgia Press Association attorney David Hudson filed a motion on behalf of the Telegraph, Valdosta Daily News, the Tifton Gazette and the Moultrie *******. The motion states that the gag order is unnecessary and too broad, and asks Cross to lift it.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Atlanta's WSB-TV have separately filed similar motions, and WXIA-TV in Atlanta and WMAZ-TV in Macon jointly filed a similar motion.

Hudson said even in cases with keen media interest gag orders are rare and those that are issued are usually overturned. He said courts have determined that as long as prosecutors and law enforcement follow professional guidelines, pre-trial publicity does not impact a defendant's ability to get a fair trial.

"There are many mechanisms available for a judge to ensure a fair trial without curbing information available to the public," Hudson said.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on March 09, 2017, 09:17:59 PM
https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034 (https://twitter.com/TonyThomasWSB/status/836703730020012034)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5yRms-WcAIrrgO.jpg)

Justice for Tara!

 ::justice2nj2::



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on April 11, 2017, 04:59:09 PM
Good read, I have many of the same questions.

http://rationaltoafault-dustyvassey.blogspot.com/2017/04/if-i-was-on-grand-jury.html

Rational To A Fault

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

If I Was On the Grand Jury

Photo: GBI Special Agent Jason Shoudel leads Ryan Duke into the courtroom for his first appearance Feb. 23, 2017 as Irwin County Clerk of Court Nancy Ross looks on.

If I Was on the Grand Jury

In less than 24 hours, the Irwin County Grand Jury will convene for the first time since Ryan Duke was arrested and charged with the murder of Tara Grinstead.

We don't know for sure that Ryan Duke's case will be heard by the Grand Jury, and if it is, the grand jurors will only hear one side of the story, the prosecution's side. But they can ask questions.

If I was on the Grand Jury, I would have a lot of questions I would want answered.

The first and most important question is "Why?" Why do investigators believe Ryan Duke killed Tara? Why do they believe he did it? What was his alleged motive?

I may be able to answer the first "Why?" I've been told Bo Dukes told investigators Ryan did it. I believe a DNA link was made to the glove found in Tara's yard. I've even been told Ryan confessed.

But I've never heard a satisfying answer to why he may have killed her. Not once.

And even if I'm right with my above assertions what do they tell us? Bo Dukes is someone who stole from our military during war time. Can he be believed? All a DNA link to a glove tells us is that someone was in Tara's yard. It doesn't tell us if that someone killed her or even if she was killed at all.

I would ask for what proof there is that she was murdered.

Even if Ryan confessed, could you believe a man who has kidney problems, who might be slowly dying, might take a fall to protect someone, possibly friends or family or a romantic interest? Beyond the rumors of renal failure, we know Ryan has kidney problems because they were mentioned in reports when he was arrested in 2010.

I would ask if Ryan is dying.

If all the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has as far as evidence linking Ryan to that house is the testimony of a thief, a link to a glove that places him outside, not inside, and the confession of a dying man, then if I was on the Grand Jury, I would have even further questions.

You see, I've heard a few rumors that supposedly originated with Ryan Duke, and in those rumors, if they are true, he told someone he was taking the fall. One of those rumors I consider to be more than a rumor since I can follow a "chain of custody" back to Ryan himself. Ryan told someone who told someone I trust who told me.

And what Ryan told this someone is that Tara died accidentally and some people freaked out and tried to cover up her death. And while I don't believe everything about this story, one part of it rings true in my ears.

Supposedly, in this story, she died in a pecan orchard, not at her home.

I think that before Ryan Duke was arrested most people believed Tara left her home voluntarily when she disappeared in 2005. The evidence seemed to suggest that.

It still does.

If I was on the grand jury, I would have lots of questions about whether Tara even died at her home. I think the evidence strongly suggests otherwise.

Why are there no clear signs of a struggle? Dr. Maurice Godwin's investigation into the case showed things that could indicate a struggle, such as a broken lamp and a broken necklace clasp, but the initial law enforcement officers on the scene said there were no signs of a struggle. At best, we can say the evidence is inconclusive as to whether there was a struggle.

Why are there are no signs of forced entry into Tara's home? Again, Godwin found evidence that suggests it would have been easy to open one of her windows, but I've never heard of any actual evidence that someone used that window or any other to enter her home. Again, at best the evidence is inconclusive.

Why was her purse missing? Would someone kill Tara, drag her body to a vehicle and also take her purse? Why? To make it seem like she left voluntarily or that the crime was a robbery of some sort? It doesn't seem plausible. Could it be to hide DNA or fingerprints? Again, not likely. Without resorting to fanciful thinking, the missing purse strongly indicates that she left on her own.

Why were her keys missing or the pageant tape she was supposed to watch that night? Perhaps they were in her purse? Someone might take the keys to be able to freely enter her house or drive her car, and the pageant tape may not have existed at all, but considered along with the other evidence, it seems unlikely someone would take the time to steal them.

Why did her dog, Dolly Madison, not make a loud enough fuss to wake neighbors if someone was attacking her owner inside her home? Why was Dolly, an inside dog, left outside? Did Tara let her out when she left to go elsewhere?

Why was Tara missing at all? I haven't researched this, but common sense will tell you that most murder victims are left where they die. Why take the risk of moving a body, especially when the killer would have to drive a nerve-wracking 20 minutes to the pecan orchard where her remains were believed to be disposed of.

Furthermore, how could a relatively small man like Ryan Duke carry her body on his own? It would be possible, probably, but also very difficult.

Why was her seat let back in her car? Although this might be explained by an investigator letting it back while processing the car for clues, a more likely reason is that someone taller than Tara, who was short, drove the car.

Why were her tires muddy on the car she kept impeccably clean? She was not known to drive anywhere muddy on the night she disappeared. Did someone drive the car somewhere muddy, such as a pecan orchard with a pond?

Why was $100 in cash found inside her unlocked car? Wouldn't Tara have brought the money inside if she was home for the evening?

One of the reasons I keep asking all these questions is a new clue I recently learned, or at least, it was a new clue to me. An eyewitness told me that she was coming home on the night Tara went missing and she looked over at Tara's house and saw the carport light on, and Tara's car was missing at 1:30 a.m.

Where was her car? Could someone have driven the car back to Tara's yard and worn latex gloves to hide their fingerprints? Could that same person have dropped the glove in Tara's yard as they walked to the road to be picked up, and in a twist of irony, the thing they hoped would disguise their identity would one day be used to identify them?

I think it's possible.

But there could be evidence we in the public don't know, evidence that clearly indicates what happened and why. But we don't know.

And if I was on the Grand Jury, I would want to know, because I am very afraid we were being sold a lie, not by the GBI, but by those the GBI has chosen to believe. I don't know what the purpose of this lie could be, who it could be trying to protect, or what the truth actually is, but the clues do not seem to add up to the picture the GBI, and possibly Bo Dukes and Ryan Duke, are presenting.

If I was on the Grand Jury, I would want answers.

And the thing is, I am on the Grand Jury. At least for now. And I do want answers.

I was chosen for my first Grand Jury in February, not knowing that an arrest would be made in the Tara Grinstead case just a few weeks into my 6 month term. I might be struck from the Grand Jury because of my coverage of the case or I might even ask to be excused because it might complicate my continuing coverage, but right now I'm on it.

Frankly I haven't made my mind up about Ryan Duke, so I would consider myself impartial in that regard, and no one in the jury room will be ignorant of the case, probably in part because they've read articles I've written. I think it might be good to have someone as knowledgeable about the case as me in the jury room, because I will ask questions and seek the truth, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who will be knowledgeable or who would ask questions.

And it's entirely possible the GBI has the right guy and the right story, and that the evidence is overwhelmingly in support of that story, but it's also possible, from what we know, that the GBI accepted an incomplete or even faulty story they wanted to hear to solve a case that seemed unsolvable for more than a decade.

We might know more and already have answers, but a gag order in this case and the usual secrecy of law enforcement investigations have left more questions than answers, and as I've said before, suspicion fills the vacuum left by secrecy.

If I'm not on the Grand Jury for whatever reason, I want the other jurors to know the questions I would ask. Because we need the truth more than a misled conviction.  If the wrong man is convicted or guilty parties go free, then there is no justice.

And everyone seems to want justice for Tara, but there can be no justice without first knowing the truth.

If the evidence is there, then by all means, I hope the Grand Jury indicts Ryan Duke, but the first job of the grand jurors is to make sure the evidence is there. Find the truth, with or without me.

Dusty Vassey at 4:46 PM


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on April 12, 2017, 03:04:35 PM
http://www.walb.com/story/35133551/ryan-duke-indicted-for-the-murder-of-tara-grinstead

Ryan Duke indicted for the murder of Tara Grinstead
Wednesday, April 12th 2017, 12:44 pm EDT

OCILLA, GA (WALB) -
Ryan Duke has been indicted by an Irwin County grand jury.

Duke is charged with five counts, including: burglary, aggravated assault, malice murder, felony murder, and concealing a death

Court documents from his previous court appearance say he broke into Grinstead's Ocilla home and used his hands to kill her, then disposed of the body.

The Tift Circuit Court has not set a trial date at this time.  ::snipping3::   ::justice2nj2::


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: texasmom on July 26, 2017, 08:34:47 PM
https://art19.com/shows/crime-stories-with-nancy-grace/episodes/52134d1f-2705-4ef6-a377-aac16664dcbc

Today at 11:54 AM
Is the wrong man charged with killing Tara Grinstead?
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

The case against Ryan Duke for the 2004 murder of Ocilla, Georgia, teacher Tara Grinstead is built largely on what his roommate Bo Dukes told investigators. Dr. Maurice Godwin, the private investigator hired by Tara's family, now believes it was Bo Dukes who did the killing. Godwin talks to Nancy Grace about the latest in Grinstead case in this episode.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Tamikosmom on August 18, 2018, 01:21:12 PM
Suspects in missing teacher's death admit slaying: Documents
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — Aug 17, 2018, 9:35 PM ET

EXCERPT


New court documents suggest that within weeks of a south Georgia teacher's 2005 disappearance, two of her ex-students told friends at a party they had killed her and burned her body.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Ryan Alexander Duke and Bo Dukes made the admission a month after Tara Grinstead was reported missing in October 2005. Court documents filed this week in Irwin County Superior Court say their comments were reported to police but they weren't arrested until 2017.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/documents-suspects-missing-teachers-death-admit-slaying-57251672


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on August 26, 2018, 01:57:58 PM
This is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was this posted here last year??? How did I miss this?


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Nut44x4 on September 02, 2018, 12:48:28 PM
I think it is time to move this to presumed dead.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased
Post by: Bearlyhere on October 01, 2018, 01:40:39 PM

I am adding this because the other article I read said 5 counts and this says 6 counts:

https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/tara-grinstead-case/update-grand-jury-indicts-ryan-duke-on-six-charges-in-tara-grinsteads-death/430706064

UPDATE: Grand jury indicts Ryan Duke on six charges in Tara Grinstead's death
Author: WMAZ
Published: 12:50 PM EDT April 12, 2017
Updated: 11:51 PM EDT April 12, 2017
UPDATE: 12:40 pm: The grand jury indicted Ryan Alexander Duke on six charges in the death of Tara Grinstead.

The indictment came down around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, about three and a half hours after the grand jury began hearng evidence against Duke.

He is charged with one count of malice murder and two counts of felony murder. He is also charged with aggravated assault, burglary and concealing the death of another.



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead
Post by: Bearlyhere on October 01, 2018, 01:49:25 PM
Suspects in missing teacher's death admit slaying: Documents
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA — Aug 17, 2018, 9:35 PM ET

EXCERPT


New court documents suggest that within weeks of a south Georgia teacher's 2005 disappearance, two of her ex-students told friends at a party they had killed her and burned her body.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Ryan Alexander Duke and Bo Dukes made the admission a month after Tara Grinstead was reported missing in October 2005. Court documents filed this week in Irwin County Superior Court say their comments were reported to police but they weren't arrested until 2017.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/documents-suspects-missing-teachers-death-admit-slaying-57251672


I am not sure why, but I cannot get this article, no matter if I click on the link or cut and paste the link itself.  Can anyone help? 



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased
Post by: Bearlyhere on October 01, 2018, 01:58:36 PM

http://www.tiftongazette.com/news/documents-suspects-in-missing-teacher-s-death-admit-slaying/article_c9d2ff78-a8a8-11e8-8994-b3c562be53cb.html

Documents: Suspects in missing teacher’s death admit slaying
Associated Press  Aug 26, 2018

Duke’s attorneys say in court motions that because it took so long to arrest them, all but the murder charge should be dropped, due to the statute of limitations.

“It is undisputed that Irwin County law enforcement knew of these crimes within months of the disappearance of Tara Grinstead,” a court motion states. “In fact, a search of the area where Ms. Grinstead’s body was allegedly burned was conducted ...”

*******

In another motion, Duke’s attorney asks that his indictment be dismissed because the language used is too “vague, ambitious and indefinite.” In April 2017, a grand jury indicted Duke on six counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary and concealing the death of another.

In June 2017, Dukes was indicted on charges including concealing a death, tampering with evidence, and hindering apprehension of a criminal.

A hearing on the motions has been scheduled for Sept. 20 in Irwin County.



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased
Post by: Bearlyhere on October 01, 2018, 02:15:05 PM

https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/tara-grinstead-the-5-biggest-developments-in-the-case-since-the-arrests/93-588326722

Tara Grinstead: The 5 biggest developments in the case since the arrests

The investigation and court proceedings have spanned more than a decade, with no trial date set for either suspect
Author: WMAZ Staff
Published: 10:36 AM EDT August 28, 2018
Updated: 2:52 PM EDT August 28, 2018

1. Accused killer Ryan Duke pleads not-guilty - May 2017

**********************
2. Bo Dukes pleads not-guilty to hiding Grinstead's body - July 2017

*********************
3. Georgia Supreme Court throws out gag order - March 2018

********************
4. Duke's lawyers file more than two dozen motions in the case - August 2018

*******************
5. Ryan Duke gets new representation - August 2018



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased
Post by: Bearlyhere on October 01, 2018, 02:37:26 PM

I have not been able to find any results of the hearing that were to occur 9/20-21/2018.  I am not sure if the hearing was postponed.



Title: Re: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased
Post by: texasmom on May 14, 2022, 11:04:59 PM
Several video clips from the trial at the link.

Justice for Tara!   ::justice2nj2::

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ryan-duke-trial-day-5-tara-grinstead-murder

Ryan Duke Trial Day 5: Forensic biologist and forensic anthropologist take the stand
Published May 13, 2022 7:13AM Updated 8:19PM

IRWIN COUNTY, Ga. - The first full week of testimony in the murder trial for Ryan Duke has wrapped up. The state continued calling witnesses as they work to prove why the jury should come back with a guilty verdict in the case.

On Friday, two key witnesses took the stand: the forensic biologist who tested the glove found at Tara Grinstead's home and the forensic anthropologist brought in who helped find Grinstead's buried remains.

Ashley Hinkle, a forensic biologist with the State Crime Lab testified she swabbed the glove in June of 2015.

"There was a profile that matched a toothbrush of Tara Grinstead and there was an unknown male profile," Hinkle said.

She described the various DNA tests performed on the glove hoping to find clues

"It was about 90% unknown male and 10% Ms. Grinstead,"

This DNA test was taken two years before defendant Ryan Duke’s recorded confession.

The state argues in 2017 Duke was swabbed, and his DNA positively matched that found on the glove.

The defense argued the validity of the report and test.

"With regards to the testing in this case, the technical leader in your lab she identified errors in your reports, correct) she was the one that found the errors (and she just found those errors last month) and that is correct," Hinkle said.

Anthropologist Dr. Ashley Gooding was brought in by the GBI in 2017 to help dig and identify possible human remains in the pecan orchard Duke claimed to have burned and buried Grinstead's body.

"It’s a portion of the human cranium. It’s a piece from the side here," Good said.

Gooding testified her team found finger, teeth and cranium bones in the area.

"Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones."

If convicted of murder, Duke faces an automatic sentence of life in prison. A court fight over funding for his legal defense and the coronavirus pandemic contributed to long delays in the case going to trial.

A second person with a similar name, Bo Dukes, was convicted in 2019 for helping move and burn Grinstead’s body. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The state hopes to rest its case on Monday.

Ryan Duke Trial Day 4 Recap

The jury heard the confession Duke made in 2017. Another video shown shows Duke leading investigators to where he says he dumped and burned her body.

"I can’t lie. I can’t live with myself I’m so sick of this," Duke said in a recorded video.

In his own recorded words, Duke walked GBI investigators through how he killed, burned and buried Tara Grinstead.

GBI Agent Jason Shoudel was on the stand to testify. Shoudel was the one who taped the confession.

"I was stealing from her purse and she snuck up on me. She snuck up on me and I hit her. It was reactionary. I ran. I didn’t know what else to do," Ryan said.

Duke said he was on drugs at the time he broke into Grinstead's Ocilla home and doesn’t remember how exactly he killed her.

Duke said he left the home in a panic but came back to remove the body.

"He actually made the motion in the interview and put his hands up like this mimicking how he held her body," GBI Agent Jason Shoudel said. "As he’s doing that he started getting emotional and said ‘she was so small’ referring to the size of her in his arms,"

Another video shown portrayed Duke leading investigators to the pecan orchard he claims he took the lifeless body.

"It should be an opening when we cremated her. It was an opening like that. Wide open space so the woods wouldn’t catch on fire," Duke said while trying to find the location.

The defense argued Duke was on pain pills and not in his right mind when he made the confession.

GBI Agent Shoudel testified Duke knew what he was doing, and that Duke told investigators he was mentally and physically cognitive.

Duke says he didn’t know Grinstead other than the fact that she was a teacher at the high school. He claims he realized this after she was dead.  Duke also admitted to taking her purse and keys and leaving a glove at the residence.

The state says DNA later showed the glove did have his DNA on it.

Ryan Duke Trial Day 3 Recap

Wednesday, prosecutors called two witnesses before dismissing the jury a lunchtime to debate how much of the Duke's confession can be shown. 

Witness Randy Hudson owned the pecan orchard where Grinstead's body was allegedly disposed. He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. Hudson said at the time he thought the burn site was an innocent bonfire.

"It was built out in the area where there just should not have been a fire," Hudson said.

GBI agent Gary Rothwell said GBI agents' reports included the names Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes in 2005. Rothwell said the GBI never followed up after their names appeared in an investigative summary.

Prosecutors asked Rothwell why no one followed up on a tip naming Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as suspects.

"That is a question that has bothered me for years," he said. "I have talked to other agents and reviewed the documents and come to a recollection of what happened, and that is not an excuse for what happened."

Rothwell took the blame for the GBI assuming local law enforcement determined information indicating Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as persons of interest were "unfounded." The GBI was overwhelmed with tips at the time and this one slipped through the cracks.

"That was a presumption that we should have never, ever made, but it happened, and it's my fault," Rothwell said.


Ryan Duke Trial Day 2 Recap

Tuesday, the witness list focused on the investigators who have worked the case over the years.

While it might have not been explosive "smoking gun" testimony, it did paint a picture of the scene police officers were met with during a welfare check at the high school teacher’s home 17 years ago when she failed to show up to work on a particular Monday in October 2005.

The morning started with testimony from Bill Barrs with the Ocilla Police Department, who was tasked with checking Grinstead’s home.

Several agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also took the stand. They laid out the evidence collected at Grinstead’s property just following her disappearance.

Another main focus on Tuesday was the glove found just outside Grinstead’s home. Jurors heard the forensic analysis on that piece of evidence.

Jurors also heard voicemails left in the home.

Ryan Duke Trial Day 1 Recap

State and defense teams made their pitches to jurors and began examining witnesses.

The defense argued the prosecution has no evidence tying Duke to the house that night and Duke's confession was made under the influence of medication. The defense argued the case is about power and influence, which their client lacks.

The state went through photos and evidence, including a glove found at the home with the DNA of Grinstead and a man. Prosecutors said Duke took law enforcement to the pecan orchard where he confessed to burning and dumping Grinstead's body.

The state's witness called Grinstead's 79-year-old father, Billy Grinstead, to the stand, who broke down. Prosecutors called friends and acquaintances of the Georgia teacher and beauty queen.

One witness, Heath Dykes, testified to having a relationship with Grinstead while his was married. He went looking for her the night she disappeared and sparked the search for the woman when he alerted authorities the next day.

 ::snipping3::

Who is Bo Dukes?

Bo Dukes told investigators his friend, Ryan Duke, confessed he had accidentally killed Grinstead and needed his truck to transfer her body.

He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash."

In March 2019, Dukes was convicted of helping conceal Grinstead’s death and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Who is Ryan Duke?

Ryan Duke is standing trial for Grinstead’s murder

Defense appeals delayed Ryan Duke’s trial since the original 2019 start date.

A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified at a pretrial hearing that Duke "spontaneously and unsolicited" confessed to killing Grinstead after breaking into her home to steal money for drugs. GBI agents have also said DNA matching both Duke and Grinstead was found on a latex glove discovered in her yard.

Duke’s attorneys have said he made a false confession under the influence of drugs. They said in court filings that Duke was asleep at home when Grinstead was killed.

If convicted of murder, Duke faces an automatic sentence of life in prison.

Who was Tara Grinstead?

Tara Faye Grinstead was the youngest child of Bill and Faye Grinstead, born in 1974. She and her older sister Anita grew up in the Georgia town of Hawkinsville.

The talented signer was named Miss Tifton and competed in the Miss Georgia beauty pageant.

Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College and began teaching at Irwin County High School in Ocilla in 1998.

An Irwin County Probate judge declared Grinstead dead in absentia in December 2010.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.


Title: Re: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased
Post by: texasmom on May 23, 2022, 07:17:10 PM
Not guilty on five of six charges.  ::MonkeyShocked:: ::MonkeyNoNo::

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ryan-duke-sentencing-tara-grinstead-case

Ryan Duke receives maximum sentence for concealing Tara Grinstead's death
By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital TeamPublished May 22, 2022 8:54AM
Updated May 23, 2022 6:04PM

IRWIN COUNTY, Ga. - An emotional trial in Irwin County concluded Monday with a judge sentencing Ryan Duke to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison - with five years already served.

Friday, a jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary connected to the death of Georgia beauty queen and teacher Tara Grinstead. They found him guilty of one charge: concealing Grinstead's death.

"You should be punished according - not for murder, not for burglary, not for aggravated assault, because that's the way the system works. And everybody has to live with that," Superior Court Judge Bill Reinhardt said before giving out his sentence.

While Reinhardt acknowledged that Duke seemed remorseful on the stand, he pointed out Dukes' decision to not tell anyone had an impact on Grinstead's family and friends.

Ryan Duke had told investigators in 2017 he killed Tara Grinstead and helped burn her body. But when he took the witness stand during his trial, he insisted he was innocent.

Before the sentencing, Connie Grinstead, Tara Grinstead's stepmother, told the judge that "for over 11 years we went to bed every night wondering where Tara was and every morning we woke up with the same question - where is she?"

"There were some days that the heartache was so great we could barely even function," she said.

Connie Grinstead argued that the family pleaded and begged for any news about Tara for years and that Duke's "silence was deafening."

"We will always hate what this defendant did to Tara and to the people who loved her," she said.

Miriam Sealy, Tara Grinstead's school friend and childhood neighbor, fought back tears as she read a statement in front of the court.

"I hope Mr. Duke lives the rest of his life begging God for forgiveness every day from his dying breath," she said before asking the court to give him the maximum sentence.

Anita Gattis said her sister's disappearance threw her family into "an out-of-control spiral" that they've never escaped.

"Over the course of the last three weeks reliving this heinous act that Ryan Alexander Duke committed ripped open the wounds," Gattis told the court before calling Duke "evil," "sneaky dangerous," and a "vile human."

Duke's attorney's argued that he had been a "model prisoner" for five years while "waiting patiently for his day in court."

Day 9 recap
An Irwin County jury read not guilty verdicts on five of the six charges against Duke: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary.

 ::snipping3::