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Author Topic: Tara Grinstead msg 10/22/05 Ocilla, Georgia Presumed deceased  (Read 102484 times)
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Sleeks
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« Reply #20 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.
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« Reply #21 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.
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« Reply #22 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. Mad Mad Mad
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« Reply #23 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?
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« Reply #24 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.


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« Reply #25 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
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« Reply #26 on: March 21, 2008, 01:36:35 PM »

WOW that is a shocker!
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« Reply #27 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.
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« Reply #28 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
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« Reply #29 on: June 23, 2008, 03:53:30 AM »

     
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« Reply #30 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
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« Reply #31 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
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« Reply #32 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.
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« Reply #33 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
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« Reply #34 on: July 02, 2008, 12:08:39 PM »

The show was very good.
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« Reply #35 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
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« Reply #36 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
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« Reply #37 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.
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« Reply #38 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..
   
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« Reply #39 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.”
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Lighting a candle for a boy who needs a lot of love:
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=jal 
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