Overview of the Tara Grinstead Mystery
Overview of the Tara Grinstead Mystery
by Dusty Vassey
The Tara Grinstead Mystery began more than 11 years ago, but even after two arrests in the case, questions remain. This is an edited reprint of a series of articles I wrote for The Ocilla Star from June 7, June 14 and June 21, 2017.
YEAR ONE
The Disappearance
On Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005, Tara Grinstead, an Irwin County High School history teacher and former Miss Tifton, used her experience with beauty pageants to help students prepare for the Miss Georgia Sweet Potato Pageant. She attended the pageant at the Grand Theatre in Fitzgerald, and then visited a barbecue at the home of former Irwin School Superintendent Dr. Troy Davis in Ocilla. After she left the get-together shortly after 11 p.m. that night, she disappeared.
Family and friends could not get Grinstead to answer her phone on Sunday. She did not arrive at work on Monday morning, and neighbors and friends used a key to enter her house, and she was not home. One of the neighbors, Joe Portier, who was then an Ocilla city councilman, called Ocilla Police Chief Billy Hancock directly. Portier also spotted a mysterious latex glove resting in her front yard.
Hancock arrived and sensed that something was amiss. Almost immediately, he called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to take over the missing persons case, and the largest case file in GBI history began.
Although the investigators did not find any clear signs of a struggle at the home, certain possible clues were discovered. Her car, the clothes she wore on Saturday, and her cell phone were there, suggesting she did come home after the barbecue, but her purse and keys were missing. She reportedly told Davis she planned to watch a video tape of the pageant when she went home, but no tape was found. Her dog, Dolly Madison, was left outside despite reports that Dolly was often an inside pet, and a neighbor reported the dog was barking loudly late that Saturday night or Sunday morning.
There were also several oddities about Grinstead's car. The tires of the Mitsubishi 3000GT she usually kept impeccably clean were muddy. One hundred dollars in cash was found inside the car, and the drivers seat may have been let back farther than Grinstead, who was only slightly taller than 5 feet, would have needed, although this clue may be a false one because law enforcement officers said the seat may have been adjusted when the car was processed for clues.
An eyewitnessing neighbor said she came home at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning and saw Grinstead's carport empty.
A police officer who was a family friend who was sent on Sunday to look for Grinstead left his card stuck in her front door.
No clue may have been as important or mystifying as the latex glove found in her front yard. A GBI agent later revealed that white male DNA was found on the glove. In the weeks after Grinstead's disappearance, a man walking around the neighborhood found a second latex glove within blocks of Grinstead's home, according to one of his relatives, and the second glove was turned over to law enforcement, but whether the second glove was related has never been publicly revealed.
The Search
Within the first few days of Grinstead's disappearance, people poured into Ocilla to march through the streets, checking yards, sheds and ditches for any signs of her. An especially busy weekend for Ocilla followed with the annual Irwin County-Fitzgerald rivalry football game, the Georgia Sweet Potato Festival and Parade, and the Georgia-Florida football game, but still loads of volunteers took to the countryside to search for Grinstead. For months, searches happened nearly every weekend until all or nearly all of Irwin County was covered, and the searches continued in surrounding counties also. The horse-riding search group Texas Equusearch, which helped with the famous Natalee Holloway disappearance in Aruba, joined the case as well.
Although a few odd finds were made, such as a discarded clothing and even a marijuana growing operation, the searches were mostly fruitless as far as definite clues in the mystery.
On Nov. 8, an anonymous caller reported a mysterious fire at an unoccupied home on Snapdragon Road in northeastern Irwin County. An SUV belonging to a neighbor also burned up in the inferno. The remains of the house were divided into grids and cadaver dogs were used to search the area. The dogs alerted in places, but a dog handler on the Up and Vanished podcast indicated the reason for some of the alerts could have been due to septic lines, which sometimes confuse cadaver dogs.
The cause of the fire was never determined, and the blaze has been a source of speculation for years. However, the fire could have had a mundane cause. The SUV which burned as part of the fire, a 2000 Ford Expedition, was one of 4.5 million vehicles later recalled by Ford because the vehicles were known to sometimes catch on fire, even when they were not in operation. In a report on the recall by Reuters, owners of the vehicles were urged not to park them in garages or near homes.
In April 2006, a pond on Snapdragon Road was drained, and Grinstead's sister, Anita Gattis, reported that something was found there.
One search would later seem important, and it appears to be a missed opportunity.
According to multiple people who wished to remain anonymous, a tipster came forward between 2 to 6 weeks after Grinstead went missing. According to these sources, while at a party, the tipster overheard Ryan Duke talking about killing Tara Grinstead, and the tipster also reportedly mentioned the name Bo Dukes. The tipster spoke to some friends who were involved in the searches, and they reportedly prepared a written statement which was presented to two deputies in the Irwin County Sheriff's Office.
According to sources, the deputies contacted the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office, and a late-night search was conducted at the pecan orchard, the same pecan orchard which would later be searched in 2017. Reportedly, the tipster could not find the burn pile which he believed was used. The tip may have went no further, and the GBI, which later said Ryan Duke was off its radar, may not have been told about the tip at the time. However, a law enforcement officer involved in the search of the orchard was recorded saying the GBI was informed, and the recording was played on Up and Vanished.
Ryan Duke was later charged with Grinstead's murder, and Bo Dukes was charged with crimes associated with covering up her death.
An anonymous tip in December also led to a search of the Queensland area of Ben Hill County, which is near to the pecan orchard, but again nothing of note was reported found.
The Attention
The news that Grinstead was missing shocked her friends, co-workers and students. Fliers were printed and distributed throughout the Ocilla community. Teachers for Tara and Teens for Tara were formed, candlelight vigils and fundraisers were held including a Spirit of Tara pageant, and the Irwin County Senior Center was transformed into the first Tara Command Center to organize searches, but the center was later moved twice.
Fliers and press releases spread quickly within the first few days after Grinstead's disappearance was discovered. Along with numerous reports from local and regional television stations and newspapers, the Grinstead disappearance also became a national story. In a year in which missing women were popular in the media, from “the Runaway Bride” Jennifer Carol Wilbanks in April to Natalee Holloway in May, the Grinstead case quickly captured the public’s imagination.
National television hosts Nancy Grace of CNN and Greta Van Susteren of Fox News covered the case extensively and even visited Ocilla. The story was also featured on Dateline NBC and on the Montel Williams show. Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway, who later became a television personality herself, visited Ocilla to bring more attention to the Grinstead case. U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston also pledged his help to find the missing woman.
Grinstead's sister, Anita Gattis, became the public face of the campaign to bring her sister home safely, and she was featured in many of the media reports about the case. Grinstead's family also worked with Dr. Maurice Godwin, a forensic investigator, who first investigated the case in early 2006 and continues to be involved with the case today. Godwin performed his own investigation of Grinstead's home and believed he found signs of a struggle, including a broken lamp and a broken necklace clasp.
Psychics also became involved in the case, including psychic profiler Carla Baron who filmed an episode of her show, Haunting Evidence, about Grinstead.
Two rewards were raised in relation to the case: $100,000 for her safe return and $100,000 for the arrest and conviction of those involved in her disappearance. The reward and Grinstead's disappearance were announced in missing posters, a large banner, and even highway billboards.
The disappearance also happened at a time when social media was rising to prominence for the first time, and chat rooms and discussion boards sprung up for those interested in the case to talk, sometimes across the world.
With so much attention on Grinstead's disappearance, suspicion arose about many of the men in her life. Though the GBI never named a person of interest, it never cleared anyone either. Some men were talked about on television, some were the subject of chatter on social media, and some were discussed in hushed gossip.
But circumstances would show that all of those discussed openly were actually innocent, despite the suspicions aimed at them. However, it would take more than a decade and a shocking arrest for their names to be cleared.
THE QUIET DECADE
In Memory of Tara
The first anniversary of Grinstead's disappearance was marked with a candlelight vigil on Oct. 22, 2006. On the week of the second anniversary, commemorative events were held at Lanny Roberts Memorial Stadium and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Also on the second anniversary, a gingko tree was planted in Grinstead's honor on the south side of the Irwin County Courthouse. Over the years, the tree died, however, though a marker remains and some people have tried to have the tree replaced.
Just over 5 years after her disappearance, Grinstead was declared legally deceased in an Irwin County Probate Court hearing so that her family could settle her affairs.
The Media
Though regular news reports stopped in the years after Grinstead's disappearance, several television specials or episodes kept the story of the missing teacher alive, and an online podcast later presented the case to millions of listeners.
In 2008, CBS aired a 48 Hours program entitled "Stolen Beauty," which attempted to connect Grinstead's case to the 2006 disappearance of Jennifer Kesse in Orlando, Florida, but investigators could not find a connection. In 2010, Investigation Discovery aired an episode of its Disappeared series, "The Beauty Queen Mystery," about Grinstead. In 2011, Lifetime aired an episode of Vanished with Beth Holloway about the Grinstead case. In 2014, another ID series, Beauty Queen Murders, aired an episode about the Grinstead mystery called "Stolen Promise." On Fox News, Greta Van Susteran returned to the case after nearly 10 years in 2015 for a special about Grinstead.
In August 2016, following the success of the podcast Serial and true crime television series like Making a Murderer, a filmmaker from Atlanta named Payne Lindsey started the Up and Vanished podcast. For the first time since the early days of the Grinstead mystery, the case received weekly coverage due to the online audio podcast.
Up and Vanished featured guests who were prominently part of the story, such as forensic investigator Dr. Maurice Godwin and former school superintendent Dr. Troy Davis, who hosted the barbecue which was the last place Grinstead was known to be seen. Other guests included former students and friends, a fire marshal's investigator, reporters, dog handlers, and others with insight into the case.
Many aspects of the case were examined on Up and Vanished, including the circumstances of Grinstead's disappearance, the fire on Snapdragon Road, and the mysterious sightings of a black truck near Grinstead's home on the weekend she went missing.
Although the online interest in Grinstead's disappearance never ceased on web sites such as WebSleuths, a discussion board on the Up and Vanished web site became a hotbed of chatter about the case.
The Investigation
In the years following 2006, only a few searches were performed by law enforcement officers but some of those searches and other areas of investigation are still discussed today for their possible relevance in the case.
In 2009, a man posted an online video with his face hidden and voice disguised. Calling himself the "CatchMeKiller," he claimed to have murdered 16 women, including Grinstead and Kesse. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the claims were a hoax and arrested and charged Andrew Haley of Gainesville, whom the GBI believed to be the man in the video. He was later convicted of tampering with evidence and making false statements.
In 2010, a local young man committed suicide in Tennessee after claiming that the person or persons who killed Tara Grinstead were threatening him. He reportedly left a suicide note that included the names of several people, many of whom were later interviewed and swabbed for DNA by the GBI, though those interviews did not lead to any arrests.
It is unknown if the man had any legitimate information about the case, however, his brother reported that the young man said he encountered the killer or killers on a bridge on a dirt road in Irwin County. In March 2011, the Irwin County Sheriff's Office and a dive team investigated Little Brushy Creek on Daisy Road, which is a location with a bridge on a dirt road. Nothing was reported to be found during the search.
In February 2015, a small pond was drained and searched just north of Fitzgerald, only a few miles from where the GBI searched for Grinstead's remains in 2017. A block with a rope tied to it, which could be used as an improvised anchor for a boat, was reportedly found, but there was reportedly no clear connection to the Grinstead case.
In August 2016, Lindsey and the GBI separately investigated a mound found under the home where the barbecue was held in 2005, which was the last place Grinstead was known to be seen. The GBI reportedly found animal bones and a pair of underwear. Ocilla Police Chief Billy Hancock said nothing of evidenciary value was found.
In October 2016, a man walking through the forest in a park in New York found what has been described as a "missing persons shrine." The man found photocopies of missing persons posters, including one of Grinstead, inserted into plastic sleeves and pinned to trees.
The Suspects
Although they were "off the radar" of the GBI for more than a decade, the two men who were arrested in 2017 in relation to Grinstead's death had other encounters with law enforcement.
Ryan Duke, who was charged with Grinstead's alleged murder and other alleged crimes, was twice arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was arrested in 2008 by the Tift County Sheriff's Office, and he was arrested in 2010 by the Ocilla Police Department.
In 2013, Bo Dukes, who is accused of helping to cover up Grinstead's alleged murder, pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal more than $150,000 worth of property paid for by the U.S. Army. His then-wife also pleaded guilty in the same case. Prosecutors claimed Bo Dukes, who was then unit supply specialist in the service, ordered property and fraudulently billed the Army for it. The prosecuters claimed the couple would then pawn the items for their own benefit.
THE ARRESTS AND AFTERMATH
In the Courtroom
On Feb. 23, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation held a press conference before a packed Irwin County Courthouse to announce the arrest of Ryan Alexander Duke, who was charged with the alleged murder of Grinstead. Dozens of reporters from various media outlets were among the crowd, and many of the cameras remained for Duke's first appearance in court later that afternoon. Duke was charged with murder, burglary, aggravated assault and concealing the death of another in relation to the 2005 disappearance of the former Irwin County school teacher. He was denied bond and remains incarcerated at Irwin County Detention Center.
Eight days later, on March 3, Bo Dukes turned himself in to the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office. Dukes was charged in Ben Hill County with concealing the death of another, tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension or punishment of a criminal by the GBI in relation to Grinstead's death. Dukes was arrested but released the same day on $15,000 bond.
Duke and Dukes, who are not related, were former classmates, friends and roommates who both attended Irwin County High School when Grinstead taught there. They were both about 21 years of age at the time of her disappearance.
On Feb. 28, Superior Court Judge Melanie Cross issued a gag order preventing extra-judicial statements in the case against Ryan Duke. The Ocilla Star was told the request for the order came from Duke's defense attorney to protect Duke's constitutional rights, but The Herald Leader of Fitzgerald reported that the district attorneys in the case requested the order.
The original gag order affected law enforcement officers, the attorneys involved in the case, potential witnesses, court personnel, and the family members of both Duke and Grinstead. Cross also sealed two motions in the case, and in the orders sealing the motions, the judge ordered that all pre-trial motions in the case should be sealed from public access and that all hearings were to be held "in camera," which means away from public view.
Within days, several media outlets and Anita Gattis, Grinstead's sister, filed motions challenging the gag order. On March 16, a hearing was held with the attorneys opposing the order on one side, and District Attorney Paul Bowden and Defense Attorney John Mobley on the other.
On March 24, Cross issued a modified gag order with a lesser scope. The new order only affected past and current law enforcement officers and personnel who participated in the investigation, the attorneys involved in the case and their personnel, court personnel, and Bo Dukes. Other potential witnesses and the families of Grinstead and Duke were no longer affected.
In April, two of the media outlets that challenged the original order further challenged the modified gag order. Cross denied their motion in June, but the two television stations, WXIA-TV and WMAZ-TV, had already asked the Georgia Supreme Court to consider ruling on the gag order. The Georgia Supreme Court response is pending.
On April 12, an Irwin County Grand Jury indicted Ryan Duke on six charges. Rather than a single murder charge, he was indicted on one count of malice murder and two counts of felony murder. In Georgia, defendants can be charged with felony murder if they are alleged to have commited a felony that leads to a person's death. In Duke's case, the alleged felonies of aggravated assault and burglary are alleged to have led to Grinstead's death.
On May 2, the GBI questioned most of the members of the Grand Jury which indicted Duke after allegations that someone leaked information from the secret Grand Jury deliberations. More than one poster on the Up and Vanished podcast's online discussion board claimed to have information that originated from a Grand Jury leak.
On May 4, Mobley, Duke's attorney, entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client.
On June 19, a Ben Hill County Grand Jury indicted Bo Dukes on all three charges he faced.
Explanations
Although the arrest warrants for Ryan Duke provided some indications of what may have happened to Grinstead in 2005, the details were scarce.
The GBI's announcement of a search for Grinstead's remains on Feb. 28, just days before Bo Dukes' arrest, provided more clues. A reporter said dozens of vehicles belonging to the GBI and other law enforcement agencies were seen leaving the orchard, which belonged to Dukes' family. Aerial video from a helicopter from the television station WSB-TV from Atlanta showed teams of GBI agents sifting through dirt using special equipment.
The last day the orchard was known to be searched was the same day Dukes was arrested, March 3. No announcement was made about whether remains were found, but the gag order may have prevented such an announcement.
With the gag order restricting comments from law enforcement officers, the only explanation of the GBI's allegations came from the arrest warrants and indictments.
The indictments against Ryan Duke alleged that he broke-in to Grinstead's Ocilla home on Oct. 23, 2005 to commit theft, assaulted and killed her using "his hand," and then removed her body from the house, but some details differed from the arrest warrants against him. The arrest warrants previously alleged Duke broke-in to commit aggravated assault and murder, and that his "hands" were used.
The warrants against Bo Dukes alleged he participated in destroying Grinstead's body some time during a period of 5 or 6 days at the pecan orchard north of Fitzgerald. The indictments against Dukes added the detail that her body was burned, a rumor that had circulated often since the arrests.
Less than 24 hours after Bo Dukes was arrested and possibly earlier, a poster on the Up and Vanished discussion board claimed to be Dukes himself. Various people who interacted with him support claims Dukes participated in the discussion board, and no one has publicly denied the poster was Dukes.
The Up and Vanished podcast also revealed text messages between Dukes and a friend of his who served with him in the Army. Up and Vanished host Payne Lindsey also interviewed Brooke Sheridan, Bo Dukes' girlfriend, multiple times.
From Bo Dukes' interactions stemming from the Up and Vanished discussion board, the text messages with his friend, and the interviews with Sheridan, a story of Bo Dukes' reported claims has emerged.
According to these sources, Dukes claimed that he and Ryan Duke were roommates at the time of Grinstead's disappearance. On Up and Vanished, Sheridan said the roommates held a get-together at their house and after everyone passed out Duke borrowed Dukes’ truck. She said Duke used Dukes' truck to transport Grinstead’s body to the pecan orchard.
On Up and Vanished, she said Ryan Duke returned to their home and told Dukes and another roommate that he killed Grinstead. She said Dukes did not believe Ryan Duke until Oct. 24, 2005, which is when it became public knowledge Grinstead was missing. She said that on Oct. 26, 2005 Duke took Dukes to the pecan orchard and showed him the body. She said Dukes was scared that the crime would be pinned on him because Duke allegedly used his truck and her body was on Dukes’ family’s land.
On Up and Vanished, Sheridan said Duke broke-in to Grinstead’s home while she slept and used a credit card to enter the home. She said Duke would not tell Dukes his motive.
Dukes reportedly told his Army friend that he told several people about what happened to Grinstead. Sheridan said she was told in January, and she later told her mother who contacted the GBI, and Sheridan then spoke with GBI Case Agent Jason Shoudel.
According to apparent texts between Dukes and his Army friend, Dukes believed he had an immunity deal but it may have been revoked before his arrest because he did not expect to be arrested.
Attorneys commenting on the case on Up and Vanished have speculated the statute of limitations may apply to some or all of the charges against Bo Dukes because law enforcement officers apprarently received information about the crime in 2005, which led to the search of the pecan orchard. The indictments against Dukes point out that the statute of limitations was "tolled," or suspended, because the crimes were unknown at the time.
With the Up and Vanished season about the Grinstead case ending July 31, new public information about the case seems to be mostly exhausted. Although Lindsey plans to continue updates about the case, new explanations may not arrive until the as yet unscheduled trials begin or plea deals are made.
Excellent narrative!
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