Every Town - Ocilla, GA - Tara Grinstead Disappearance & Murder

Episode Date: January 1, 2022

At 30 years old, the teacher-beauty queen met her untimely end in the hands of two people who studied in the same high school where Tara worked – her former students whom she taught and helped prepare to face the future. This is a story of a woman who seemed to have everything, but in the end, she was unjustly left with nothing.🥇 Watch This Episode like a TV show : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_spFUuBjbbo&ab_channel=ScaryMysteries🎉 Patreon (videos too hot for youtube): https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries 🎧 Want More TRUE CRIME from us: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1235579 Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine, because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between. With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime.

Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every town has a dark side. Today we go to Assila, which is in Irwin County, Georgia. We learn about the disappearance and murder of a teacher-slash-beauty Queen named Tara Grinstead, a true beauty with brains. That was the most accurate compliment bestowed upon Tara Grinstead,

who was a native of Hawkinsville, Georgia. She was a former beauty titlist and a history teacher in high school and was well loved by her students for her tremendous and magnetic personality. Tara was a total package, a prized catch for any man who would steal her heart, but in the end only death claimed Terra for eternity. She went missing under mysterious circumstances back in October of 2005 and to give her. declared dead in absentia by a court in 2010. Seven years later, Tara's murderers were charged, but so far, only a portion of the justice she deserves has been achieved. Hi, I'm Andrew Fitzgerald, and welcome to this week's episode of Everytown.

It's indeed disheartening that Tara only fulfilled half of the promising future that she was destined to conquer. At 30 years old, the teacher-turned beauty queen met her untimely and gruesome death at the hands of two people whom she trusted. This is a story of a woman who seemed to have everything, but in the end, she was unjustly left with nothing. For a number of years, a billboard of Tara with her photo and a tip-line number loomed in her hometown of Osilla, about 185 miles south of Atlanta. in the U.S. state of Georgia, which has a population of just over 3,000 people. Hope remained for quite some time that she'd be found alive, but her death was confirmed finally when her killers were arrested in February of 2017.

A native of Hawkinsville, Georgia, Tara was born on November 17, 1974, and grew up maintaining a close relationship with her sister Anita Gaddis, and later with her stepmother, Connie Grinstid. Born with brown eyes and brown hair, standing about five feet, three inches high and weighing between 100 to 110 pounds, Tara was a stunning beauty. Adding depth and substance to her character was the fact that she had earned a college degree from Middle Georgia College. It didn't come as a surprise when at 24 years old in 1999, she won her first beauty title

as Miss Tifton, referring to the city seat of Georgia's Tiff County. She was already working for a year as an 11th grade history teacher at Irwin County High School in Assila when she became a certified beauty queen. Her victory was followed by more exposure in the pageantry world, including two more Miss Tifton crowns. The highlight of her pageant journey was when Tara competed in the Miss Georgia pageant, Her sister Anita shared that Tara was a singer, and that was the talent she showcased at the pageants she joined in on. But more than glamour and fame, joining and winning in beauty pageants, was Tara's way of finding means to pursue a higher education. According to her friend and teaching colleague Wendy McFarland,

so much has been made of Tara being the beauty queen, but for her, it was never about being beautiful or, the beauty queen. Terah totally funded her graduate education from beauty pageants. That's why she did it. And she said it helped improve her self-esteem too. Admorably, Tara's pursuit enabled her to earn a master's degree in education at Valdosta State University in Georgia in 2003, which would have upped her pay by about $10,000 a year. Beyond the glittering lights on every beauty pageant stage, Tara had sashed on. It was in the Irwin County High School where Tara carved her niche as a competent, respected, and beloved teacher. But it was also there that she crossed paths with two seemingly harmless high school boys turned ruthless souls whose hands will forever be stained in

Tara's blood. Friends and code teachers of Tara believed she was meant to be in the teaching profession and she, in fact, set her sights high on becoming a principal at the Irwin County High School. Wendy McFarland, Tara's colleague, had said that they were thankful Tara was hired by the school because she was a bright star, a bubbly and kind presence at ICHS. Her friends were lucky to have Tara in their lives, like her best friend Maria Harbor. She was in my wedding. She was always there for the birth of my children, shared Maria. who was strongly encouraged by Tara to become a teacher as well at Cordell.

Tara was definitely regarded highly by both her colleagues and students. Co-teacher and friend Wendy described her as one of those people that was a light who drew the kids in. She was charismatic, vivacious, and popular among the students, which translated to love for their American history teacher. 57-year-old Sandy McCluret, a public relations specialist for the school's system, said she and Tara bonded effortlessly, despite their age difference, as Tara was only in her mid-20s when she started teaching at ICHS. Sandy disclosed that Tara showed so much

concern to her students that she wanted to be of help to them, to the point of giving them her own phone number. She also felt that every girl should attend their senior prom. So Tara took it upon herself to buy prom dressers for those who were less fortunate. Sandy added, And I can't tell you how many yearbooks she purchased for seniors. One of Tara's junior high students described her as a spontaneous teacher, who just knew everything about history and made it exciting to learn for her students. Another student looked up to Tara as her inspiration in becoming a history teacher herself someday as well.

But aside from being a classroom teacher, Tara was also actively involved in school activities, particularly those close to her heart beauty pageants. Aside from coaching the school's cheerleading team, Tara also mentors students aspiring to become beauty contestants. She had been the driving force behind the school's Miss Red and Black pageant for six years, and she did it because she wanted the girls to gain the confidence that joining beauty contest could build

like what Tara had herself experienced. Teaching and coaching, aspiring beauty queens, could have been Tara's mission in life, but they were cut short. Ironically, it was after prepping up candidates for a local contest and attending opposed pageant barbecue party, that Tara's life made a turn leading to a tragic end that rocked a small town of Assila. Since teaching at the high school, Tara had moved to Oscella and lived in a rented apartment in the vicinity of Alder and West Park Streets. She shared her modest flag with her two pets, a year-old German shepherd named Dolly Madison,

and a cat she christened as Herman Talmadge. Such were amusing pet names based on historical and political figures, but unsurprising for a history teacher to toy with such ideas. October 22nd, 2005 was quite a busy Saturday for Tara, although she spent the day at home, but not idly. She was with several of her female students helping them primp and get ready for the Miss Georgia's Sweet Potato Paget, happening that evening and nearby Fitzgerald, nine miles away from Missilla. After the show, Tara attended her friend's barbecue party just eight blocks away from her apartment,

and she left there around 11 p.m. The following day, a Sunday, Tara missed church services, which was unusual for her. She was neither contacted by her best friend nor mother, who became extremely worried. It was likewise uncharacteristic of her not to report to school on Monday, October 24th, without notifying any of her co-workers about her absence. It was a red flag, and Tara's colleagues immediately informed local authorities of her sudden disappearance. Wendy McFarlane said, We went ahead and made flyers.

We stood at the red light and stopped Walmart. trucks and handed them out to every person that came through. The police force, headed by then Assila police chief, Billy Hancock, went to Tara's apartment, which they found longed. However, her pearl white Mitsubishi 3,000, the clothes she was wearing on October 22nd, and her cell phone or at her house, as were her cat and dog. The only items missing were her purse, keys, and the earrings she was last seen wearing. Local law enforcement, deemed that something was wrong, and the case was beyond the resources of their small-town police department. Thus, they enlisted the expertise of Georgia Bureau of Investigations,

which found no signs of forced entry and no sign of a struggle. When Tara's next-door neighbors, elderly couple, Myrtle and Joe Portier, were asked, they said they never heard any noise that Saturday night. Mrs. Portier, who was very close to Tara, said, we thought she was home the whole time with her car in the carport, we didn't realize until Monday when she had no lights on. It was soon discovered that the missing teacher's car was unlocked in the carport with $100 in the console and clay on the tires. Terra never left her car unlocked and never drove on dirt roads, said her sister Anita, who felt that Tara left with someone she knew on the night she disappeared. Inside Tara's home, evidence suggests.

tested that foul play may have actually occurred. The bedside alarm clock had fallen on the floor and broke. Some beads were scattered across the floor. One bedpost was impaired. And her bedroom lampshade was off center. A single latex glove was found on the front lawn and a business card was wedged in the front door. However, investigators weren't able to uncover evidence

suggesting what had actually transpired that night on October 22nd. or perhaps early in the morning of October 23rd that caused Tara to vanish without a trace. In the weeks that followed, law enforcement officers and volunteers did several extensive searches for Tara Grinstead. Her family and friends did their own smaller expeditions and offered reward money that had reached up to $200,000. Yet, Tara's whereabouts remained a mystery and her disappearance attracted national media attention to Asila, as her family expressed criticism of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and local police investigators on the case. It also caused an emotional upheaval among Tara's family and friends. Her older sister Anita, who became the Grinstead family spokesperson, said

the feeling was indescribable. They insisted that Tara didn't simply leave town or disappear on her own as she was up for a salary increase and she'd never do that to their mother. Moreover, Anita believed that Tara was alive. I've always been very adamant about that. Tara is a survivor and a fighter. She's one of God's good angels and he wants her to still be on this earth. Tara's colleague and friend Wendy expressed mixed emotions. On one hand you pray to God to find her, on the other.

You pray to God, you don't find her. It's very conflicting. We have to find her for the family, the school, the community, or friends. Good, bad, or ugly, we need a resolution. Five months of futile searches for Tara prompted the Grinstead family to consult psychics, and even hire a private investigator, Dr. Maurice Gondwin. All the while, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations continued to actively pursue leads and investigated some men connected with Tara.

They included Tara's ex-boyfriend of six years who ended their relationship a few weeks before she vanished. He denied any involvement, and although their relationship was in shambles, there had never been any indication of violence. Another suspect question was Tara's former student who had been arrested before for harassing her. But he too maintained his innocence and her disappearance.

The business card found, stuck in Tara's apartment door, turned out to be from a married police officer living in a nearby town who frequently visited Tara's house. He said he tried to see her on October 23rd, but she didn't answer the door. He also left two dozen messages on her phone that weekend. And like the two other guys, this police officer also swore he had no idea what happened to Tara. In 2009, the GBI revealed that They had found a male's DNA on that latex glove that was found in Tara's yard. But none of the dozens of the men associated with Tara that they interviewed were a match. The DNA had been entered into Georgia and national databases, but it still failed to hit a single target.

Since there wasn't a lot of progress made in Tara's case, the court then finally declared her dead in absentia in 2010. without knowing whether she was alive Tara's family and friends couldn't say their final goodbyes. They said they simply had to grieve that she was just gone. It may have been difficult and painful to accept, but along with that was the possibility of the truth about Tara's inexplicable case buried and forgotten as well. After more than six years in limbo, a turning point resurrected the case that even the most skeptical could hardly believe. In early 2017, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations received

information about Tara's case from an anonymous tipster, who claimed knowledge of the person responsible for killing the teacher and beauty queen. The unidentified source said that two weeks after Tara disappeared, the alleged culprit attended a party and was overheard talking about killing Tara and dropping her body in a pecan orchard in Fitzgerald, Georgia. After a thorough investigation, enough probable cause was discovered, and an arrest warrant was issued against Ryan Alexander Duke for the murder of Tara Grinstead. It turned out that Ryan was Tara's former student who graduated from ICHS in 2002. He was already 32 years old in 2017 and had a record of getting arrested and

charged with DUI in 2010, with a former inmate claiming he was placed under suicide watch after that incident while in jail. On February 23, 2017, Ryan was arrested and officially charged with burglary, aggravated assault, murder, and concealment of a death. According to warrants read in court, Ryan burglarized Tara's home, after which he strangled her and removed her body from the house. When the arrest was announced, Terah's stepmother, Connie Grinstead, said, Our wounds are deep and our hearts are broken, while the victim's co-worker Wendy immediately collapsed in tears.

There were tears of joy, tears of relief, tears that had been held back for so many years, she explained. Ryan owned up to all the charges, but could he had done this on his own? Police believed Ryan had an accomplice, and on March 3rd, 2017, a second suspect was then arrested. Bo Dukes, a former classmate of Ryan Duke with no familial relation, and was once Tara student as well. Bo was charged with tampering with evidence, concealing a death,

and hindering the apprehension of a criminal. Anita said she had known Bo Duk's family for years, but never connected him with any part of her sister's disappearance. A grandson of former state representative, Newt Hudson, Bo's family, happened to own a Peacan Grove in Fitzgerald, which was in Ben Hill County, Georgia, which was the center of the town's gossip in connection to Tara's case. He was an ex-US Army Unit Supply Specialist who was sentenced to three years in prison after Bo and his then-wife, Emily, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $150,000 from the United

States Army. During separate interviews with police, Ryan and Bo both confessed to their involvement in the murder of Tara. Ryan broke into her home to rob her for money, which police believed was motivated by his drug addiction. He then attacked and killed Tara as she caught him in the act. Ryan told investigators, I was involved with it, man. I was alone that night. I killed her. Ryan specifically noted that he had called her home from a pay phone hours after the attack.

to check if she would answer, but she didn't. He claimed he came back to her home a few hours later, wrapped Tara's body in a blanket and placed it in the back of a truck that belonged to his friend, Bo Dukes. Both men then took the dead body to a pecan orchard and dumped it. Ryan also detailed that it took days to burn Tara's remains. This was corroborated by Bo in a videotaped confession to police stating that after Ryan had killed Tara, He then asked him for help, disposing of the body, burning and burying it on his family's

Pecan Orchard. The duo covered Miss Grinstead's body with wood and burned it for two days until it looked like it was all ash. But why did Bo decide to come clean 12 years after committing the crime? I'm tired of living like this, Bo told the GBI and the 2017 footage. In February of 2017, authorities were only able to find scattered bones. parts at the orchard, which were too small to even test for DNA. According to Atlanta-based forensic anthropologist Dr. Elise Gooding, the bones included fragments from the hand, skull, and spine, plus a tooth was also found.

She testified during the trial that she could tell the bones had been burned because of their weight and bluish-gray color. This explains why after the property had been searched by investigators soon after the arrest, Tara's body had never been found. In April of 2017, a grand jury indicted Ryan Duke on six counts, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and concealing a death. Two months later, Bo Dukes was indicted on charges including concealing a death, tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension of a criminal. Pending trial, Bo was released from jail in 2018 on a $15,000 bond. He also faced federal charges for conspiracy to steal government property and was ordered to pay

$130,000 in restitution and complete 40 hours of community service for this. He failed to do either, though, so in November of 2018, Bo was ordered to serve six months in jail. He agreed to voluntarily surrender, but this agreement was revoked after he was charged with rape, aggravated sodomy, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Boe allegedly sexually assaulted two women at gunpoint at his home in Warner Robbins, Georgia on December 31st, 2018. He went on the run, but was apprehended at a family member's house in a Silla on January 5th, 2019. The trial of Bo Dukes began two months later on March 19th, where he was found guilty for his role in helping cover up terror's murder, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Meanwhile, Ryan Duke's murder trial was originally set for April 1st, 2019. However, the Georgia Supreme Court delayed it after Ryan's lawyers made a number of appeals, the latest of which involved a dispute over whether Ryan is entitled to have the state pay the cost of expert witnesses. His attorneys say he has no money to pay for experts and won't get a fair trial without them. Ryan is now being held in the Irwin County Detention Center pending his trial. If it's any consolation, both Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes recognize the severity of their crime and have expressed apologies to the loved ones of Tara Grinstead. Bo said during his sentencing,

My actions were cowardly, callous, and cruel. I was more interested in self-pity and self-preservation than doing the right thing for Tara and for you. I pray you for forgiveness. His statement further read, To the Tara Grinstead family, I'm truly sorry. Your long suffering has been unimaginable. I failed Tara Grinstead.

I failed her family. I failed the local community. And I hope these proceedings have given some closure to the many people hurt by my actions. During his confession to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Ryan said, he knew he was going to prison for the heinous crime he did. done. At the end of his confession, Ryan expressed remorse. He said, I'm sorry for the pain I've

caused. I took her life. She didn't deserve that. Tara's family hopes they will achieve the other half of justice she deserves once Ryan's trial resumes. When that happens, this will truly be Tara Grinstead's most significant crowning moment. So that's it for this week's episode of Everytown. Hope you guys enjoyed it. And tune in next week for another episode filled with scary strange and mysterious stories, because who knows? Maybe your town will be next.