Up and Vanished - Bonus: Aftermath in Ocilla

Episode Date: May 19, 2017

In this Bonus Episode we learn more about the aftermath in the small town of Ocilla, GA.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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19 plus to wager. O-N only. Please play responsibly. If you have any questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to any operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Hey guys, in today's bonus episode, I wanted to spend some time in Osceola,

catching up with some people I've grown really close to over the past year. The arrest of Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes came as a shock to all of us. But how has the town of Osceola reacted? I first caught up with Dusty Vassie from the Osceola Star. How did he feel when he heard the news? I was definitely surprised. I had never heard of Ryan Duke or Bo Dukes. Obviously, I knew some of his family, but I didn't know him. And of course, I'd heard multiple stories involving Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes, including the one I just told you about somebody coming forward in 2005 with Ryan Duke's name.

Why do you think these stories are coming out now? Why all of a sudden, when there's these two names, are these stories just surfacing? That's one of the most bewildering things about this case, is that there's that old saying that two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. That's one of the reasons I thought that it was just one person. Well, lo and behold, it's two people. What do you want to happen for the community when it comes to the truth coming out, which may happen if there's a trial? Where do you see things heading?

Well, I do think there's a little bit of almost too much fear over it right now. There's things that go on which I don't always approve of because people are investigating people left and right and all sorts of things. And it'd be one thing if we knew these people were involved, but we don't know the context. But this has happened with other people. There's been plenty of people, regardless of intent or anything else, who have been picked apart by the community. And I say the community, I mean not just the local community, but also the online community. I mean, I know that there's no way to cover something like this without hurting feelings. It's tough.

There's so many moral decisions that have to be made. And I don't think people realize that are outside of, I mean, I'm sure you realize, I know you do, a lot of moral choices that have to be made writing about this case. And sometimes you make mistakes and sometimes you don't, you regret what you do. There've been names I've told you before, not of sources, but names I've told you before that I sometimes regret them because I'm just like, why did I tell him that name? I feel you. I'm sure I've told you before that I sometimes regret them because I'm just like, why did I tell him that name? I feel you.

I'm sure I've done the same thing somewhere along the line. People have a lot of feelings about how they'd like this thing to turn out. I think they're, and maybe it's the family that wants to, or people close to the family that want, I think they want the truth, but I think they also want it to be over with. Right. And I can understand that. But I think they also want it to be over with. And I can understand that. But I don't think there'll ever really be closure to the case unless there's a trial.

Who decides when it's over? I don't think anybody does. I think it will never be over if there's not a trial. In a certain extent, it never will be over anyway because it's going to become, you know, I think there'll be multiple books written about it. The problem I see with the trial, though, there's part of me that selfishly or otherwise wants there to be a trial for that very reason. I do think that that's the only way there'll be closure. Sure, yeah. But I worry that even with the trial, we won't learn the truth. And I feel like it's more likely that if there's a trial, it will be as you talked about on the most recent case evidence, that it'll be Ryan defense saying Bo did it and the prosecutor saying Ryan did it and both trying to minimize involvement of the other.

So basically, I think there's a very good chance that we have two competing lies rather than the truth. And I don't think the truth is going to come out necessarily in that, but it could slip through the cracks, you know, a little corner here of the truth and a little corner there until the rest of us can figure it out because the evidence will be presented. I don't think anybody invested in this case in any way is going to stop looking for the truth. You might put the truth aside for five months until all of a sudden you're walking through the grocery store and you see a book about the case and you pick it up and start reading. We're in it right now. We're neck deep in it. There's no turning back. That's the way I see it. We can't run from the truth just like anybody else can't. I don't do a lot of

digging because people come to me with more than I can handle, more than I can write about. I've been writing about the last three weeks worth of stuff that I've had told to me with more than I can handle, more than I can write about. I've been able to write about the last three weeks' worth of stuff that I've had told to me already. Okay, if Ryan Duke pled guilty, how would it affect the town? I think there would be a lot of, oh, I knew he did it. Not people, obviously, that didn't know he did it two months ago, but I think people that would be saying, oh, I know he did it. I told you so. Yeah, I see. I don't know.

I think they would be the ones who aren't really that deep into the case, who see other people who are up on the boards and listening to every episode. Those people would be, I think, maybe disappointed, maybe bewildered. People naturally want there to be more to the story, a bigger, more elaborate reason for things. Well, I do tell you what happened. All eyes would go to what happens with Bo Dukes. That's what would happen. You know, does he go to trial? Does he plead guilty? Does he get nothing? Does he get a slap on the wrist? Does he get no time at all? Does he get the maximum sentence?

I don't imagine anything of consequence is going to happen with this case until Ryan's case is adjudicated. I don't know what will happen, but I think everybody will be very curious. Worst case scenario is they go to trial and everybody gets off, assuming they had anything to do with it. But I think it would be very bad for this community if it turns out that Bo Duke still has a plea deal and has immunity from prosecution. I think that there would be a lot of people very upset about that. Let's just say that Ryan Duke does maintain the not guilty plea and the court system takes forever. How would that affect this community?

Well, I have a friend who has been in jail for three years here without trial. Or bond. Now, he's been in jail for three years here without trial. Or Bond. Now, he's been in jail for three years, more than three years. Why? Why has he been in trial for three years? That's a long time. That's a really long time. So why would this case be any different?

Because it is different. Because all the eyes, if I had to guess, I would say it's going to be about a year. If Ryan Duke did kill Tara, how did he live here in this town that long and go unnoticed like that? Well, I've sometimes thought about how we don't really want safety. We want the illusion of safety. I mean, I spent the night at the house of a guy who was convicted of murder before. I felt completely safe. Really?

Really, yeah. He was one of my dad's friends who I believe he killed somebody in jail. Jeez. I mean, there's multiple unsolved murderers in the area. I mean, so we probably, unfortunately, come in contact with people who have killed other people more than we know. You bring up this question about, okay, well, if Ryan Duke's the killer, how do we feel about living in the same community with him? I think most people thought that it was somebody from the community. So we've always felt that way. There are a few people who thought it might

have been somebody from another town, but not that far away. I mean, I never heard anybody say, well, I think it was a stranger. No. In some degree, it's not that big of a surprise, but when you find out, damn, the person really was here the whole time, it's just kind of crazy to think about. It is. And one of the things I've thought about, you know, you have this idea of a small town. I mean, we're, you know, one of the smallest schools in the state. So it means we're one of the smallest counties in the state, population-wise. And you have this idea of these small towns where everybody knows everybody.

The thing about a small town is not that you know everybody. It's that everybody is one week away. You know somebody that knows them. And that's how it is. But that's not true in, let's say, Atlanta. Oh, no. I mean- It's not. That's why I feel lonely in those places. There's no connection to people. Think of the last time you bought something to wear,

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as hopefully justice is served and this trial comes to an end, as things in the court come to an end, where do you see things going? What happens from here? I don't know. Until Brian and Bo's cases have both been adjudicated one way or another, I don't think it ends. And I think if either or both of those cases have been adjudicated without it going to trial, then I think there's a very good chance that there'll still be people kind of waiting around for the information to become public. You know, the case file. I worry that they're going to use the excuse of there may be more convictions. We're going to keep this case open to keep it open and keep it closed from us.

We're going to keep this case open to keep it open and keep it closed from us. Until all that's taken care of, it's not going to be over. And people are going to be talking about it. And people are going to be wondering about it. And it's going to be front page news stories on the Oslo Star. And you're going to do updates on the case when there's news to report. And I'm probably going to put stuff about it on my blog. And there's probably going to be specials. I mean I said earlier even well the trial I

think it that's the only way there'll be closure in a lot of ways that's true I don't necessarily think it will ever fully end it almost seems like the case really opened up when the arrests happened we heard all these things and we looked at all these avenues over the years of what could have happened to her and who might have been involved. And almost all of that was thrown out the window when that Ryan Dukes arrest was announced because none of it fit. It not only hit reset, it also hit the gas pedal because everything became like bigger all of a sudden because it was like there was so much new information. It's a boiling case.

It is. And I know part of the reason why it's gotten so complex is because it's been 11 years and because there's been 11 years of speculation and people saying things. But it'd be one thing if, and this is why, one of the reasons I fought the gag order, because I think there's probably a large amount of truth to the GBI story. I've had my doubts about different parts, but I think there's a kernel of truth to it. But we got this little bit of a story, and all of a sudden, the speculation boomed because everybody's trying to figure out how

that story could be true. And of course, when that happens, there's other people saying why it couldn't be true, including me, including you. And so then there's speculation about those reasons it couldn't be true or why somebody might be lying. There's just rumor and speculation flooding in to fill the vacuum created by secrecy. It's just crazy. If the GBI had gotten up there and told us a full story,

it's believable. It makes sense. Now, part of the problem with that is I don't think they have that to tell us. I think they have bits and pieces. They have a kernel of a story that is enough, they think, to prove a murder conviction.

And it may be. But there's no guarantee that we'll ever know the truth. My next stop in Osceola was the mayor's office. The last time he spoke on the podcast was coincidentally exactly a week before Ryan Duke's arrest. I asked him to walk me through the day he found out. I got a call just the night before the press conference from our police chief just letting me know that an arrest had been made

and that there would be a press conference led by the GBI and that I should be there at the courthouse. So I knew that much before everybody else, but I really have tried to make sure, even though people say, oh, well, the police chief works for you. Yes, in some capacity, but at the same time, I don't want to interfere because I'm not law enforcement. So I've been very careful just to give them. It's much easier because Chief Billy Hancock is an amazing guy and very trustworthy. And so he makes it very easy to let him do his job because he does it so well. But I went to the courthouse, actually walked over with the members of the Osceola Police Department. And I actually was in a side room kind of behind, you saw where we came out from behind the judge's bench. Actually,

Tara's father and stepmother, they were there at the press conference that day. We're in that side room, and I got a chance to speak with them and actually pray with them. If they were able to gain some closure, which I think to some extent they did, nothing could change the fact that a tragedy happened that was someone's daughter. It gives something to have some answers about it and have some kind of knowledge and, again, conclusions. Obviously, the press conference that day was, I guess, time stood still a little bit, or everything else got pushed to the back burner because that became the highlight. There was obviously some shock. Ryan Duke, having not been on the radar, the theories and possibilities that obviously weren't true, if it's Ryan Duke, that really shocked everybody.

Because it was like, okay, everyone had their theory or whatever, and then, you know, out of left field, GBI comes in and makes this arrest. And it just kind of took everyone completely by surprise. And, of course, then there's all the talk about that. The media attention is not something we're used to in Little Osceola, Georgia. If they're not keeping up with it on their own or in the news, they can always tell when something regarding the Tara Grinstead case is occurring at the courthouse because there'll be a couple news or other media vans set up and cameras outside and everything. It's amazing to me.

I mean, I knew this was a big story beyond Irwin County, beyond Osceola. But when I'm going to different places to hear people that ask me about this when I say the words Osceola, Georgia, and people ask me about you because they heard my interview previously on the podcast. So you've got quite a fan base. And people in faraway places, you know, way up in North Georgia will say, do you know Dusty Vassie? Yes, I do. He's a friend of mine. As far as the town's reaction, probably for a lot of people, the shock of it still brought some level of, I can't think of another word besides resolution.

And I got asked, I got interviewed a couple of times by some people after that press conference. I got asked the same question and I said, this doesn't change the fact that a tragedy still occurred here. It just brings about some closure. And if that can help the healing process for the family and for the city of Osceola, then today was a, I guess I couldn't say a good day, but at least it allowed something to happen that was positive. I'm really glad, because I believed this the whole time that I've gotten to know our local law enforcement and interactivity with GBI agents that come through. I remember saying very specifically that they never considered this a cold case, and I think that was a testament to their persistence and professionalism. And while something bad did happen, they reached a conclusion and figured

out what happened, and now responsible parties will be held accountable. And while that doesn't change the fact that bad things happen, it gives us, I guess, a better sense of comfort about our cities, certainly, and about the guys that keep us safe. I'm sure there were some people that were starting to lose faith that there would be, and that's just natural, that's human. So while they were persistent and kept going, so to have that faith restored a little bit, that, okay, if we keep at this, something's going to shake loose, and it did.

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4.99. Only at Subway. Price and participation may vary. Extras, taxes, and delivery additional. Expires April 8th. Immediately following the press conference, I got a flood of information from people who all of a sudden had all this information on Ryan Duke and this other guy, Bo Dukes.

At that time, Bo Dukes had not been announced. I remember being in the Osceola Star with Dusty, Donald, and you were there for a brief second. And I was kind of asking out loud, should I mention Bo Dukes' name or should I censor it? And you kind of talked to me a little bit and gave me some good advice and basically said that, why would I jeopardize the integrity of what I've done so far, the whole body of work off of one hunch? Is it worth it to do that? Do you remember that conversation? Yeah, yeah, actually I do. What do you think about that now that it kind of came full circle and, hey, we were exactly right? I would give you the exact same advice, even knowing

that the outcome was different because at the time it wasn't. I remember my thought process in talking to you about that. I guess my fear for my city just after the press conference was one of the very positive things that happened with having some kind of resolution, some answers. Here's now a, who had been a faceless, you know, perpetrator, now had a name and a face. And so theories about people, I mean, some of which you kind of got into in your podcast, there's names of people that are in Osceola that were either, maybe they were suspects with law enforcement, or maybe they were just suspects in public opinion. Those people very clearly at that point at the press conference were innocent. And so the positive thing about the press conference was that was resolved and people who, you know, again, mostly in the court of public opinion, not in actual law enforcement

circles, they had been suspected. Well, they could no longer be suspected. My fear was, okay, now this story, and even in your podcast, it took a sharp turn in a direction that nobody expected. And I was worried that that was just going to stir up a whole new set of rumors and suspicions. And if all we did was change the names of the people we suspected with scant evidence, that we would just be doing the same thing. And we wouldn't have learned our lesson to be careful about – because in any town, you know, people love to characterize this in small towns, but you go to any community and there are people who really enjoy gossip and just, you know, take a little bit of fact and extrapolate it out into something that may not be true at all. Just playing telephone. Exactly. So my fear was, here's a bunch of rumors about this person that may or may not be true at all. Just playing telephone. Exactly. So my fear was, here's a bunch of rumors

about this person that may or may not be connected, but until you actually have a connection, you know, you start publishing that stuff. You know, if you put it on your podcast, if Dusty puts it on his blog, then we may be doing the same thing just to a separate group of people. And so that was my fear. So I'm really glad that you held off on that. And then of course, later when those things did have a little more substantial evidence and proof and there was some kind of action taken, then at that point you're just reporting fact. You didn't have anything to gain by taking the long shot and throwing someone's name out that if they ended up having nothing to do with it, you would have been able to move on with the podcast and just change the names. You just put that person's name out there to a million people and didn't go back and clear it up. But that's why I'm glad you were more careful

with that. You know, you certainly could have put some stuff out there before, because I bet you've heard other names besides his. And that microphone's got a lot of power right there in your hand. So I ask people to be careful with that. A fear as I watch out for my city, if this is the only thing people know about Osceola, then I hope we can show them the other side. And I appreciate you've done that on a couple podcasts and just try to point out some of the, hey, here's just a normal community where this bad thing happened. What resolution are we looking for at this point? What is the next step in a resolution for this community?

Obviously, to hold guilty parties accountable. And that's not just our city. That's what people want in general is people be held accountable for what they've done. And I'm sure this is, as far as the information in the story, I think what people would like is the play-by-play of exactly what happened. Because the information we have is from the warrants. And I bet you and Dusty Vassey have studied those and critiqued the wording and things like that. And there's not much to study.

Far more than I have. Yeah. What we want as human beings is to get all the details that go, oh, so that's what happened. And then once you know, there's this ability to move on, or I guess in some cases, it really would be to satisfy a curiosity. Wow, this is a terrible thing that happened. How could it happen? What was the play by play? I don't know if and when we'll get that. Is that the next step?

I think that's what a lot of people want. I think that may be a long time before that level of detail comes out, if ever. There's one person on trial, and he just pleaded not guilty, and I don't know the background behind the scenes reasons and what's going on back there. So like I said, I think that's what people desire. I don't know to what degree that will happen, but for now they found a guilty party, and it's about holding that person accountable. It is an ongoing thing, but it does not define us. And that's the thing you and I have talked about as far as you've got a million listeners right now. And the only thing they know about Osceola is this is where Tara Grinstead disappeared.

And now we have a few more answers since you started your podcast. And if that's all they know, that's their whole impression of Osceola, then they're missing a huge, huge part of it. We'd love for you to come down the last Saturday in October to the Georgia Sweet Potato Festival, which we've held here since the early 60s. We just celebrated the second annual Prater Music Fest. Dave Prater, from the hit duo Sam and Dave, who's in the Rock and Roll R&B Hall of Fame and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. He grew up here. Two years ago, we had a Dave Prater Day honoring him. There's a sign as you come into town saying, welcome to Osceola, home of Dave Prater.

Had such a good time with that. It was such a community building event. We tried to carry it on. So now there's Prater Music Fest, which you can find out more information at www.pratermusicfest.com. There we go. Oh, there's your plug. And the proceeds from the event for the last two years, we were able to put together a scholarship fund. It was a scholarship committee, and we awarded three graduating seniors from Irwin County High School who were looking to go into a career in

music, a scholarship. This is something we hope to do for decades to come. So we had a banquet, we had a worship service, and then it was actually just last Friday night. We had the high school chorus, the high school jazz band, and a live band play. We blocked off part of the street, and everybody had a good time. That's Osceola. This ends up being what we're known for, but there's so much more to us. So I guess that's just like I talked about in the last time we said is we are a community of good people. Our small city may be a little different culture than some big cities, and that's okay. We're not for everybody, but big cities aren't for everybody either.

So I guess that's what I'd want to make sure people take away is there's a lot more to us than this. But again, I'll just go back to I'm sure there are people in other places that may have actually given up on something like this after 12 years. And we didn't. I called up Maurice Godwin to get an update on his reaction. One thing I've learned about Maurice throughout this podcast is that this case has deeply affected him. He lives and breathes this case. I asked him how he felt when he heard the news, and his current state of mind.

Even though we knew the answer was that Tara had possibly suffered horrendously and was then murdered, the worst fear that I had. Sad because the truth was horrifying, as we had imagined, and that I suspected all along because of the clues left in her home. An emptiness that we could not rewind the clock to happier days in Asila before Tara went missing.

From the beginning over a decade ago, I knew Tara had been murdered because of the signs of struggle in her bedroom I said back then that there was at least two people involved and I was correct so when I was examining her house and her personal belongings I began to develop an emotional connection with her. Through my crime scene experience and training, even tiny clues such as a necklace clasp found in the floorboards gave me a picture of this woman, this young woman and the nightmare that visited her that October night. And I desperately wanted to find closure for her family and peace and justice for Tara. As this case became more personal, the difficulties in trying to solve it affected me personally.

Every day for all these years, I have lived this case with the emotional rollercoaster that I experienced while chasing hundreds of leads, many often dead ends. I endured death threats, being stalked by someone obsessed with the case, and fighting cancer while trying to find justice for Tara. Back in April of 2006, upon returning to North Carolina from Osceola, I was sitting at my desk one early morning working on the case, and I received a call about 1.40 a.m. The person on the other end said, you better back off or you're dead. I took this as a threat, and the next day I contacted then GBI agent Gary Rothwell

who told me to file a report with my local sheriff's department here which I did and then I gave him written permission to pull my home phone records and he did and it just it showed the phone call but it was unknown there was number, so they couldn't do anything. And then during one of my weeks that I was staying in Osceola, I was staying at the River Bend Bluegrass Park just outside of Osceola, and I was staying in Dr. Gaddis' and Anita's RV that they allowed me to use, and it was about 3 a.m. one morning when I was awoken by this roaring sound and lights shining through of the back of the curtains and so I pulled back the

curtains a little bit and I saw this big truck sitting on top of a hill with the headlights shining right through the window onto the bed where I was lying at and it stayed there about three or four minutes roaring the engine I don't think that this really had anything to do with or connection to Bo Dukes or Ryan I think it was people or someone from that area, from Osceola, who just didn't want a stranger poking his nose around in this case. It also now appears to be that there was a number of people that knew who murdered Tara for all these years and never came forward with this information. It has become evident to me that a number of people in Osceola knew about the murder for years.

And it's sort of like the town played a huge part in covering up the crime. If this is true, this is disturbing, and it's just sad. Hey guys, thanks for listening. Today's episode was mixed and mastered by Resonate Recordings. If you want to improve the quality of your podcast or start a podcast of your own, check them out at resonaterecordings.com. And don't forget that episode 19 is coming on Monday, May 22nd, where you'll hear from Brooke Sheridan,

Bo Duke's girlfriend. Thanks guys. And see you soon.