GA - Tara Grinstead, 29, Ocilla, 22 Oct 2005 #2 *Arrests*

ketel0ne

The artist formerly known as 'Absolut'
Joined
Feb 1, 2005
Messages
3,082
Reaction score
2,498
October 25, 2005
From the Ocilla Police Department


Ocilla, Georgia -- On October 24, 2005 at 8:50AM, the Ocilla Police Department responded to a missing person report made by neighbors and coworkers at the Irwin County High School.

They were concerned because Tara Grinstead did not show up for work and they were unable to make contact with her.

The last known contact was on 10/22/2005 at approximately 11:00 p.m.

http://walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4026341

Picture and description in article.
 
absolut said:
October 25, 2005
From the Ocilla Police Department


Ocilla, Georgia -- On October 24, 2005 at 8:50AM, the Ocilla Police Department responded to a missing person report made by neighbors and coworkers at the Irwin County High School.

They were concerned because Tara Grinstead did not show up for work and they were unable to make contact with her.

The last known contact was on 10/22/2005 at approximately 11:00 p.m.

http://walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4026341

Picture and description in article.


Her car is in her driveway but her keys and purse are missing. I hope that LE can see that something is wrong with this picture. She doesn't show up for work and evidentally that wasn't the norm for her. I hope LE suspect foul play and start investigating it as suspicious. If so, maybe they will find her in time. She's been gone since the 22nd though and this is already the 25th.
Every time we turn around a young woman is missing...not many happy endings either.
 
The Lamp Questions that linger with me-
Why did they use her bedside lamp to be the signal? Why not the porch or another room possibly?
Who all knew about the lamp and its significance?
Why did no one check on her when it was left off for days?
Did it stay on for a certain length of time then she turned it off when going to sleep?
Did she sleep with the lamp on?
Did she turn it off when she had "company"?
The lamp was broken during what time? The attack? Or prior to that night?
Who knew when the lamp was broken? Did the girls that were there that day possibly break it on accident and try to put it back together to hide the evidence?
Has it been confirmed that the lamp was in proper working order prior to her arriving home?
Has anyone questioned the girls regarding the lamp?
For some reason the lamp rubs me wrong. Can't put my finger right on it but something just doesn't seem right about it.
Did her family confirm the lamp signal she did every night or just one person said that?
What was supposed to happen in the event the light wasn't on, her car was in the driveway and no one answered her phone?
Was there missed calls from her neighbor trying to reach her to check on her?
I've read her phone was found near her bed and also read it was missing. Could someone confirm the status of the phone for me? Was there a call log retrieved?
 
Porch light doesn't mean you are home. Only 2 windows facing Joe's house one was the spare bedroom and then Tara's bedroom

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
 
Porch light doesn't mean you are home. Only 2 windows facing Joe's house one was the spare bedroom and then Tara's bedroom

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Then I think if it was me,I'd use the spare room window as the signal window.
That way you could leave it on and not worry about it disrupting your sleep.
It still bothers me that it went a few days being off yet her car was there and no one checked on her.
Do you think the lamp could have possibly been broken when the girls were there getting ready and they didn't want to upset Tara and tried to put it back together as best as possible?
Wasn't there pieces of a necklace that you found under the bed that was looked over by the LE?
Signs of a struggle?
I just keep going back to the lamp. It bothers me for some reason. It is possible though that Tara liked to sleep with the lamp on.
And you are right about the porch light. I leave mine on even when I'm not home so I don't come home to a dark house.
When did he usually check to see if the light was on? Did he sit near a window possibly watching TV that he could easily see the light go on or off?
 
Porch light doesn't mean you are home. Only 2 windows facing Joe's house one was the spare bedroom and then Tara's bedroom

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
Thank you for your wonderful insight in this case and helping us with answers to our questions by the way!
Would you consider her neighborhood very safe for a single beautiful woman to be living?
 
Absolutely not

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
So in all reality this could be a stranger assault.
Someone could have been watching her for some time until the right time came along and she may not have noticed.
Ok some off the wall questions but ones I am curious about.
Did she have someone do her yard work for her or did she do it herself? Sometimes people have someone in the neighborhood to do their yard work.
Did Joe do most of the handyman work around the house?
Did he always wash her car weekly or was it a one time thing?
Did she pay him for doing it?
I am not by any means ruling out the other suspects at all. Just looking into other possibilities.
Have there been any break ins or rapes or assaults happening before and after her case in her neighborhood?

We just had a murder a few weeks back where two men from NY came down and attacked and killed an elderly woman in her home while she lived with her son and daughter in law. 3 Juveniles were also involved. They are now moving right beside us. So these small towns can have some very random and horrible tragedies!
 
Sundrop, do you have a list of those recent calls on the night of her disappearance? The person had to know she was going to be home. To be this elaborate it sounds pretty obvious they knew where she was.
 
One thing though in my personal opinion that I had been thinking about earlier today is if it was a complete stranger that possibly broke in and killed Tara, they would have no reason to hide the body by removing it from the home.
However, someone who knew her would feel compelled to remove the body and hide the evidence because they would be an easy POI. So I do think it was someone within her circle of trusted acquaintances.
Plus to hide her body so well, they would have to have access to some property or know of some property that wouldn't be searched without their knowledge. Somewhere that they could drive by and relive it or visit the site.
By now, someone knows who did this. They have confessed to a trusted individual or maybe even used her murder as a threat to someone to keep them quiet.
If that is the case I would hope they would do an anonymous tip and name the perp and possible location of Tara. Someone knows something and should speak out and be a voice for Tara.

ETA: Question for anyone to answer: Is there some way to compare known acquaintance perps attacking an individual within the individual's home vs. strangers committing the same type of crime? Very curious about whether they would leave the victim in their own home vs. hiding the body. Tara did live alone so that would need to be taken into consideration. There weren't others in the home when the crime happened so:
1.) the body could possibly be left for an extended amount of time without being found (I can see a stranger to Tara doing this not knowing she had many people checking on her)
2.) No witnesses to the crime no need to hide the body
3.) Someone KNEW she would be immediately discovered so they hid the body. (Close acquaintance knew her routine)
 
Sundrop, do you have a list of those recent calls on the night of her disappearance? The person had to know she was going to be home. To be this elaborate it sounds pretty obvious they knew where she was.

I'd be interested to know who called her that night and the days following it.
Who called to check on her? Did her neighbor call to check on her when the lamp wasn't on for example. Did he call to ask her if she needed her car washed, etc.
I would think a person would ask someone before washing their vehicle. Even if they did stuff for her normally. JMO of course.
But here in the South we tend to help but usually ask if it's okay to do so first. At least that is how I was raised. Always ask for permission first. Just being respectful.
 
Sundrop...
Are there any suspects that you feel didn't play a role in what happened that night?
Also could you give the initials of all the POI so far? If you don't mind doing that of course.
You've been in the thick of it and know who are the POI.
Did any of them give you that "feeling"?
 
Does it bother anyone that HD only left a business card and not a more personal note?
If I was someone's friend (possibly more than a friend) I wouldn't leave my impersonal business card. Does that make sense?
I would leaving a more caring note asking if she is okay and to call him and check in with him. Someone worried I would think would do that,
Also another question for SunDrop! haha Bless your heart I ask so many questions! But you are always so nice and informative!
Did Tara have a house phone with a attached answering machine? Were there messages on it?
I'm curious if any of these people left messages that weekend on a house phone answering machine or her cell phone.
A few apparently had keys so its possible they erased the messages though.
What kind of cell phone did she own?
(I'm currently working on a cheat sheet to remember all the POI's! lol Been going through absolute hell with my daughter for two months so forgive me if I forget things.)
 
Ok so another question coming to mind for some reason....
Was Tara possibly worried about her safety enough to call on her school mate who is in LE to help her when shes scared (HD)?
Maybe it was something that he might be about to sort out by scaring and threatening the person that was harassing her.
Maybe the reason he stayed close to her home was to keep an eye on it until she returned home and he could make sure she was ok.
Not making excuses but just looking at all the possibilities.
Was his wife ever interviewed? She may have never known about Tara.
OR again this could be the wife removing her competition sorta HD had to clean it up.
Maybe that was the reason he was trying to call her. To warn her of hid wife being on the warpath.
He probably would have felt guilty for causing it all and made sure the body was removed and the crime scene cleaned.

Remember : "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
I'm honestly tossing out balls to see what we might catch. I have a feeling it is not what it seems. A vengeful wife could easily
do this crime out of passion and jealousy and pure white hot rage.
Didn't his wife wonder where he disappeared to for so long while watching her house or staking it out.
Just a possible option but maybe just maybe the reason the case stalled was due to looking in the wrong direction.
There was so many other good POI's that the real perp is sitting on the side lines eating popcorn.
This goes for the neighbor's wife too.
That to me is another rabbit hole that might be worth looking into. Maybe the ladies have a farm in their family and that is where shes located.
I agree with someone else that said that MH felt validated and enjoyed knowing she was pining, /in my opinion he had nothing to gain by killing her. He quite possibly could have done it mind you but as for motive, it was nothing more than a breakup possibly.

HD - HAD A TON TO LOSE! A wife and family and a career. Excellent motive.

The neighbor, JP also had a ton to loose. An excellent motive also.
JMHO and this is where I'm at right now. My two (4 including wives) suspects.
 
Wow. I took a break and came back to catch up. This thread has definitely taken a turn.
 
Hey there sugarbritches!
Well I'm just trying to look in other directions to rule out or rule in possible POI that were maybe not figured in to the equation.
I can see a female (wife of a man interested in Tara) taking out her competition and the husband covering it up for her.
Just curious if the wives ever took lie detector tests or were questioned as a suspect not just as a witness or alibi.
I would think at some point Tara would eventually have a run in with a wife or girlfriend.
Another route to look at is maybe someone she met at the cookout came and picked her up for a date that ended in disaster. If that person had pull in the community, that would stall the investigation I'm sure.
JMOO and maybe some possibilities. Trying to think outside the box.
I just have a feeling the case is being looked at in the wrong direction?
Tara was beautiful and would be a formidable "other woman" to compete with.
I could definitely see jealousy playing a factor from either a suitor or a wife/girlfriend.
Whomever committed the crime may not have known her schedule well, but whomever cleaned it up DID know her schedule.
Honestly.... the neighbor sounds like he was slightly inserting himself into the case some with washing the car and all. Maybe him trying to look "busy" cleaning up around her house was to cover for him possibly having DNA or fingerprints in areas that he shouldn't have or being seen possibly by someone that weekend coming and going from his home.
IDK. Just thoughts honestly. Thoughts to chew on and look at new directions.
 
Hey there sugarbritches!
Well I'm just trying to look in other directions to rule out or rule in possible POI that were maybe not figured in to the equation.
I can see a female (wife of a man interested in Tara) taking out her competition and the husband covering it up for her.
Just curious if the wives ever took lie detector tests or were questioned as a suspect not just as a witness or alibi.
I would think at some point Tara would eventually have a run in with a wife or girlfriend.
Another route to look at is maybe someone she met at the cookout came and picked her up for a date that ended in disaster. If that person had pull in the community, that would stall the investigation I'm sure.
JMOO and maybe some possibilities. Trying to think outside the box.
I just have a feeling the case is being looked at in the wrong direction?
Tara was beautiful and would be a formidable "other woman" to compete with.
I could definitely see jealousy playing a factor from either a suitor or a wife/girlfriend.
Whomever committed the crime may not have known her schedule well, but whomever cleaned it up DID know her schedule.
Honestly.... the neighbor sounds like he was slightly inserting himself into the case some with washing the car and all. Maybe him trying to look "busy" cleaning up around her house was to cover for him possibly having DNA or fingerprints in areas that he shouldn't have or being seen possibly by someone that weekend coming and going from his home.
IDK. Just thoughts honestly. Thoughts to chew on and look at new directions.
 
GBI to provide updates in Tara Grinstead disappearance

"The GBI is set to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Irwin County courthouse in Ocilla to discuss updates in the investigation into the 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead.

Grinstead, a former beauty queen who taught at Irwin County High was last seen Oct. 22, 2005.

GBI special agent in charge of the Perry investigative office, J.T. Ricketson, said he could not provide additional details until the news conference...Ricketson did say new developments surfaced in recent days and will be shared with the news media Thursday afternoon.

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

Retired GBI agent Gary Rothwell, who intially led the investigation into Grinstead’s appearance, also is expected to attend the news conference, Ricketson said.

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

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
121
Guests online
960
Total visitors
1,081

Forum statistics

Threads
589,180
Messages
17,915,183
Members
227,745
Latest member
branditau.wareham72@gmail
Back
Top