GA - Tara Grinstead, 29, Ocilla, 22 Oct 2005 #1 *Arrests*

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justthefacts said:
I saw a preview of Greta's show for Wednesday, and they mentioned something about a problem with a student. But darn, I fell asleep and missed it! Anybody catch this?
I think that may just be about the one we've already been hearing about who had knocked on her door and had a crush on her, and she had to call the police about. I'm just guessing though. If so, there's news on him in Steve's blog and some links in earlier posts on this thread.
 
The ex-student they talked about on Greta last night actually was caught trying to break into her house. Neighbors saw it and called police. It happened only 4mths ago.
 
I have been following this case and the ex-student is setting off the hinky meter more so than the ex-boyfriend. Poor Tara.
 
As many as 60 volunteers with four-wheel-drive trucks and search dogs combed rural areas east of Ocilla today, but Irwin County Sheriff Donnie Youghn said investigators have no solid leads in the case of missing teacher Tara Grinstead.

There have been almost daily searches by foot, air and horseback -- around the south-central Georgia town of Ocilla for a popular high school history teacher and former beauty queen who vanished Oct. 24.

There have been concerned hallway hugs between faculty and students alike at Irwin County High School, and a public prayer vigil Oct. 25 at the Irwin County Courthouse. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has made inquiries and a $30,000 reward has been raised by the community, but there has been no sign of Grinstead, 30, a teacher at Irwin County High for the past eight years and Miss Tifton in 1999.

A reward for information leading to the teacher's whereabouts and safe return was raised to $80,000 today by $50,000 pledge by Liberty National Insurance of Birmingham, Ala.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/1105/03metsearch.html

After ten days of investigation, Ocilla Police Chief Billy Hancock said authorities have no suspects in the disappearance of Irwin County High School teacher Tara Grinstead.

"I don't feel like we're making any headway to calling someone a suspect and ruling everybody else out," he said.

"Certainly, anyone that had any acquaintances with her is someone that they're trying to question and get information from."

He said everyone has cooperated in the investigation.

Hancock said authorities are still considering any possibility and getting leads in the case, but no solid leads.

Her father has hired what she called a "private recovery agent," who she said is trying to find Grinstead.

She said the agent isn't as concerned with trespassing and civil rights as police or GBI, and so far has found new information, but she wouldn't say what that is.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/13066460.htm
 
englishleigh said:
I have been following this case and the ex-student is setting off the hinky meter more so than the ex-boyfriend. Poor Tara.
Yes, from what I had read, she was not over her ex-boyfriend.
Her ex-boyfriend of 6 years had broken off the relationship months ago and she has hard time getting over him. Reported on blogs. So I don't suspect him, honestly.

The ex-student, now 20, was infatuated (maybe still is) was Tara.
Banged on her door. She called police ... filed order.
As far as I have read, no further action taken.
I believe this was in Rita's transcript. He might raise an eye brow.

However, I also read $300 cash was found in the console in her unlocked door.

Facts: Her keys and purse are missing.
House was locked.
Usually her bedroom light is on when she gets home.
She obviously came home, her car was there and she changed clothes.
So she came home and left the house...
either of her own volition or against her will.

Possible scenarios due to the info in the news right now:
*Stranger abduction, being held hostage
*Random stranger murdered her
*Possible robbery gone wrong, murdered her
*Ex-student murdered her
*Ex-boyfriend murdered her
*Someone else she knew murdered her
*Stalker murdered her
*She committed suicide
*She ran off to be alone, distraught and depressed over the ex.

Nothing in the news has pointed to anything specific yet.
 
PrayersForMaura said:
Yes, from what I had read, she was not over her ex-boyfriend.
Her ex-boyfriend of 6 years had broken off the relationship months ago and she has hard time getting over him. Reported on blogs. So I don't suspect him, honestly.

The ex-student, now 20, was infatuated (maybe still is) was Tara.
Banged on her door. She called police ... filed order.
As far as I have read, no further action taken.
I believe this was in Rita's transcript. He might raise an eye brow.

However, I also read $300 cash was found in the console in her unlocked door.

Facts: Her keys and purse are missing.
House was locked.
Usually her bedroom light is on when she gets home.
She obviously came home, her car was there and she changed clothes.
So she came home and left the house...
either of her own volition or against her will.

Possible scenarios due to the info in the news right now:
*Stranger abduction, being held hostage
*Random stranger murdered her
*Possible robbery gone wrong, murdered her
*Ex-student murdered her
*Ex-boyfriend murdered her
*Someone else she knew murdered her
*Stalker murdered her
*She committed suicide
*She ran off to be alone, distraught and depressed over the ex.

Nothing in the news has pointed to anything specific yet.
It appears that her bedroom is where a confrontation took place (alarm clock on floor, lamp cracked). If someone had forced their way into her house, there would have been signs of struggle in the living room, not just the bedroom. Since there isn't any evidence that someone broke into her house, I tend to think she let someone she knew into the house that night.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I lived alone, I wouldn't answer the door that late at night (after 11 p.m.) without checking first to see who it was. I certainly wouldn't have opened the door to a stranger.
 
Marilynilpa said:
It appears that her bedroom is where a confrontation took place (alarm clock on floor, lamp cracked). If someone had forced their way into her house, there would have been signs of struggle in the living room, not just the bedroom. Since there isn't any evidence that someone broke into her house, I tend to think she let someone she knew into the house that night.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I lived alone, I wouldn't answer the door that late at night (after 11 p.m.) without checking first to see who it was. I certainly wouldn't have opened the door to a stranger.
Maybe a confrontation, maybe not ... the lamp is sometimes knocked over by the cat, I had read ... rather rambunctious cat ... cats can also climb over things and push buttons on clocks believe it or don't. Was this the night of daylight savings when we were to set clocks back? Maybe she was messing with her clock when the cat knocked the lamp over or when someone knocked on the door. As far as was reported, there were no apparent signs of a confrontation. The lamp was cracked but put back in place... could've been cracked on another occasion is what I recall the sister said but I could be mistaken. Let me find some quotes...
 
I'm just going to quote your post since you already have the info here ...
here's the info about the clock and the lamp...
I'm not thinking it's as big of a deal. Maybe it is, but I am not thinking it is.

ThoughtFox said:
This is a truly baffling case so far!

Here is the Nancy Grace Transcript for Halloween night - it's got a ton of details and an interview with her sister.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0510/31/ng.01.html

NANCY GRACE: Any forced entry?

GATTIS: There`s no evidence of that.

GRACE: And the only thing amiss was the clock radio at her bedside was under the bed. Was it still plugged in?

GATTIS: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: Still plugged in, but six hours later?

GATTIS: Correct.

GRACE: And the lamp by the bedside cracked but still on the bedside table?

GATTIS: That`s correct, too.

GRACE: Also, Anita, her clothing that she wore to the party that evening, it was found in the home?

GATTIS: It was. It looks like that she changed into maybe the clothes she was going to sleep in that night.

GRACE: Why do you say that?

GATTIS: Well, she had made the comment that she was tired and was going to go home and watch the video from the pageant. She normally put on sweat pants and a t-shirt to sleep in.

GRACE: Now, she told you this?

GATTIS: No, this is what she told the people at the party she was at.

GRACE: Oh, OK. Now, was she drinking at the party?

GATTIS: Tara does not drink. She never has drank.

GRACE: So her clothing, Anita, was it laid out, like, you know, when I take my clothes off in the evening, I normally put them away or throw them in the dirty clothes, one or the other. Were they put away neatly, or were they found lying on the floor? Where were they?

GATTIS: The shoes were found lying on the floor, which a friend of mine told me was very unusual, because they were fairly expensive pair of shoes. She usually boxed them up and put them in the closet. The rest of her clothes were lying piled on a chest.

GRACE: Piled on a chest. Would that be normal for her?

GATTIS: It appears so. There were more clothes on that chest, also.

GRACE: Yes. Now, Anita, you stated she normally sleeps in sweat clothes, shirt, you know, socks maybe. Did you go through her home looking? I remember the Laci Peterson case. Her family went through looking for things, because they were familiar with her habits. Did you do this?

GATTIS: I have somewhat. But she has so much clothes it`s really hard to tell exactly what`s missing.

GRACE: What`s interesting to me is her car`s still there. Only missing is her purse and her keys. Wasn`t her cell phone put back on the charger?

GATTIS: Yes, ma`am. It was by her bed, where the lamp and the clock were.

GRACE: Still sitting in the charger?

GATTIS: Correct.

GRACE: You know, I just want to ask you one more thing about these keys and this pocketbook. Did she normally put her keys, like, on the table separate from her pocketbook, or would she put the keys back in her pocketbook?

GATTIS: Back in her pocketbook.

GRACE: So the fact that she had keys and pocketbook missing could mean she simply grabbed the purse and left.

GATTIS: I guess that`s so.

GRACE: And, Anita, one more thing about the home. The lights in the home, were the lights on or off? And is she an energy freak like me? Would she cut off all the lights but a night light or what?

GRACE: She left a porch light on. And the lamp by her bedside table she always turned on so that her neighbors would know that she was home. And that had not seen that lamp on since Friday night.

GRACE: So it was on Friday night?

GATTIS: It was on Friday night. It never got turned on Saturday night.

GRACE: You know, Anita, that is a very interesting fact. Listen, when she would come in, would that bed light already be on or would she go in there and cut it on?

GATTIS: She would go in there and cut it on. That was her normal habit.

GRACE: Doesn`t it sound to you, based on that fact, that someone was either in the home or followed her into the home. And when she went to the bedroom to flick the light on, the neighbors never saw that light come on?

GATTIS: That`s what they`ve told me. Yes, ma`am.

~much more at link~
Maybe the lightbulb burnt out??
It's just weird to me that the phone and the lamp were still on the bedside table but the clock wasn't, which makes me think that the cat knocked it off.

If she left with someone she knew, and took her purse, maybe she thought she would be right back?
If someone killed her, why would they take her purse and nothing else?
Unless it was a robbery?
But she had her car unlocked and $300 cash in the console.
Wouldn't they check there?
Wouldn't her dog have barked at all?
If her neighbors were nosey enough to notice the bedroom light on or off, wouldn't they notice a dog barking wildly or not?

This doesn't make sense.
Which is why I think she went for a ride with someone or left on her own for a walk.
 
The sheriff says though they haven't found the missing high school teacher, there have been some positives.

Wednesday, they recovered four pounds of marijuana while searching old buildings in the county. Something family members say the 30 year old would have been proud of because she had previously worked with the DARE program.

Though authorities say they aren't sure what happened to Grinstead and have not identified any suspects, they are urging everyone to be cautious and keep their eyes open.

More:
http://walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4071274

______________________________________________________________

:eek: Holy moses, that's a lot of pot!
Pardon my ignorance, but how much do you think that is worth, dollarwise???

Do you think someone might have been bribing Tara for money??
Hence, the $300 CASH in her unlocked car and why she took her purse with her?

It's just weird that they mentioned that in her story....
 
From Steve's blog, after writing about information given to him regarding Tara's breakup with her long-term boyfriend...
Titled "The Men in Tara's Life"

"Sources close to the investigation unanimously agree -- what disarray there might have been at Tara's home was so minimal as to provide police with very little reason to think a confrontation or struggle had taken place. The first investigators on the scene also attached very little significance to certain details like Tara's phone being in her bathroom, and her bedside lamp being "broken." It had apparently been broken before, perhaps as a result of rambunctious behavior by Tara's cat, Herman."

More: http://www.planethuff.com/darkside/archives/cat_the_disappearance_of_miss_grinstead.html

Nov 2nd entry, very good one!!
 
Who would she have allowed into her house and willingly left with late at night, taking her purse and keys? The only person I can think of would be the old boyfriend whom she apparently still care about. Wasn't he in town that day? This is assuming that LE does not feel there was a confrontation in her bedroom, which it appears they do not. But, if he broke up with her several months ago, why would he bother to see her and harm her?

Who's caring for her dog and cat?
 
Trino said:
Who would she have allowed into her house and willingly left with late at night, taking her purse and keys? The only person I can think of would be the old boyfriend whom she apparently still care about. Wasn't he in town that day? This is assuming that LE does not feel there was a confrontation in her bedroom, which it appears they do not. But, if he broke up with her several months ago, why would he bother to see her and harm her?

Who's caring for her dog and cat?
I hope she is found soon.
 
Trino said:
Who would she have allowed into her house and willingly left with late at night, taking her purse and keys? The only person I can think of would be the old boyfriend whom she apparently still care about. Wasn't he in town that day? This is assuming that LE does not feel there was a confrontation in her bedroom, which it appears they do not. But, if he broke up with her several months ago, why would he bother to see her and harm her?

Who's caring for her dog and cat?
What if she called him (explains phone in the bathroom) had to see him (she's been having a hard time getting over him) ... he agrees to come meet her...
picks her up, she thinks they can go for a quick drive ... he gets tired of her
"harassing him" and does something with her ... or they argue and she gets out of the car and starts walking and she either jumps off a bridge or someone runs her over or someone picks her up and kills her???

I read that she took it so hard one day she had to pull over off the road and have someone come get her. I believe that was in Steve's blog about the men in her life ... I linked to it a few posts up.
 
The ever-growing search gives family members hope. "She may not be well, but I do feel like she's alive," says Anita Gattis.

While search teams continue to scour the county, the family has a private recovery agent on the case. Gattis says clues he's found lead back to her sister's car.

"Her vehicle was unlocked. That's very uncharacteristic of Tara. She always locks it, always, always, always. There's some question about the position of the seats. She was short, 5'3". That's a big red flag," Gattis says.

She also says the front of Grinstead's car was covered in bugs, leading Gattis to believe it had been driven throughout the night.
"I think that she left with someone that she knows, either under false pretenses, or maybe she left genuinely thinking she was going for a legitimate reason, and that it got ugly after that."

Gattis and her family are pleading with those responsible for Grinstead's disappearance to call their private tip line and let her go.

"If it was somebody and you had no intention of it snowballing like this, she will be picked up and law enforcement will not be notified until she is safely returned."

Gattis says she's praying that's soon, so her sister will be home in time to celebrate her birthday on November 14th.

More http://walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4075721
 
I've been puzzled by why Tara's clock/radio was 6 hours ahead of time as mentioned in the Nancy Grace interview.
If I turn my clock/radio off then turn it back on again, it reverts back to 12pm ie midday, so if Tara's clock/radio was showing the time as 6 hours later than the true time, it may have been turned off then back on again.
I don't know if all clock/radios when turned off then turned back on again start at 12 midday as mine does or if some start again at 12 midnight.
This might explain the discrepancy in the time shown on Tara's clock/radio.
Someone, for whatever reason may have turned the clock/radio off then turned it on again...maybe when Tara got home that night she saw that it was turned off, then whilst in the process of setting it again, was intercepted by someone who was lying in wait????
Maybe someone who is feeling a bit more alert that I am at the moment could try and work out a hypothetical time that the clock/radio may have been turned off then on again, to come to a conclusion why it was 6 hours ahead when found.
 
Authorities have questioned a former boyfriend of Grinstead's, Gattis confirmed. "They broke up about nine months ago," she says. "He has been questioned many times at length. He has obtained an attorney.

"They had had a very bad argument, I just found out, several days before she went missing, concerning an 18-year-old that he was dating. My sister did not think that (the 18-year-old's) parents would approve of a 30-year-old dating an 18-year-old. I'm told that she threatened to tell the parents, and they had a very heated argument over this."

This is from an article I found a link to over on Missing and Abducted. I think it's a CBS news article. Anyhow, I think this is interesting and may provide a bit of a motive for the ex. He also had a key to her house, so there would be no signs of forced entry. The fact he has hired an attorney is also a bit suspicious. I wonder if he has an alibi.
 
adit said:
Authorities have questioned a former boyfriend of Grinstead's, Gattis confirmed. "They broke up about nine months ago," she says. "He has been questioned many times at length. He has obtained an attorney.

"They had had a very bad argument, I just found out, several days before she went missing, concerning an 18-year-old that he was dating. My sister did not think that (the 18-year-old's) parents would approve of a 30-year-old dating an 18-year-old. I'm told that she threatened to tell the parents, and they had a very heated argument over this."

This is from an article I found a link to over on Missing and Abducted. I think it's a CBS news article. Anyhow, I think this is interesting and may provide a bit of a motive for the ex. He also had a key to her house, so there would be no signs of forced entry. The fact he has hired an attorney is also a bit suspicious. I wonder if he has an alibi.

I am so glad you posted this. I had read this early this morning on . This puts a different equasion into the scenario IMO. If he wanted to move on with his new love interest and she was putting the brakes on his endeavors this could possibly be a motive.Just speculating here but I see things differently than a few days ago.
 
Irwin County- Her family wants people to take a good look at Tara's picture. Two weeks ago Saturday was the last time 30 year old Tara Grinstead talked to anyone. Her family has worked hard to make sure as many people as possible see her face.

"We're looking for anything, we're not looking for a person we're looking for clothes, pocketbook, keys, anything we can find that might be of some help to somebody, but we've had no luck," said Wayne Dennord, Fire Chief and volunteer.

More: http://walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4078107
 
Her sister stated that it looked as though the car had been driven throughout the night because the front was covered in bugs. It seems the position of the seat wasn't right, also. Why aren't there fingerprints?

Was the culprit on foot, and did he somehow manage to enter her house, forcing her to drive her car somewhere? Could he have done something to her, then driven the car back to her house?

The 30 year old boyfriend is after an 18 year old girl. I wonder if she was one of Tara's students and that's how she found out. I wonder if the girl's parents have found out by now and ended the relationship.
 
Trino said:
Her sister stated that it looked as though the car had been driven throughout the night because the front was covered in bugs. It seems the position of the seat wasn't right, also. Why aren't there fingerprints?

Was the culprit on foot, and did he somehow manage to enter her house, forcing her to drive her car somewhere? Could he have done something to her, then driven the car back to her house?

The 30 year old boyfriend is after an 18 year old girl. I wonder if she was one of Tara's students and that's how she found out. I wonder if the girl's parents have found out by now and ended the relationship.

Your post got me thinking of a possible scenario. Her phone was found in the bathroom....what if she got a call from someone she knows stating they were having car trouble and needed a lift? She goes to pick him up and then drive to where he asked but something happens along the way. He takes her to a desolate area and hides the body (Think Ben Fawley). Then he drives her car back to her house and has on latex gloves. He rips them off after getting out of the car and one falls from his pocket unbeknownst to him. Then he walks to his strategically hidden car.
 
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