GRINSTEAD, TARA FAYE
Age 30
Ht: 5’3”
Wt:125
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Ethnicity: White
Marital Status: Single
Lives alone in house
Address:
300 W PARK ST
OCILLA, GA (south GA)
180 miles south of Atlanta down Interstate 75
Pop: 3,300
Work:
est. 1997-2005
Irwin County High School
9th grade Social Studies/History teacher
Also some administration
149 Chieftain Circle
Ocilla, GA 31774
229-468-9421
Web:
http://www.irwin.k12.ga.us/ichs/ichs.html
Email @ school:
tgrinstead@irwin.k12.ga.us
Irwin County Board of Education:
http://www.irwin.k12.ga.us/
Superintendent: Betty Sue Stripling
TIMELINE
10/22/05
*Sweet Potato Pageant in afternoon, helping w/ makeup, hair
The Grand Theatre, 1930’s-era restored Art Deco Movie Theatre in downtown Fitzgerald, GA
119 South Main Street
(229) 426-5090
Jon Durkovic, Mgr
grandtheatre@mchsi.com
*Party at Superintendent’s home after pageant
Left for home @ 11:10pm
TG does not drink, never has
*Police discovered she made it home
*Map: Fitzgerald (pageant) to Ocilla
party, then home)
The Grand Theatre (Pageant) 119 S Main St Fitzgerald, GA
to Ocilla (9 mi down Rte 129/319)
http://www.mapquest.com/directions/m...illa&2s=ga&2z=
*
10/23/05 Friends, family try to contact her w/out success
*
10/24/05
8:05am 1st bell @ Irwin County HS
8:10am 1st announcements over intercom
8:50am co-workers and neighbors report her missing bc didn’t
come to work and no one could make contact w/ her
11:40 lunchtime
*
10/26/05 searchers were told that some previously searched
areas of the county will be searched again. They were told
specifically to look for her pocketbook.
*
10/26/05 searchers combed Ocilla and rural parts of the county
*
10/27/05 No new plans to search today
Character:
Social: Popular, outgoing, Bubbly, vivacious, “Never met a
stranger”
Wonderful person, great friend
Uncharacteristic not to let people know where she was
Tara's sister Anita Grattis) says its unlike her to just up and
vanish. "She is a grounded, very focused, a very strong
Christian woman," she says
Was in 6 yr relationship, broke off 9 months ago
Work: Dedication to job, became teacher bc she wanted to
help people
Loves her job, the kids, they love her
“a vital part of the community”
“more than just a teacher. Many of her students would call
her more of a friend…She took a personal interest in all of
her students."
Very responsible, dedicated teacher, would not have failed to
show w/out notification, w/out securing substitute-would
be “unthinkable”
INVESTIGATION SO FAR:
[b]Scene at Home:{/B]
Exterior:
Doors locked
No signs forced entry
Front Porch: Jack o lantern still plugged in, still lit
Car:In garage, garage w/ 2 doors open
Car unlocked
Cash in car
Inside:
Clothes she was last seen in “piled on chest”=normal
Shoes on floor (were expensive, she usually boxed them, put
them in closet)
Usually wore sweats to bed
Room: Cell phone in charger by bed, never left home w/out it
Radio clock on floor under bed, plugged in, 6 hours off
Lamp on bedside table:
Cracked
Not lit: her habit=come home, turn light on so neighbors
could see she was home
Neighbors hadn’t seen light since Fri pm
Search Efforts so far:
Missing Person Fliers:
Police helicopters
K-9 tracking units
$25k reward raised by family, friends
County PD: Irwin County Sheriff’s Deputy Nelson Paulk
Police: Ocilla Chief of Police Billy Hancock
Current Lead in Investigation: Georgia Bureau of Inv estigation
(GBI), 229-468-TIPS(8477)
Agent Dominc Turner 229-468-7494
Detectives: Bill Barrs 229-468-7494
***************************************
References:
http://www.planethuff.com/darkside/archives/001150.html
http://www.planethuff.com/darkside/archives/001151.html
http://www.planethuff.com/darkside/archives/001157.html
http://www.missingabducted.com/
http://www.aninchfrommurder.com/blog..._grinstead.php
Notes from Nancy Grace show 10/31/05
Linear Mode
