"48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant first reported on this story in 2008 almost three years after Tara Grinstead went missing. While it might have not been explosive "smoking gun" testimony, it did paint a picture of the scene police officers were met with during a welfare check at the high school teachers home 17 years ago when she failed to show up to work on a particular Monday in October 2005. I can't imagine the loss of a child. Make a life-giving gesture. He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. We are not authorized to file an initial application for Veterans' Aid and Attendance benefits on your behalf, or to represent you before the Board of Veterans' Appeals within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in any proceeding on any matter, including an application for that benefits. She did not want to end it. And that was corroborated. The funeral will follow at 11 oclock in the chapel with The Rev. I just got off the phone with another department that had didn't do sh.". Rumors swirled about that cop whose card was found at Tara's house. Superior Court Judge Bill Reinhardt said. Ryan Duke's murder trial was scheduled to start Oct 4 in Irwin County, Georgia, but lawyers in the case met with Judge Bill Reinhardt Wednesday and agreed to delay the case due to rising COVID-19 numbers. Bo was facing a maximum 25-year sentence. "Ryan Duke, the man in that chair, confessed to the murder of Tara Grinstead," prosecutor Brad Rigby said. Show Your Sympathy to the Family. Lawyers and the judge also met today in whats called a charging conference where they finalized the official charges that the jury will be presented. Police never called him a suspect, but Marcus was more closely investigated than anyone in the disappearance of his former girlfriend, Tara Grinstead. This event is not sponsored by, or affiliated with, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the California Department of Veterans Affairs, or any other congressionally chartered or recognized organization of honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces of the United States, or any of their auxiliaries. Friday, a jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary connected to the death of Georgia beauty queen and teacher Tara Grinstead. Worried, he went to her house Sunday night and left the card after Tara didn't answer the doorbell. Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College and began teaching at Irwin County High School in Ocilla in 1998. Jannis Paulk even created a website to help authorities collect information. Marcus Harper: Somebody pulled me to the side, and they were like, "Listen, you know, there's been some things said bringin' up your military past, bringin' up how you're Trained to kill" . The defense questioned him about increasing drug use and alcohol consumption leading up to the time Grinstead went missing. I thought he was out of his mind. For around 6 years, Tara Grinstead dated Marcus Harper, a former Ocilla cop who joined the Army Rangers. A search of Grinsteads home revealed some oddities: her cellphone was still connected to a charger by the nightstand, her keys and purse were missing and her bedside clock was on the floor and was six hours off. I don't remember everything clearly I was stealing from her purse. None of the insurance products promoted at this sales event are endorsed by those organizations, all of which offer free advice to veterans about how to qualify and apply for benefits. It just wasn't what I wanted. And Bo spent more than two years in federal prison. Both men were surprising suspects to the cops, who claimed that theyd never came up on the radar. Bo told them that he and Ryan had burned Taras body at the Hudson Pecan Company pecan orchard, and when the area was searched, some human bone fragments were found. The alleged drug addict was arrested once for a DUI in 2010 but was released on bond. The defense called a psychologist, Dr. Christopher Tillitski, who evaluated Ryan Duke in 2019. View The Obituary For Ryan Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina. AIKEN, SC - Kenneth Michael Dukes, 66, died Thursday, March 30, 2017 at his residence. The 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead beloved teacher and local beauty queen mystified the people of Ocilla, Georgia, like Jannis Paulk, who lived just around the corner from Tara. I know who killed Tara Grinstead or had a part of it. At night, Tara studied for a specialist degree in school administration, but other parts of her life hadn't come together as she'd hoped. IRWIN COUNTY, Ga. - An emotionaltrial in Irwin Countyconcluded Monday with a judge sentencing Ryan Duke to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison - with five years already served. GARLAN LOTT: The statement that I recall was, 'We killed and burned her body.". Maria Woods Harber: She was such a good person She just didn't deserve it. The state went through photos and evidence, including a glove found at the home with the DNA of Grinstead and a man. "Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones.". Dukes invited McCullough to Ocilla to spend Christmas with his family. Brooke Sheridan: That family's peace to me was more important than his freedom. Produced by Alec Sirken and Lauren Clark. But again, as far as she knew, it went nowhere. And Bo Dukes himself spoke directly to Tara's family: BO DUKES: To the Tara Grinstead family, I'm truly sorry. The defense argued Duke was on pain pills and not in his right mind when he made the confession. Peter Van Sant: What time did she go home? Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. He was a . ", Duke's attorney's argued that he had been a "model prisoner" for five years while "waiting patiently for his day in court.". That was the last time Ryan Duke said he saw Tara Grinstead's body. In April 1952, flicka was the 500th baby born at Paso Robles. Then, there was Tara's ex-boyfriend, Marcus Harper. 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Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. At the time, Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes were 21 years old. He then allegedly struck her with his fist and ran away. All rights reserved. Following his wishes, there will be no. Bo says Ryan then repeated that a couple of days later. Sandra Lee Dukes Sandra Lee "flicka" Dukes passed away at home on January 27th 2019 under the care of Hospice and her loving family. Peter Van Sant: How did you and Bo Dukes meet? ", GBI AGENT to BO DUKES: I'm gonna just kinda leave it open the floor to you, and just tell me about you knowing about Tara . In an exchange, the state asked Duke if he would lie when the stakes were high. "There was a profile that matched a toothbrush of Tara Grinstead and there was an unknown male profile," Hinkle said. TROY - Penny A. Ryan, 64 . I was high. And she told them about her employee's tip three years earlier regarding Bo Dukes and Ryan Duke. Ryan Duke said Bo Dukes had a wallet with Grinstead's driver's license. It was very hard to grasp. Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students, Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment. She was a member of Millbrook Baptist Church. Maria Woods Harber: So, when I came back out of the house, I saw right out from the front door, there was a latex glove. The family will receive friends Thursday morning, May 3rd beginning at 10 oclock at Shellhouse Rivers Funeral Home. I cried for days, couldn't sleep for days. He testified that Bo Dukes told him he had killed Tara Grinstead but Ryan did not know how she died. Additional Legal Information Regarding Veterans Offerings, CloseAdditional Legal Information Regarding Veterans Offerings, Subscribe to the 12 Weeks of Peace E-Newsletter, Subscribe to the Thinking Ahead E-Newsletter, A Guide to Cremation and Burial for Veterans, Unique Ways to Memorialize Cremation Ashes, A Complete Guide for When A Loved One Passes, The Essential Veteran Death Benefits and Memorialization Guide, California Residents Goods and Services Info. To the Dukes family, please know I am praying for you. What to do during a tornado: Where is your safe spot. Born on January 20, 1989 in Easton, Bryan is the son of Kathy Elburn Dukes . Jannis Paulk's former employee, Garlan Lott, told the court he had overheard that 2005 conversation between Ryan and Bo at a party in the same pecan orchard where Tara's body had been burned. And then, an important discovery. Ricou Browning, the stunt man who played the title character in underwater sequences of the 1954 classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon," died Monday at 93. . Soon after his arrest, Ryan Duke was indicted on the charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and concealing the death of another, to all of which he pleaded not guilty. GBI agent Gary Rothwell said GBI agents' reports included the names Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes in 2005. What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative? However, we had a glove, a latex glove that we couldn't explain. I don't understand that, just a disregard of human life. Ryan worked at a plastics manufacturing plant, while Bo would occasionally work at his family's pecan farm. I built a message board because I thought that there was a good chance that whoever knew what had happened to her would potentially come and say something. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael. The couple broke things off but stayed in touch. And the one we didn't want to think about was somebody killed her. The returned to the orchard once, where the ashes looked like a small campfire. Prosecutors said Duke took law enforcement to the pecan orchard where he confessed to burning and dumping Grinstead's body. John McCullough: Yeah and we were pretty close. There was a 34-hour gap between when someone last saw her and when officers performed that welfare check on Monday morning. Published by Mobile Register and Baldwin County from Feb. 15 to Feb. 17, 2023. And this time, the whole world seemed to be listening. Tara Grinstead didnt show up for work on October 24, 2005. At his sentencing hearing, Tara's stepmother, Connie, expressed how Tara's family felt about Ryan Duke. He pleaded not guilty. Ryan Duke testified he saw Tara Grinstead's body at the pecan orchard, where the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found her remains years later. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River Site. And what she had to say implicated a man whose name had repeatedly been given to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I can't live with myself. Garlan says after he reported this to Jannis Paulk, he was never formally interviewed by anyone from law enforcement. In Ryan's interview with the GBI, he said he had hit Tara, but Bo said Ryan told him otherwise: BO DUKES [GBI interview]: He jumped on her, while he was she was in bed and strangled her right there in her bed. So, it's kind of crappy right now. Ryan testified he had never even gone to Tara's house, and the glove was only discovered there on Monday by Tara's neighbors over a day after she went missing. Dana Wilder: She just took me underneath her wing She taught me the ins and outs of interviews, hair and makeup, wardrobe. Peter Van Sant and Mary Woods Harber in front of Tara Grinstead's Ocilla home. He testified calmly, but inside was still seething at Bo. Peter Van Sant: The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? "Ryan did not kill Ms. Grinstead. While Reinhardt acknowledged that Duke seemed remorseful on the stand, he pointed out Dukes' decision to not tell anyone had an impact on Grinstead's family and friends. Q: Did you see Miss Grinstead's body after she died? her main goal was to win Miss Georgia or at least to get to Miss Georgia, and she did. Investigators say Ryan confessed to killing Grinstead. Prosecutors called two witnesses before dismissing the jury a lunchtime to debate how much of the Duke's confession could be shown. Tara's cell phone was charging inside the house. I mean. we all wanted to do something that we could do to help There were flyers. Peter Van Sant: Was it an emotional moment for you to realize someone had been arrested after all that time? We know who did," defense attorney John Merchant said. Over the past 47+ years, our experienced team has assisted families, their loved ones, and caregivers in carrying out final wishes more affordably, with dignity and respect. he's very shut shut off emotions, feelings he doesn't talk about. BO DUKES [GBI interview]: He told me that he had killed Tara Grinstead. DEFENSE [closing arguments]: Bo Dukes should be on trial for the murder of Tara Grinstead, not Ryan. Zion Baptist Church, 1012 Adams St. View the obituary at www.BEBrownCo.com. I didn't mean to.". Several agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also took the stand. In 2017, more than 11 years after Tara vanished, Brooke Sheridan came forward with a potential answer. Peter Van Sant: Why would Ryan Duke have murdered Tara Grinstead? Maria Woods Harber:and then her bed was unmade, like she had been in the bed. Connie Grinstead argued that the family pleaded and begged for any news about Tara for years and that Duke's "silence was deafening.". "Mr. Dukes, do you plan to invoke your 5th amendment right to every question?" He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "There were some days that the heartache was so great we could barely even function," she said. Dana Wilder: I never thought it was somebody from our community. "It should be an opening when we cremated her. Create an obituary. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Aiken SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare (www.letlovelive.org) or the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org). Jannis Paulk: There were people who believed she ran away. Brooke Sheridan: It was something very dark and I I chalked it up to, you know, serving his time in the military. Bo told her they moved Tara's body to a pit, where it took two days to burn, destroying all evidence. Peter Van Sant: What did you see when you walked into her house? Ryan Duke took the stand Tuesday and immediately denied murdering Grinstead, claiming he didn't know how she died. Jurors also heard voicemails left in the home. Stunned as he was, McCullough was in a dilemma. But McCullough was determined to get the truth out. The GBI tested that glove and found not only Tara's DNA on it, but the DNA profile of an unknown male. Example video title will go here for this video. Browse Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. In May 2022, at the Ocilla courthouse just up the road from Tara's home, Ryan Duke's attorneys argued that the state had the wrong man. The state's witness called Grinstead's 79-year-old father, Billy Grinstead, to the stand, who broke down. It was somethin' I felt like, you know, I had to do. Dana Wilder: As little girls, we looked up to her she was famous. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. From arguing that the glove with Ryans DNA was planted outside Taras house by Bo to him testifying it was the latter whod woken him up that night and admitted to killing Tara, the trial included it all. she snuck up on me and I hit her. Vicki Heilig Dukes. So that gave us a stronger indication that something bad had happened. Ryan said he was afraid Bo would hurt him or his family. The funeral will follow at 11 oclock in the chapel with The Rev. He was there with his brother, Stephen, and their friends, Bo Dukes and Ben McMahan. Jannis Paulk: FindTara.com. Maria Woods Harber: Tara really did want to get back with Marcus. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. I don't remember everything clearly. In 2012 he was charged and convicted of stealing more than $150,000 worth of military supplies. He had an alibi, but the whispers continued. Mike Dukes. As their relationship evolved, Brooke sensed that something seemed to be eating away at Bo. McCullough wasn't ready for what Bo would say next. She described the various DNA tests performed on the glove hoping to find clues, "It was about 90% unknown male and 10% Ms. Grinstead,". Her colleagues at the school where she worked called the Ocilla Police Department to check on the 11th-grade teachers home. 83 Peacefully passed away on February 23, 2023. Send Flowers. Brooke Sheridan [emotional]: I kept thinking about her family and I couldn't sleep at night. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. A "panicked" Bo Dukes woke him up the following morning, Ryan Duke testified. Ray Dukes passed away on January 15, 2022 at the age of 37 in CHARLOTTE, North Carolina. Updated on: May 24, 2022 / 10:33 AM Maria Woods Harber: She would never do that. He called the state's top law enforcement agency heading the investigation, the GBI. 1449 N Claiborne Ave New Orleans, LA KARLIN DUKES OBITUARY Karlin C. Dukes Sr., age 83, peacefully passed away surrounded by family on Monday, November 7, 2016. Call Call. In closing, as Tara's family looked on, the prosecution held to their argument that Ryan had told the truth back in 2017. Ryan Duke had told investigators in 2017 he killed Tara Grinstead and helped burn her body. Grinstead, an Irwin County High School teacher, went missing in October 2005. BO DUKES: As far as I know, he didn't know her. He recognized her from Irwin County High School, where he was a student, and she was teaching at the time. 2023 Neptune Society. Interment will follow in Southlawn Cemetery. Peter Van Sant: This really affects you, though, talking about this. He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. John McCullough: He was like, "yeah, do you remember that bulletin that you had asked me about with that girl on it?" Oregan Residents: Please note that in the State of Oregon, Funeral Board Rule 830-040-0000(3) requires our trade name include the identification of our funeral activity or function. Published by Mobile Register and Baldwin County from Feb. 15 to Feb. 17, 2023. Recognized her from Irwin County High School teacher, went missing interviewed anyone. See when you walked into her house: what did you and Bo Dukes should be an when. N'T sleep for days federal prison more important than his freedom this video GBI interview:. 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