Tara Grinstead Search Ended For Now

Unfortunately, a recent search for missing teacher Tara Grinstead has turned up nothing of significance. Apparently the search will not be resumed without additional credible leads.

More than two weeks after they began, volunteers and public safety officials completed their land search of Irwin County on Tuesday for missing teacher Tara Grinstead, Ocilla police Chief Billy Hancock said.

"Essentially we are through unless we get any additional leads that would call us back," he said.

It remains unclear if Governor Riley of neighboring state, Alabama will call for a boycott of Georgia ... based upon their lack of effort.

Comments

[TxGirl]

OOoh good!

[!]

Okay...enough about this boycott stuff. Its not funny. :O(

This case is also a sad mysterious case as well. The GBI and the FBI (if they have been called in) will continue on this case. Believe me the book has not been closed on it. Many things I am sure are going on behind the scenes. I know how our state does things. They have a keen eye on someone. I am sure of that. You wait and see what comes of this. Please do keep us up with any news you here of. After all, it took Virginia quite a fews weeks to find Taylor (bless her soul).
I will go search if they want help. We the people of the great state of Georgia will help. Name the place and name the time !
All people that go missing or end up murdered "are important".

[knot]

cheap shot..Dan C'mon you gotta do better than this..I understand you have to support your family...but whatever happened to integrity..

[findnat]

cheap shot..Dan C'mon you gotta do better than this..I understand you have to support your family...but whatever happened to integrity..

Posted by: knot | Nov 8, 2005 10:22:14 PM

I agree..it is a cheap shot..

[disgusted]

In the News! Fox and CNN have just reported that Governor Riley of Alabama has asked for an official boycott of "The Riehl World View" due to lack of 'sincere effort' by blog master 'Dan'. Should there be a continued lack or return of 'tactfulness and decorum' in the immediate future, the boycott may extend indefinitely.

[fishie]

Nothing like resorting to sarcasm Dan. I guess you don't feel too confident in your previous points about the boycott.

[RstJ]

Please. It was a valid statement. GBI obviously has not given up on this case and nobody is accusing them of doing so. He was making a comparison that nobody is howling "corruption, cover-up!" in the Grinstead case just because there's no immediate resolution, unlike the constant pissing and moaning coming out of Camp Twitty.

You people really don't get subtle humor, do you?

RstJ

[Dan]

blog master

OOoooo I like that!! ; )

[knot]

why

[RJ]

could it be the MASTER part?

[Dan]

no comment.

[RJ]

Oh come on it has a nice ring to it does it not?

[fishie]

You people really don't get subtle humor, do you?

RstJ

guess not..

And this is coming from a person that thinks the boycott isn't going to do a damn bit of good.

[frenchymom]

you guys are too funny tonight ! Thanks for making me smile..

I can't help but feel there is more going on with this investigation than what we know. You've got the now military, former policeman ex-boyfriend. Then you've got the former student turned stalker. Finally, you've got Tara, the teacher and former beauty queen missing.

I ope they find her safe, but can't help but feel as time passes that is becoming less likely. At the very least, this situation has the makings of a made for television movie. Let's just hope it has a happy ending

[George]

And this is coming from a person that thinks the boycott isn't going to do a damn bit of good.

Posted by: fishie | Nov 8, 2005 11:36:31 PM

Exactly. A natural question - will Gov. Reily, who thinks otherwise, Governor Riley of neighboring state, call for a boycott of Georgia?

[Cheri]

I really hope that Tara is found...

there are so many missing people in this country

it seems early to call off searches ??

As for Dan's comments on Riley and the ridiculous boycott? NOT a cheap shot at all...
there are many sad cases, missing people...I think that the twittys are setting a dangerous precedent that might actually make future situations like theirs worse...

like it or not some cases just have NO evidence...look at Jon Benet should we boycott Colorado? Look at Chandra...boycott DC>>?

Boycotts, economic sanctions against governments are for the state dept, not for a state

Maybe soon other countries will change their laws and say "travel at your own risk'>> especially irresponsible teenage party trips

Hopefully they will keep looking for Tara...
does anyone have any more news about her??

[bizman]

What,did I read that right that the search for a missing beauty queen from Georgia has been called off after only a little more than 2 weeks.

I am appalled that the officials of Georgia have chosen not to expend the next 5 months and beyond searching and searching.

Bless the poor beautiful lady.Only if her last name would have been Twitty or Holloway she would not be swept under the rug so soon.

Waiting for leads to further the investigation.Those folks in Georgia where the beauty queen went missing should try and hire an adequate police chief like Dompig in Aruba.Now there's a case where leads are available but the mother in the case wont allow the investigation to fully proceed but has somehow arranged for a lifelong search of her daughter.

Yep the missing beauty queen should have been born with a Twitty connection.

Ok Gov.Riley how long must the good folks of Georgia wait until you call for a boycott of their town for inadequate investigators????

[Brooke]

"It remains unclear if Governor Riley of neighboring state, Alabama will call for a boycott of Georgia ... based upon their lack of effort."

Exactly!

So it's perfectly okay to actually stop an investigation without any effort by the LE in GA? An American citizen and native of GA in our country and they are stopping a search?

I truly hope that Tara will be found and I mean that with all my heart. At least her family is
acting with dignity.

Tara's families heart must be breaking and I pray for them. (They obviously are NOT media hungry, self-centered , having temper tantrums , attempting to gain financially with camera crews, determined to get her own way regardless of who she bullies, idiot, spoiled brat like the "mother" of another family member who is missing.)

Ban Alabama and Bt&Co.

Proud to be a Illinois native midwesterner!

[berry]

Actually, Riley has asked the governors of all states to join the boycott of Aruba. Had Natalee Hoilloway gone missing in Ocilla, GA, the search would have lasted two weeks or less. The case of any missing adult would then be retired or even semi-retired, until new leads appear.

The services from the government and judiciary received by the Natalee family in Aruba were outstanding. It would never happen here, without some sign foul play occurred. That does not mean I think there were no mis-steps, but rather than boycott the country, she should be thanking them.

[DiedraMichelle]

an what is your problem? What´s up with all these cheap shots. First the Australian boy , and now this. Don´t use these people who have been victims of crimes to pirve your points. Prove your points without using them.

Don´t use them in vain. RESPECT THEM. This lady , and the austrailian boy deserve respect.The facts around thier stories have nothing to do with Natalee or Alabama. If you want to focus on them to let the world know , do so by writting solely about them. Not as if they were freakshows to compare with another case in Aruba. They desreve better than that

You only get hits on the Natalee posts. Now it seems as if you are trying to incorperate Natalee into all your posts in order to get more and more hits.

IMHO it is a lack of respect to these people , and their families.

[blues]

I wish everyone would stop with the "missing beauty queen" stuff already. What the hell difference does it make? It makes for good copy for the media, but it doesn't really matter to us, does it? A missing person is a missing person.

I don't think because they say they've stopped searching that they are done with the case. Maybe they feel they've looked everywhere and until an unnamed suspect confesses or they get a tip, they are going to use they're resources to persue that ave.

I couldn't help thinking when they were interviewing the ex-boyfriend, that I've seen this scenario before. They interview a related party, they say they had nothing to do with their disappearnce, and are later arrested - and we find out they were lying through their teeth. I realized that I don't believe anyone anymore!

[MichelleDiedra]

blus what I founf wierd was when he told Greta about how she told him a week before that she wanted to commit suicide , and asked him if he would miss her when she was gone. The HAIRS on my back stood up. Also how he went on ,and on about how she wanted to get back with him , and he ´wasnñt ´ ready. And this was a guy who she dumped a year ago. I hate to say this , but that comment was freaky!

[MichelleDiedra]

exuse all thetypos I am writting without my contact on this morning

[blues]

>>Posted by: MichelleDiedra | Nov 9, 2005 9:31:48 AM

It's sad, I think, that we've become so dis-trustful of people. But some of these people are lying through they're teeth - we just don't know it yet.

yet, I have confidence that LE there are on top of the case - I'm sure they know more than we do and are playing their cards close to the vest.

It is unlikely that Tara commited suicide as the ex was saying. For one thing, where would she have gone? Did she get on a bus? And why wouldn't she have left a note?

The ex also has an alibi. One person I haven't heard very much about is the ex-student who was harassing her. LE is being pretty tight-lipped about him.

[Forgetaruba]

At least Ocilla, Georgia hasn't acted like the three stooges by allowing three teenagers to control their investigation by running after two black men just because the teens said "oh yeah we were last with her, but it was those guys over there. Arrest them!" Why would anybody NOT boycott Aruba. Maybe the next time (and there will be a next time), they'll think twice about taking American tourist money while simultaneously mocking us. I will guarantee you they'll take the next crime seriously.

[fishie]

Is there any other televised interview with that ex-boyfriend? I was just wondering why Greta and Co. decided to do it with him in a profile position. Did his lawyer request that seating situation? Seemed unusual.

And blues if you go missing we promise not to refer to you as the "missing blues king" :-)
I agree the "beauty queen" label is getting old for me too and should not make her case anymore important than other missing person cases.

[blues]

>>Posted by: fishie | Nov 9, 2005 10:05:20 AM

Oh please do! I would LOVE to be the "missing blues king"! LoL. (although I think I will leave that title to someone who really deserves it like ALbert or BB King).

Seriouslt thoug, I haven't seen any other interviews with the ex. I think it was an attempt for him and his lawyer to come forward and be open and direct about his proclaimed innocence. He probably is innocent - but who knows. It seemed that he had an alibi - but it seemed that way for a lot of people. I'd like for someone to break down his alibi and have him account for all of the time that evening - actually, the police have already done that (I would assume).

[FLAGMOM]

I am very disappointed in your attitude Dan.

You're not funny anymore, actually you're insulting.

Flagmom

[fishie]

blues, right now that ex-boyfriend is first on my list. Let's see I would put about 60% of my resources on that dude and 40% on other leads.

BB King's "Going Down Slow" is the greatest. Kind of a sad song though. I guess that is why they call it the blues.

[blues]

>>right now that ex-boyfriend is first on my list. Let's see I would put about 60% of my resources on that dude and 40% on other leads.

what are your thoughts on the ex-student who showed up at her house? That guy sounds unstable to me. The weird thing is that when he heard she had broken up with the ex, that he thought he had a chance with her.

How did he know that she broke up with the ex? Have they benn in contact or is it one of those "small town" things where everyone knows about everyone else?

[o.t.]

I'm still up in the air on Tara's disappearance.

The ex-boyfriend's alibi is interesting. Instead of being home asleep by himself (which wouldn't be a solid alibi) he spends half the night out at a bar with family/friends in another town. Then he returns to town and hangs out with an LE buddy until 5:30 in the morning.

Then again, Tara seems an unstable sort. I'm not convinced she's met with foul play. I need more information.

[k.jeanne]

blues, right now that ex-boyfriend is first on my list. Let's see I would put about 60% of my resources on that dude and 40% on other leads.
Posted by: fishie | Nov 9, 2005 10:56:37 AM

I have concerns about ex-boyfriend, too. The interview of him by Greta bothered me all the way around. Just an uneasiness.

[fishie]

I know blues that ex-student is a bit suspicious too. The thing is, I feel she left in a vehicle. Does that kid have his own car? I have to get up to speed on some more stuff on this case.

[Markd]

Knock it off, Dan. I used to enjoy reading your views on things. Aruba deserves everything it has coming. It is unfortunate that the Aruban people have to suffer but the way the ALE has (mis)handled this case and has toyed with the family is inhumane and I hope Aruba suffers greatly. They deserve it. The way they handled this case has just been flat out cruel and now they have to face the music.

[blues]

here are some more interesting things:

- a latex glove was found outside of her house. The sister said it was the kind of glove used in a doctors office. The kind that she sees in the doctors office *where she works*. Also, I have seen those kind of gloves for sale at the Costco by my house - so, they are readily available to everyone.

- based on the fact that her car was unlocked and her purse and car keys were missing, it does seem that she came home, changed her clothes and was either on her way to her car (perhaps unlocking the car with a remote keychain), or she left in someone else's car.

- the clock by her bed was off by 6 hours (i.e. unplugged for 6 hours). perhaps a red herring, but I'm not sure what to make of that. Ig there was a struggle of some sort and the clock was unplugged, who plugged it back in?

- her dog was barking non-stop between 6-8am Sat morning. Didn't her ex say he went home at 5:30am and went to sleep then. This could mean that no one saw him between those hours.

- there was no sign of forced entry. Does the ex still have a key to her house?

- there was also mention of the fact that she would "drop by" the ex's house and knock on the windows. Also, I read that she did not approve o fthe ex's new girlfriend who is supposedly 18 years old.

[o.t.]

Thanks for posting that, blues. I have some questions about the house:

Did her bed appear to have been slept in?

Was the house locked or unlocked?

TIA to anyone who has the answers.

[fishie]

I think the clock is significant. By the looks of her home, her bedroom and her yard she just looks so organized and doesn't seem to be one not to have adjusted it.

I wonder if something happened when she came home at around 11 pm and then someone came back 6 hours later to sort of fix things which riled up the dog.

[blues]

>>Posted by: o.t. | Nov 9, 2005 12:23:33 PM

- my impression is that it was not slept in - although I don't know for sure.

- I had heard that the house was locked but I read or heard somewhere that the backdoor had been left open when she got home? I don't know how anyone would know that - but I read it somewhere.

good point about the bed though - because that would seemingly exclude her abduction in the morning when the dog was barking if her bed was not slept in unless she's a slob like me and never makes her bed.

[glassasparagusplatter]

It remains unclear if Governor Riley of neighboring state, Alabama will call for a boycott of Georgia ... based upon their lack of effort.

Posted by Dan in News | Permalink

What the hell does this have to do with the price of eggs in China? Grow up Dan.

[lalalou]

It remains unclear if Governor Riley of neighboring state, Alabama will call for a boycott of Georgia ... based upon their lack of effort.

What an asinine comment..but look who made it.

[Jan]

Why is this an asinine comment - why not call for a boycott - it is ok to boycott another tiny little country for not doing whatever - but after 2 wks they have called of searching - why were the marines not called in, why not Tim Miller, why not search the landfills and drain the ponds and spend every tiny little penny is this teacher less important than Natalee? Why is everyone not outraged over the inept LE that has not found this woman? why is it ok to call ARuba inept and not our own - I find anyone that disagrees with this a big hypocrite!

[o.t.]

Because a lame-ass search and a proper investigation are not the same thing. That's why.

[o.t.]

Thinking about the clock being off by approximately six hours...

Tara was last seen at a friend's house at about 11 pm.

Marcus Harper claims to have been at a bar in Fitzgerald with his step-sister and others until 1:00 or 1:30. After leaving the bar, he returns to Ocilla and looks up his LE buddy, who he hangs out with until 5:30 am.

Let's assume that he fudged on when he left Fitzgerald and that he stopped in to see Tara shortly after she got home (11:00-11:30). Something happens, (the lamp damaged and clock unplugged in the struggle) and he realizes that he needs to establish an alibi so he tracks down his OPD buddy at about 1:30 and spends the rest of the night hanging out with him. He leaves his buddy at about 5:30 am and returns to Tara's (wearing latex gloves) to make sure things are in order. Notices the clock and plugs it back in. Now, without battery backup, most digital clocks reset to either 12:00 am or 1:00 am. This could explain the ~6 hour time difference.

The latex glove found in the front yard points more towards Marcus (former police officer) than to the hot-headed 19-20 year old, IMO.