And the next month, Bo Dukes, who years earlier had sat in Tara's class was arrested and charged not with murder, but with concealing a death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and lying to investigators in is original GBI interview. He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. Maria Woods Harber grew up with Tara. Investigators chased down dozens of leads across the country, but tips emerged that led right back to the high school where Tara was a teacher and perhaps someone who had sat in her classroom. In 2005, the disappearance of beloved high-school teacher Tara Grinstead sent shockwaves through the town of Ocilla, Georgia. John K. Dukes, Jr. Mar. GBI agents have also said DNA matching both Duke and Grinstead was found on a latex glove discovered in her yard. Find an Obituary. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mam . focused on the investigators who have worked the case over the years. May the holy spirit comfort you in this time of bereavement. Tara's alarm clock was under her bed, and a bedside lamp was broken. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. He said Bo Dukes was "almost excited, cheerful," when they went to move Grinstead's body. Nearly 12 years after Tara's disappearance, on February 23, 2017, Ryan Duke appeared in court, charged with Tara's murder. More than a decade later, the GBI charged Duke -- her former student -- with killing her and hiding her body in a pecan orchard. First published on January 2, 2021 / 11:05 PM. An Irwin County jury read not guilty verdicts on five o the six charges against Duke: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary. He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. 5260 Daniel J. Enea, Manager. Several agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also took the stand. For some people, the best send-off is one that they would have loved to attendthemselves: a big party. Bryan Samuel Dukes, 30, passed away on November 22, 2019 as a result of a work-related accident. Year after year passed with no arrests. John McCullough: I'm glad somebody's finally listening. 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. Share. Stunned as he was, McCullough was in a dilemma. Ryan Duke said he decided to take the blame for Tara Grinstead's death in 2017 because he didn't think Bo Dukes would tell the truth. Maria Woods Harber: Yes. With no hard evidence, authorities couldn't make an arrest. Blogs; Online will; Shop. On the glove they not only identified Tara's DNA, but that of an unknown male. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. At the time, Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes were 21 years old. Zion Baptist Church, 1012 Adams St. View the obituary at www.BEBrownCo.com. Eventually, a breakthrough tip came around, and two men were arrested in relation to the Tara case. According to it, he broke into Taras house to steal money to buy drugs but was surprised by her when she suddenly came home. Maybe because I'm a nobody. The jury saw pictures from Fitzgerald Farms, where agents searched for Grinstead's remains in 2017. She was a member of Millbrook Baptist Church. Years passed, and the GBI said Tara Grinsteads case never "turned cold." AIKEN, SC - KENNETH MICHAEL DUKES, 66, died Thursday, March 30, 2017 at his residence. Duke said he never took Grinstead's belongings to police when he tried to return them. BO DUKES: As far as I know, he didn't know her. Tara Faye Grinstead was the youngest child of Bill and Faye Grinstead, born in 1974. Another video shown shows Duke leading investigators to where he says he dumped and burned her body. Send a Card. Prosecutors called friends and acquaintances of the Georgia teacher and beauty queen. I can't imagine the loss of a child. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken County, Cindy was a daughter of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. It just wasn't what I wanted. Peter Van Sant: And by Ryan saying to him, "Hey, buddy. Peter Van Sant: What time did she go home? Peter Van Sant and Mary Woods Harber in front of Tara Grinstead's Ocilla home. John McCullough: If there wasn't multiple police officers that were inside the courtroom on the day that I testified on the stand, I probably would have ripped him apart with my hands. Marcus Harper: What they're sayin' at the local grocery store, and at the local restaurants They don't think that it's gettin' to someone who's my family or my friend? I don't like to come very often she loved this place. "Approximately 20 bone fragments that could be considered human bones.". John McCullough maintains he tried to get investigators a key tip in 2007 that could have cracked the case. Q: Did you see Miss Grinstead's body after she died? I definitely didn't wanna settle down in small town America. Ryan Duke testified he drove from Fitzgerald to Ocilla in an unsuccessful attempt to return Grinstead's wallet, and he left Bo Dukes in the trailer. But when he took the witness stand during his trial, he insisted he was innocent. Texas Residents: For additional information regarding prepaid funeral contracts, please visit the website www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov which is maintained by the Texas Department of Banking. . The Associated Press contributed to this story. She and her older sister Anita grew up in the Georgia town of Hawkinsville. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. Mobile Register and Baldwin County Homepage. He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. Brooke says she was studying in Savannah to become a pharmacist when, in 2015, she came face-to-face with her online date. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River Site. Ryan is the one talking about 411 getting connected to Taras house.". Maria Woods Harber: She was an excellent teacher. Your family's land." May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow. David Kessler's top 4 tips for dealing with holiday grief. RYAN DUKE [GBI interview played at trial]: I can't lie. Marcus Harper: I was swabbed for DNA. Dr. Fred W. Andrea III officiating. And he said he threw his arms up just like this [shrugs her shoulders], "What are you gonna do?". Both had been students at Tara's high school. One witness, Heath Dykes, testified to having a relationship with Grinstead while his was married. SMITHLAND -- D.V. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Tara was. On Friday, two key witnesses took the stand: the forensic biologist who tested the glove found at Tara Grinstead's home and the forensic anthropologist brought in who helped find Grinstead's buried remains. Vicki Heilig Dukes. In 2017, Brooke Sheridan came forward to the GBI saying that her boyfriend, Bo Dukes, told her that he had helped his friend, Ryan Duke, cover up Tara Grinstead's murder. Authorities couldn't explain either, and collected them as evidence the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, known as the GBI, was called in. Vicki Heilig Dukes AIKEN, SC - Vicki Heilig Dukes, 65, died Thursday, September 15, 2016 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. DEFENSE: Mr. Duke, did you murder Tara Grinstead? At his sentencing, Tara Grinstead's stepmother Connie addressed the court: CONNIE GRINSTEAD: He knew she wasn't ever coming back. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. The couple broke things off but stayed in touch. Maria Woods Harber: Well, it's very emotional. And for the first time, everyone heard Bo's own account when his GBI interview was played in court: BO DUKES [GBI video interview]: He told me he had killed Tara Grinstead. Brooke Sheridan: That family's peace to me was more important than his freedom. Send Flowers. But McCullough was determined to get the truth out. The defense argued the prosecution has no evidence tying Duke to the house that night and Duke's confession was made under the influence of medication. Investigators said Grinsteads car was in the driveway when police arrived at the home. Marcus was often overseas, and though they had broken up by the fall of 2005, friends say Tara was distraught about the relationship ending. 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. she snuck up on me and I hit her. He is extremely intelligent. Brooke Sheridan: I had never connected with somebody and had fun with somebody like I have with him. Browning had been the last . By her front door, they found a business card from a police officer in a nearby town. Connie Grinstead argued that the family pleaded and begged for any news about Tara for years and that Duke's "silence was deafening.". Back then, hardly anyone thought this case would ever be solved. 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. Both men are awaiting trial in a neighboring county on charges related to burning Tara's body. Cind It was an opening like that. Bones that were so degraded, no official cause of death could be determined. In addition to his parents, Ryan was preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth Jason Dukes, paternal grandfather, E. Kenneth Dukes; maternal grandparents, David Leon and Mamie Rae Lundsford Heilig and an aunt, Cindy Dukes Darr. Peter Van Sant: What emotional impact does this have for you when you see this house? Gary Rothwell [2008]: It appeared that Tara may have left on her own. I'm not gonna shy away to the fact that I was I was bitter. He said they had talked about getting together that Sunday, but Tara never answered her phone. Ryan Duke testified he went to help Bo Dukes load wood into his truck and move Grinstead's body. Make a life-giving gesture. Maria Woods Harber: This is where Tara Grinstead lived in 2005. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. They said in court filings that Duke was asleep at home when Grinstead was killed. After a few drinks, McCullough says Bo began talking about Tara. Ryan Duke said he helped Bo Dukes load Grinstead's body onto a pile of wood, covered her with more wood and lit the pile on fire. The state and defense attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments earlier in the day. "That was a presumption that we should have never, ever made, but it happened, and it's my fault," Rothwell said. Who is he and where is he now? The state argues in 2017 Duke was swabbed, and his DNA positively matched that found on the glove. But there is no question that in her short and impactful life, Tara Grinstead touched people in rare ways even those who never met her, like John McCullough. Maria Woods Harber: Yeah, she did. Ryan, Penny A. Maria Woods Harber:and then her bed was unmade, like she had been in the bed. Of the six charges, Duke was found guilty of one count of concealing Grinstead's death. John McCullough: Yeah and we were pretty close. My truck was Luminoled photographs were taken. Ryan said he was afraid Bo would hurt him or his family. I didnt know what else to do," Ryan said. Bo Dukes comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. Finally, he cracked. 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. BRYAN DUKES OBITUARY. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael Dukes and Vicki Heilig Dukes. . He was the talk of Ocilla, Georgia, and none of it was good. Dana Wilder: I never thought it was somebody from our community. and that's nobody's business, but in this case, it made it tough. A DNA sample from Ryan Duke was a perfect match. I was a drug addict I'd been drinking. Then, in 2017, a woman came forward with a remarkable story about her boyfriend but could it be trusted? "There were some days that the heartache was so great we could barely even function," she said. "What happened in this orchard was senseless" says Woods Harber of her best friend. Bo was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. Here's my number I'll do whatever has to happen for y'all to take me serious. was dedicated to making her students feel wonderful. Bo Dukes shares details of what happened to Tara Grinstead with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The defense had previously asked the judge to dismiss the case, an action that was quickly declined. Show Your Sympathy to the Family. Police never called him a suspect, but Marcus was more closely investigated than anyone in the disappearance of his former girlfriend, Tara Grinstead. However, the family eventually hired a private investigator. And why the f- would you do it here on my family's pecan orchard? And he asked me to help him get rid of her body. The GBI tested that glove and found not only Tara's DNA on it, but the DNA profile of an unknown male. John McCullough: Yeah, Tara Grinstead, and said, you know, "missing.". GBI Agent Jason Shoudel was on the stand to testify. PROSECUTION: The man in THAT chair, confessed to the murder of Tara Grinstead. Universal. He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. Defense appeals delayed Ryan Dukes trial since the original 2019 start date. Duke was convicted on the charge of Concealing a Death and was sentenced to the maximum punishment of . Produced by Alec Sirken and Lauren Clark. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. Dana Wilder: As little girls, we looked up to her she was famous. Brooke Sheridan: I was felt like I was gonna be sick. Published by Mobile Register and Baldwin County from Feb. 15 to Feb. 17, 2023. If convicted of murder, Duke faces an automatic sentence of life in prison. Brown & Co. Mortuary. He claims he realized this after she was dead. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. As Jannis recalls, early on, suspicion focused on the men in Tara's life. He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. 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