Tara Grinstead
Encyclopedia
Tara Grinstead is a high school history teacher who lived in Ocilla, Georgia
, USA, and has been missing since October 22, 2005. As of 2011 she has not been found dead or alive, and neither police nor the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
ever had any suspects.
, Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College
in Georgia
. She earned a master's degree in education at Valdosta State University
in 2003. In 1998 she began teaching history at Irwin County High School in Ocilla.
Amy Leigh Womack summarized the case in The Telegraph (Macon)
as follows based on a 2008 interview with Gary Rothwell of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
:
Tara Grinstead's mother Faye Bennett Grinstead was emotionally devastated by her disappearance and developed cancer. A lifelong resident of Hawkinsville, she died two-and-a-half years after she last saw her daughter. She was 64.
Ocilla, Georgia
Ocilla is a city in Irwin County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,270 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Irwin County.Ocilla is part of the Fitzgerald Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, USA, and has been missing since October 22, 2005. As of 2011 she has not been found dead or alive, and neither police nor the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation or GBI is an independent, U.S. state of Georgia agency that provides assistance to the state's criminal justice system in the areas of criminal investigations, forensic laboratory services and computerized criminal justice information.-Organization:The agency is...
ever had any suspects.
Early life
A native of Hawkinsville, GeorgiaHawkinsville, Georgia
Hawkinsville is a city in Pulaski County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,487 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Hawkinsville is located at ....
, Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College
Middle Georgia College
Middle Georgia College is a publicly supported, residential,charter unit of the University System of Georgia, in the city Cochran in the U.S. state of Georgia. Founded in 1884, the school is the oldest two-year college in the United States. It is currently being transformed into a 4 year college...
in Georgia
Cochran, Georgia
Cochran is a city in Bleckley County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,150. The city is the county seat of Bleckley County.- History :...
. She earned a master's degree in education at Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University
Valdosta State University, also referred to as VSU, or Valdosta State, is an American public university and is one of the two regional universities in the University System of Georgia. Valdosta State is located on a campus at the heart of the city of Valdosta...
in 2003. In 1998 she began teaching history at Irwin County High School in Ocilla.
Disappearance
Irwin County High School principal Bobby Conner was quoted by the Atlanta Journal and Constitution as saying, "We're a small community and this has really touched home because it is something you read about happening elsewhere. This is someone with a tremendous, magnetic personality, and the kids just love her."Amy Leigh Womack summarized the case in The Telegraph (Macon)
The Telegraph (Macon)
The Telegraph, frequently referred to as the Macon Telegraph, is a McClatchy newspaper in Macon, Georgia, United States, and is the primary print news organ in Middle Georgia...
as follows based on a 2008 interview with Gary Rothwell of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation or GBI is an independent, U.S. state of Georgia agency that provides assistance to the state's criminal justice system in the areas of criminal investigations, forensic laboratory services and computerized criminal justice information.-Organization:The agency is...
:
"When she didn't show up for work on a Monday morning in October 2005, co-workers called police. They found her cell phone inside the house where she lived alone. Her car was outside, unlocked. Her purse and keys were gone. Police officers found the latex glove in Grinstead's yard, just a stone's throw from her front stoop, Rothwell said. But Grinstead was never found. Rothwell did not identify as a suspect the person whose DNA was found in the glove, but he said that person could help lead to a break in the case.
'We believe it is a critical element to solving the case,' Rothwell said.
Rothwell said the DNA has been analyzed and agents know it's a man's DNA. But they haven't identified the man. Over the course of the investigation, he said, agents have compared the DNA to dozens of men who knew Grinstead or who were associated with her.
"None of them matched," Rothwell said.
The DNA also has been entered into Georgia and national databases, but still no matches."
Tara Grinstead's mother Faye Bennett Grinstead was emotionally devastated by her disappearance and developed cancer. A lifelong resident of Hawkinsville, she died two-and-a-half years after she last saw her daughter. She was 64.