
True Crime Documentary - The Tara Grinstead Mystery
Get every episode summarized
Each time Horrifying True Crime Stories publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
About this episode
“You may not know this, but I have Exema. But why let Exema take over when you can talk to your doctor about Epglyce?”From the transcript
Get every episode summarized
Each time Horrifying True Crime Stories publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
Transcript ready
536 searchable segments. Every word is indexed and playable.
Full transcript
Horrifying True Crime Stories — True Crime Documentary - The Tara Grinstead Mystery. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have Exema. So I get how it can steal your time. But why let Exema take over when you can talk to your doctor about Epglyce? Epglyce, lubricism ab LBKZ, a 250-mg per 2-mg leador injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe Exema. Also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin, or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Epglyce can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Epglyce. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have newer, worsening eye problems, you should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglyce. Before starting Epglyce, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Paid partnership with Lili Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Epglyce and visit Epglyce.com or call 1-800-LiliRx or 1-800-545-5979.
Imagine your friend tells you she's taking an innocent family trip to Greenville, South Carolina. We'll call her Emma. The trip sounds great to you. Hiking at John's Gap, dinner at Topsoil, a room at the best hotel in town. Harmless, right? Here's the thing. Emma and her family never return from Greenville. They disappear. You search for answers, but nothing adds up. Emma had a great life back home. You guys were best friends. What happened? Well, the truth is, once Emma realized she could have access to Michelin recognized restaurants, nature, local shops, and performing arts all in one place, everywhere else started to seem a little. Emma's vacation is a cautionary tale. If you're coming this way, don't forget to tell your friends and neighbors goodbye. Visit Greenville, South Carolina, but you may never want to leave. Learn more at visit GreenvilleSC.com. Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have Exema. So I get how it can
steal your time. But why let Exema take over when you can talk to your doctor about Epglyce? Epglyce, lubricism app, LBKZ, a 250-mg per 2-mg liter injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms, with moderate to severe Exema. Also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin, or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Epglyce can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Epglyce. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. I problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have newer, worsening eye problems, you should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglyce. Before starting Epglyce, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Paid partnership with Lili. Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Epglyce and visit Epglyce.com, or call 1-800-LiliRx or 1-800-545-5979.
When the sun goes down in a pecan orchard, it's a little spooky. It's a lot like being in a scary movie. They're majestic in one sense, but they are very creepy. What happened in this orchard was senseless. Tara grinsed it in our best friends. Tara started wanting to be in beauty pageants, only to help her raise money for college. Her inspiration was to be a teacher. Tara was a very well-liked high school teacher.
The students loved her. She was young, she was vibrant, she was very passionate about what she did. On October 22nd, 2005, Tara began her day doing exactly what she loved, dressing up the little girls for the sweet potato pageant in Asella. After the pageant, she went to a cookout. The last thing I know, she was on the phone, went home, and then nobody's seen her since. There were so many stories, so much speculation. The possibilities were running through my head of what it could be. My heart always hoped that she just needed a few days to herself. And as the days and the months and even the years went on, I knew something had happened. I covered this story for 12 years, and hardly anyone thought this case would ever be solved.
In a town that as small as it is, how could someone keep this a secret for so long? I don't know. So you called at least department? This is John McCullough. I know who killed Tara Grinstead. Does anyone call you back? No. Hey, man, how come nobody wants to listen to me? So many tips came in that some weren't followed up. They never actually called anyone a suspect or even a person adventurous. In nearly 27 years with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, I've never encountered such a complex and difficult case. We literally got tips from all over the world. Then in 2017, a woman came forward with a remarkable story about her boyfriend. He said I can't handle it anymore and he starts telling me everything. I made him take me to the orchard.
You said right then, we're going. We're going. And I sell the word spreads in a church pew at the restaurant over breakfast.
The 2005 disappearance of Tara Grinstead, beloved teacher and local beauty queen, mystified the people of Oceola, Georgia, like Janice Pulk, who lived just around the corner from Tara. Oceola is a big family. We all wanted to do something that we could do to help. There were flyers, there were billboards. We had search efforts. Like nothing you've ever seen. Janice, who ran a local web design company, became an expert on the case, keeping a close watch since Tara was reported missing. What were some of the theories as to what had happened to Tara? There were people who believed she ran away. Somebody's abducted her and holding her somewhere hostage. And the one we didn't want to think about was somebody killed her. But who would want to harm this vibrant 30-year-old woman?
Maria Woods Harbor grew up with Tara. Maria Woods, Harbour, My best friend, Tara Grinstead, was a beautiful person on the inside and the outside. She was radiant. I mean, she had the biggest smile. She could tell you anything to make you feel better. This is where Tara Grinstead lived in 2005. What emotional impact does this have for you when you see this house? Well, it's very emotional. I don't want to come very often. She loved this place. Can still see her standing at the door. Maria says Tara was determined to live her dreams from a young age, competing in beauty pageants to help earn scholarship money for college. She was absolutely elegant on stage. Her main goal was to win Miss Georgia, or at least to get to Miss Georgia. And she did. I am Tara Grinstead.
Miss Georgia! Tara didn't bring home the Miss Georgia crown, but just competing was a huge achievement. Says Dana Wilder, who grew up in Osila. That's little girls. We looked up to her. She was famous. After college, Tara got a job at Osila's Irwin County High School, teaching 11th grade history. She was an excellent teacher. She was dedicated to making her students feel wonderful. And even when she no longer competed, she helped other women, like Dana, break into that world. She just took me underneath her wing. She taught me the ins and out of interviews, hair and makeup, wardrobe. 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. Personal side, she was having a little bit of a rough time. She was in her 30s and not married.
And I think she was a little down about that. Tara had a boyfriend for a long time. And during the summer of 2005, they broke up. That boyfriend was Marcus Harper, a former cop from Osila. She obviously wanted to get married. It just wasn't what I wanted. I definitely didn't want to settle down in small town America. Marcus enlisted with the Army Rangers and spent time overseas. It was like a calling. It was something I felt like. You know, I had to do. The couple broke things off, but stayed in touch. Tara really did want to get back with Marcus. She did not want to end it. And she was very distraught. This was the man she thought she'd build a life with. Yeah, she did. She was seeing other people. And I think she was just trying to move on. In a small town of Osila, everyone knew their situation. It was part of town gossip that they had gotten into an argument
after Marcus had come back to town earlier than expected that October. But no one in Osila knew what had happened when Tara seemingly vanished. After leaving that barbecue on Saturday night, October 22nd. What time did she go home? About 11 o'clock. On Sunday, Tara's mom called her several times, but Tara didn't answer. And the next morning, I got a call saying that I need to get to Osila. Tara had failed to show up at school. She would never do that. She would never leave her kids. Tara's car was parked in the driveway. Neighbors knocked on her door, but got no response. The Osila police were called and entered Tara's home. Right behind them was Maria. What did you see when you walked into her house?
I wasn't quite sure what I was going to walk in and see. Her den was exactly the way it always was. And there were a few things on the floor. Like a hair dryer. And then her bed was unmade, like she had been in the bed. Tara's purse and keys were missing. Her cell phone was charging next to her bed. Maria noticed something out of place. Tara's alarm clock was under her bed. And a bedside lamp was broken. And then there was something else. So when I came back out of the house, I saw right here, right out from the front door. There was a light-tax glove on the ground. Also found was a business card from a police officer in a nearby town. Authorities couldn't explain either and collected them as evidence. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, known as the GBI, was called in. It is one of the most extensive investigations undertaken by the GBI.
Back in 2008, I spoke with special agent Gary Rothwell. It appeared that Tara may have left on her own. However, we had a glove, a light-taxed glove, that we couldn't explain. So that gave us a stronger indication that something bad had happened. The GBI tested that glove and found not only Tara's DNA on it, but the DNA profile of an unknown male. The case generated hundreds of tips over the years. Janice Pulk even created a website to help authorities collect information. Find Tara.com. 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. As Janice recalls early on, suspicion focused on the men in Tara's life. She was dating, I think, more than people realized that she was dating.
And that's nobody's business, but in this case, it made it tough. Rumor swirled about that cop whose card was found at Tara's house. He was a family friend, married with kids, who said he'd gone by that Sunday night and left the card after Tara didn't answer the doorbell. He had an alibi, but the whispers continued. There were several people, several men who got a lot of scrutiny for a long time. Another was a former student who claimed he and Tara had been secretly seeing each other. But when questioned about her disappearance, he had an alibi and was never charged. Then there was Tara's ex-boyfriend, Marcus Harper. So my pull me to the side and they were like, listen, you know, there's been some things said, bringing up your military past, bringing up how you're trained to kill. Marcus always maintained his innocence, but remained under suspicion.
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. I never thought it was somebody from our community, but in the same sense, I always thought, well, it has to be. For years, Marcus Harper lived under a cloud. Some might say a thunderstorm of suspicion. He was the talk of Osila, Georgia, and none of it was good. You know, what they're saying at the local grocery store,
and at the local restaurant, they don't think that it's getting to someone who's my family or my friend. I'm not going to shy away to the fact that I was bitter. Police never called him a suspect, but Marcus was more closely investigated than anyone in the disappearance of his former girlfriend, Tara Grinstead. I was swabbed for DNA. My truck was looming all photographs were taken. I had to tell my alibi, you know, or where I was at, who I was around, and that was corroborated. Year after year passed with Noah Ress. Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have Exema, so I get how it can still your time. But why let Exema take over when you can talk to your doctor about Epglyce? Epglyce, lubricism app LBKZ, a 250-mg per 2-mg-liter injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kgs, with moderate to severe axima. Also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with
prescription therapies used on the skin, or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. Epglyce can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Epglyce. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. I-problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglyce. Before starting Epglyce, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Paid partnership with Lili Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Epglyce and visit Epglyce.com or call 1-800-LiliRx or 1-800-545-5979. Imagine your friend tells you she's taking an innocent family trip to Greenville, South Carolina. We'll call her Emma. The trip sounds great to you. Hiking at John's Gap, dinner at Topsoil, a room at the best hotel in town. Harmless, right? Here's the thing. Emma and her family never return from Greenville. They disappear. You search for answers, but nothing adds up. Emma had a great life back home. You guys were best friends. What happened?
Well, the truth is, once Emma realized she could have access to Michelin recognized restaurants, nature, local shops, and performing arts all in one place, everywhere else started to seem a little. Emma's vacation is a cautionary tale. If you're coming this way, don't forget to tell your friends and neighbors goodbye. Visit Greenville, South Carolina, but you may never want to leave. Learn more at visit GreenvilleSC.com Your path to pharmacy can be closer than you think. West Coast University's hybrid doctor of pharmacy program can be completed in as little as 33 months, and no bachelor's degree is required to apply. If you've started pharmacy coursework elsewhere, WCU may accept eligible transfer credits to help students keep moving forward. Learn online, train hands-on at our Center for Graduate Studies in Los Angeles, and prepare for real-world pharmacy practice. West Coast University, as real as it gets, visit westcoastuniversity.edu. WCU cannot guarantee employment.
But back in 2005, authorities either missed or ignored a tip that may have solved the case. Just weeks after Tara vanished at a party in this very Picon orchard, one of Janice Polk's employees told her that he had overheard two young men tell a disturbing story. That they had been at a party bragging about their involvement in Tara's disappearance, and that ultimately they had taken her body out to a Picon orchard and burned it in a fire pit. It was a shocking statement. Did he have names of who these two men were who claimed they had killed Tara? It was Bodu and Ryan Duke. The two who were friends had similar sounding names, but weren't related. At the time, Ryan Duke and Bodu were 21 years old. Ryan worked at a plastics manufacturing plant,
while Bo would occasionally work at his family's Picon farm. Both had been students at Tara's high school. We shared that tip with the local Sheriff's Department. That tip went nowhere, and it wasn't the only one overlooked. It just brings up a lot. So it's kind of crappier right now. I'm sorry. John McCullough says he is still haunted by painful memories of being ignored by investigators 14 years ago. This really affects you though talking about this. McCullough, now a manager at a water company in Texas, had met Bo Duke's at Army Boot Camp in 2006. So two southern boys meet in Oklahoma in the Army? Yes. You guys hit it off. Yeah, we were pretty close. Duke's invited McCullough to O'Silla to spend Christmas with his family. It was a year after Tara's disappearance, as they were driving around town a billboard caught his eye. And I had this very,
you know, attractive woman on it. Peregrine stood. Yeah, Tara Grinsted and said, you know, missing. The two then went to a party. After a few drinks, McCullough says Bo began talking about Tara. He was like, yeah, do you remember that bulletin that you had asked me about with that girl on it? And I was like, yeah, and he was like, I know what happened. McCullough wasn't ready for what Bo would say next. He had told me that his friend accidentally strangled her and he needed help getting rid of the body. So that way there was nothing to find. Stunned as he was, McCullough was in a dilemma. Could he betray his friend, his fellow soldier? The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? Yeah, and can trust with your life. Right. The weight of what McCullough says Bo told him became unbearable. Two months later, in February 2007, McCullough says he called three police departments in Georgia,
including O'Silla, where he left a voice message saying, this is John McCullough. I know who killed Tara Grinstead or had a part of it. It was told to me when I was in Georgia, here's my number. I'll do whatever has to happen for y'all to take me serious. I just got off the phone with another department that didn't do ****. Incredibly, McCullough says no one returned his calls. This is the murder of Tara Grinstead and there was seem to be little interest, is that right? Very little interest. But McCullough was determined to get the truth out. He called the state's top law enforcement agency heading the investigation, the GBI. I mean, nobody ever called me back, ever. Even whenever I reached out to the GBI, which is the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. How many times did you call the GBI over what period of time and you still didn't get any? I would say from the year of 2007,
until 2016, would probably say I reached out nine or ten times to the GBI. Why do you think investigators ignored you? I have no idea. Maybe because I'm a nobody. I don't know. Janice Pulk also spoke to the GBI in 2008 as the agency was reviewing the case and she told them about her employees' tip three years earlier regarding bow dukes and Ryan Duke. So I sat down with an agent and we just went through everything. But again, as far as she knew, it went nowhere. Tara's family could do little but pray for a breakthrough. They've had a really hard time. I can't imagine the loss of a child, but I think it's taken a lot of toll on them mentally and physically. Then more than 11 years after Tara disappeared, this woman, Brooke Sheridan, came out of nowhere with
her account about not only bow dukes, but his friend, Ryan Duke. Ryan woke him up and said, I killed Tara Grinstead. She was charismatic, determined, beautiful personality. What would anyone's motive be to kill Tara Grinstead? I don't know. In 2017, more than 11 years after Tara vanished, Brooke Sheridan came forward with a potential answer.
This was her first television interview. I had to tell them. I had to tell. There was no other option. And what she had to say implicated a man whose name had repeatedly been given to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. How did you and bow dukes meet? We actually met on Tinder. Brooke says she was studying in Savannah to become a pharmacist. When in 2015, she came face to face with her online date. It was love at first sight. Bowdooks comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. And what is it about him that you love? He has a beautiful mind. He is extremely intelligent. Janice Pulk, who knows the family, paints a different picture of bow. So bow was known in the community for being a little over the top unfiltered. One of those always showing off and talking big and running his mouth. Bowd got in big trouble while in the army.
In 2012, he was charged and convicted of stealing more than $150,000 worth of military supplies. And Bowd spent more than two years in federal prison. He confessed all of this to Brooke who stuck with him. I had never connected with somebody and had fun with somebody like I have with him. But she says bow was often moody. I said you have to talk to me. He's very shut shut off. Emotions, feelings. He doesn't talk about. As their relationship evolved, Brooke's sense that something seemed to be eating away at Bowd. It was something very dark. And I, I chalked it up to, you know, serving his time in the military. And Brooke says she helped pull Bowd back from taking his own life. He had talked about that. And you weren't going to let that happen. Yeah. Brooke kept encouraging Bow to open up to talk about this dark subject that was destroying him.
Finally, he cracked. He said, you've heard of the Terragrands dad case. I was like, yeah, he said my roommate killed her. His roommate and close friend was Ryan Duke. Why would Ryan Duke have murdered Terragrands dad? He said that's something that only God and Ryan know. He said, I don't know why he did it. But there was more. Bowd told Brooke about his own involvement in the crime, saying, and I helped him burn her body. I was, I felt like I was going to be sick. I didn't know who I was staring at. I didn't know who he was. Bowd told Brooke that Ryan stole his pickup truck that night and used it to transport Terragrands body to a remote part of this Pachon orchard that was owned by Bow's family. And Ryan looked at Bowd and said, it's your truck, your family's land.
And he said, he threw it through his arms up just like this. What are you going to do? And by Ryan saying to him, hey, buddy, this is your truck and this is your family's land. Basically, that was interpreted by Bow as a threat that your partners now in this. Bowd told her they moved Terragrands body to a pit in the orchard, where it took two days to burn, destroying all evidence. I kept thinking about her family and I couldn't sleep at night. Now it was Brooke's turn to be tormented by a terrible secret. I had to tell them, I had to tell. There was no other options. Weeks later, she called the GBI to turn in the boyfriend she loved. It's fall in Jeep country and during the driving to fall sales event, get a great deal on four by fours that refuse to be contained, like Jeep Wrangler. Confidence built into every drive with the most awarded SUV ever, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and freedom that can't be denied, with the open air freedom and Jeep Gladiator.
After 85 years, it's no surprise that Jeep became America's SUV brand. Get a great deal during the Jeep driving to fall sales event. Jeep is one more awards over its lifetime than any other SUV brand, Jeep and the Jeep Grille Registered Trademarks of FCA US LLC. Right now at Subway, try the 499 Sub of the Day. Get a different six inch sub every day for just 499 each, like Meatball Marinera on Mondays, Tuna on Tuesdays, and the BMT on Saturdays. It's a different six inch sub every day, packed with protein and your choice of chopped veggies for just 499 each, or make it a meal with chips and a drink for just $2 more. But hurry, it's only for a limited time, and only its Subway. Apparticipating restaurants, prices higher in Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii, and on third party delivery, add on taxes and fees for delivery additional. It's fall in Jeep country and during the driving to fall sales event, get a great deal on four by fours that refuse to be contained, like Jeep Wrangler. Confidence built into every drive with the most awarded SUV ever, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Freedom that can't be denied, with the open air freedom and Jeep Gladiator. After 85 years, it's no surprise that Jeep became America's SUV brand.
Get a great deal during the Jeep driving to fall sales event. Jeep is one more awards over its lifetime than any other SUV brand, Jeep and the Jeep Grill or Registered Trademarks of FCA US LLC. That family's piece to me was more important than his freedom. But if you're ready for this, Bo had already been interviewed by the GBI a year earlier in 2016. They contacted me. Tell me what you know. That was after investigators finally reached out to John McCullough. I'm glad somebody's finally listening. So I talked to him, tell him everything. I know. But back then, Bo denied everything, with no hard evidence authorities couldn't make an arrest. But after he broke down to Brook, she told Bo it was time to tell the truth. I said you need to confess. You need to own up to what you've done and confess. What does Bo say? He says I just want her family to know. I'm going to just kind of leave it up in the floor to eat. I'm just telling him about
he knowing about terror. Bo then told the GBI all the grisly details. He'd still see yeah, body. Yeah, just kind of like char. Yeah. The day after Bo's confession, his one-time friend Ryan Duke was arrested. Nearly 12 years after terrorist disappearance. On February 23rd, 2017, Ryan Duke appeared in court, charged with terror's murder. I received a phone call and the voice on the other end of the phone said, brother, you're 12 years of hell, we've made an arrest. Investigators say Ryan confessed to killing Grinstead. According to notes of Ryan's confession, which were written down by the GBI and later leaked out, Ryan told investigators he was a drug addict and quote, broken to Grinstead's house and was attempting to steal from her purse
when he believed she came up behind him. He struck her with his fist. Duke did not mean to strike Grinstead, but he was just reacting and scared. Duke said Grinstead died when he hit her. And remember that late-text glove found at the crime scene? A DNA sample from Ryan Duke was a perfect match. Was it an emotional moment for you to realize someone had been arrested after all that time? Yes. I cried four days, couldn't sleep for days. It was very hard to grasp. And the next month, Bo Duke's, who years earlier had sat in terrorist class, was arrested and charged, not with murder, but with concealing a death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal and lying to investigators. Two years later, in March 2019, Bo was the first to go to trial.
This case is about Bo's lies. It's about Bo's concealment that is that Strain Ryan had killed Tarrer Grinstead and then they both burned the body. And for the first time, everyone heard Bo's own account when his GBI interview was played in court. Tony, they killed Tarrer Grinstead and he asked me to help him get rid of her body. But was Bo telling the whole story? I don't believe Ryan could have done it all by himself. In March 2019, in a county courthouse about 30 miles from where beloved teacher and beauty
pageant mentor Tarrer Grinstead was murdered, Bo Duke's went on trial on charges relating to covering up her death. Prosecutor Brad Rigby. This case is about Bo's lies. Lies that lasted from 2005 to 2016. Bo was facing a maximum 25 year sentence. So he went to trial hoping jurors might show mercy for a man who had already confessed to his role in the crime. Prosecutors played that video tape of Bo's interview with the GBI. He recounted what Ryan told him the day after Tarrer disappeared. When Ryan repeated his story to Bo, a couple of days later, he asked me to come with him out to the big amateur.
So with Ryan Duke behind the wheel, the two men took Bo Duke's pickup truck and drove out a town on this highway and pulled off on this dirt road. And this is a pecan orchard that's owned by Bo Duke's family. The two men drove about 200 yards up this road to where Tarrer Grinstead's body had been placed. We drove back into the bay. And he showed me where our body was. About the people who connected to Tarrer, what's the connection? As far as I know, it didn't know. The agent asked Bo his first reaction when he went to the orchard with Ryan. So you immediately see this in your life, what in the hell did you do? Yeah. And why the **** would you? It's fall in Jeep country. And during the driving to fall sales events,
get a great deal on four by fours that refuse to be contained, like Jeep Wrangler. Confidence built into every drive with the most awarded SUV ever, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and freedom that can't be denied, with the open air freedom and Jeep gladiator. After 85 years, it's no surprise that Jeep became America's SUV brand. Get a great deal during the Jeep driving to fall sales event. Jeep is one more awards over its lifetime than any other SUV brand, Jeep and the Jeep Grill Registered trademarts of FCA US LLC. It's fall in Jeep country. And during the driving to fall sales event, get a great deal on four by fours that refuse to be contained, like Jeep Wrangler. Confidence built into every drive with the most awarded SUV ever, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and freedom that can't be denied, with the open air freedom and Jeep gladiator. After 85 years, it's no surprise that Jeep became America's SUV brand.
Get a great deal during the Jeep driving to fall sales event. Jeep is one more awards over its lifetime than any other SUV brand, even the Jeep Grill Registered trademarts of FCA US LLC. Bo then gave his account of moving and then burning her body, which began on a Wednesday and took two days. So by Friday, there's nothing left. Spell your first and your last name for the Corp. John J. O. H. N. last name, Makala. It was now time at the trial for Bo's one-time army buddy, John Makala, to finally tell his story of Bo's confession. And this time, the whole world seemed to be listening. The exact location didn't tell me, but had made the comment of, you know, we took her to the middle of the pecan orchard and burned her body.
He testified calmly, but inside was still seething at Bo. If there wasn't multiple police officers that were inside the courtroom on the day that I testified on the stand, that probably would have ripped them apart with my hands. But Makala wasn't the only witness who gave details about Tara's death. Do you swear, Tom says, made it for the story, did you? Janice Polk's former employee, Garland Lot, 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. He wasn't sure who said what. The statement that I recall was only cute and burned her body, basically. In doubt, you're on however, that you heard these two people laughing about killing and burning the character instead of body. Garland says after he reported this to Janice Polk, he was never formally interviewed by anyone
from law enforcement. Tell him what you're saying. You assumed it was handled by law enforcement. And in this trial, agent Gary Rothwell finally explained what happened with those tips. We thought that that lead had been addressed by local law enforcement as unfounded and did not follow up. In cross examination, Rothwell added that he takes responsibility for the GBI laps. It's something we should have followed up, but we didn't. It took a jury less than an hour to convict Bo Duke's on all charges. His hope for mercy was dashed. At his sentencing, Tara Grinstead's stepmother Connie addressed the court. He knew she was never coming back. He could have at least told us that, but he didn't. And the reason he knew she wasn't coming back is because he had put load after load of wood
on her body and burned her. And Bo Duke's himself spoke directly to Tara's family. Bo was sentenced to 25 years in prison. But Maria and others still have questions as to what really happened, and whether Bo's statements were true. As Bo told it, Ryan did the killing, and all I did was help him dispose of the body. She points to discrepancies between Ryan's version of events and Bo's. Ryan told the GBI he killed Tara by striking her. Later, he said it was possible that he choked her. But Bo says Ryan was certain about what happened.
And there were other inconsistencies. One said she had closed on, the other said she did not. It's kind of odd, isn't it? Yeah, very. Maria believes those discrepancies may have a sinister explanation that Bo Duke's had more to do with Tara's murder than either he or Ryan have said. I believe that Ryan and Bo Duke were both in this together. And she's not alone in believing Bo Duke's help burn a body not just to protect his friend. You believe that Bo did this to protect himself? Oh, absolutely. Even with Bo Duke's behind bars for 25 years, for his role in covering up Tara Grinstead's murder,
some people involved in this case believe he played a much larger role. Maria Woods Harbor thinks Bo was with his friend Ryan here at Tara's house the night of her murder. I think Bo had more to do with it, yes. So-to does this man, forensic investigator Maurice Godwin, who is hired by Terra's sister in 2006. I'm headed to Tara Grinstead's house where she disappeared. Back then Godwin canvas Tara's neighborhood and found two teenagers who said they saw strangers outside Tara's house the night she disappeared. They saw two men on the right side of a Tara's bedroom windows to the right side of her house. Didn't it was just dark? It was dark, but two men were standing out here by that bush.
By that bush. And who do you believe those two men were? Bo and Ryan. Police have never corroborated that sighting. Godwin speculates Tara was targeted by the two men, but not for money. Do you believe this was a planned sexual attack? Absolutely. I believe this sexually assaulted her in that bedroom. Which is why Godwin believes Tara's body ended up in the Picon orchard. And they had the burned body in order to destroy the forensic evidence. Maria has also concluded that sexual assault was most likely the motive. They both went in her house, they both assaulted her, and they both planned it. In public statements Bo's attorney has denied that, but Maria believes that Bo was just as involved in Tara's death as Ryan allegedly was. If you look at Bo's history since that happened,
yes, I definitely believe that Bo had more to do with the planning and the execution. Maria is referring to an incident where Bo Dukes was arrested for rape and kidnapping while he was free on bond before his trial in the Grinstead case. The one who arrived at the police department says on Tuesday afternoon, Dukes brought two women to the house and threatened them with a firearm. He pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. Everything narcissistic, everything revolves around what he wants and when he wants it. But Janice Pulk continues to believe what Ryan told the GBI. Do you believe Ryan Dukes acted alone? I believe what he said he did. Ryan's confession, where he admitted killing Tara, suggests his trial will be an open and shut case. But in yet another twist in this baffling murder, Ryan's attorneys have said publicly that he will recant his confession at his upcoming trial, claiming he was high on drugs and
place all the blame on Bo. I have been told that Ryan's defense team will argue that he gave a false confession and that Bo was actually responsible for Tara's death. For all that is transpired since 2005, closure is still elusive for everyone involved. I've had to come to a conclusion that I'm just going to have to live the rest of my life not that way. 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. I can't explain it and wish I could have been there whenever it happened so that way I could do something. She's been an inspiration. She had a lot of life ahead of her. She brought great things to
Irwin County High School. And I would hope that eventually the word Tara Grinstead will be a bright spot because she did bring a lot of good things to O'Silla. O'Silla was Tara's life. That's where she set her roots and that's where she wanted to stay and where she wanted to be. 48 hours. Don't miss an episode.
More episodes
More from Horrifying True Crime Stories

Serial Killer Documentary - Stephen Unwin & William McFall
Horrifying True Crime Stories

Serial Killer Documentary - The Sickening Crimes of Lester Jones
Horrifying True Crime Stories

Serial Killer Documentary - The Vienna Strangler
Horrifying True Crime Stories

Serial Killer Documentary: Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker)
Horrifying True Crime Stories