Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
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When I would talk to people, they would say, they're never going to find her because she's in some swamp or she's in some well. And those people were right because 10 years now. And I mean, you always have hope that she'll ever be found. And at this point, I'm really doubting she ever will be found. I mean, because this is basically swamp land. I can tell you want to solve this. That would be your ideal ending, I'm sure. Unless this gets shook up and it gets approached in a different way, it's not going to, nothing's going to ever happen. And that's...
probably going to be really hard to do. From Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta, you are listening to Up and Vanished, the investigation of Tara Grinstead. I'm your host, Payne Lindsey.
The person talking in the first segment is Dusty Vassie, the lead reporter for the local newspaper called the Osceola Star. He reached out to me and offered his help. "We're in." He took me to an old office in downtown Osceola. The door had no markings or signage, and we entered a huge dim lit room. There were buckets on the ground full of water, catching the leaks from the ceiling. You could tell it was a place that didn't have very many guests. On the back wall was a shelf full of hardbound newspaper archives.
He was looking for 2005. We keep them in these bound volumes. So you're still on the paper system? Yeah. 2000. Correct. Swift Teddy Festival missing. Wednesday. Tara was reported missing at 8.50 a.m. on Monday, October 24th. And by that Wednesday, she was already in the paper. You could tell that people really were worried. People that worked with her and stuff. Like, there was a teacher that I knew that, I mean, you could tell she was very concerned. It was more than just concern. It was like, at that point, they realized something bad's happened.
Dusty went to his desk for a minute and left me alone with the archives. As I was flipping through, I noticed a small piece of paper wedged between two pages. It looked like a makeshift bookmark. When I pulled it out, I realized it was actually a piece of Tara's missing poster that had been cut into fours. And the print date on the bottom was October 24th, the day she was reported missing.
What is that? That says Tara's name on it.
Probably nothing nefarious. No. Right. Probably nothing nefarious. But then we found a whole bunch of them. Like a lot more. Oh my goodness. There's all sorts of them. It's kind of weird, right? It is. It is. I'm a little... I mean, because I've looked through these before and didn't... I mean, they probably were here and I didn't pay attention to it. The hairs in the back of your neck. What's going on? Who are the people that could have done this? My predecessor.
who, Christy, who you stood, was a reporter. She's the Christy Pruitt. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All these stories. He called Christy, and it wasn't her. My boss. I mean, it was probably nothing. But still, who would expect to find chopped up pieces of Tara's missing poster scattered throughout the 2005 archive? Kind of weird, right? We both agreed. Before I left, Dusty said he had a surprise for me. Oh, front page. There's me. The podcast had made the front page of the latest paper.
The word was getting out.
Let's pick up from the last episode.
So my grandma's friend Melba told her that Tara went to a former student's house in Fitzgerald before going back to the barbecue that night in Osceola. If this is true, it's a major discrepancy in Tara's timeline. Is there another person that we've just never known about? I wrote some questions down, and I gave Melba a call.
My grandma said that you saw Tara that Saturday at the beauty pageant, correct?
and she always helped the girls in the pageants with their makeup, their hair, and choosing gowns and that sort of thing. And as I was leaving, she and one of the girls were there in the back as I was leaving. It was about six o'clock in the afternoon because I had a dinner date and I was leaving and I stopped and spoke with them just a
minutes just you know how are you and that sort of thing so I was really really surprised when I heard the news on Monday that she was missing what did you guys talk about when you talked to her what did you guys say just past you know how are you today it's good to see you and I didn't stay there more than five minutes I don't guess because I was on my way
And I certainly would have stayed longer and talked more if I had known what was going to happen, but nobody knew that, you know. Where'd she go after the pageant? One of the students that she had taught in times past now lives in Fitzgerald. And my understanding is she went to his house for just a short while, just to visit, and then left there and came back.
to one of the principal's houses, which is a couple of blocks from me, for a cookout they were doing. And I understand she left there probably around 10.30, 11 o'clock that night. And it was evident that she got home. Her car was there, and I believe she had taken off some of her clothing and so forth. So...
From all the stuff that I've read and from people I've talked to, I had never heard that she went to a student's house in between the pageant and the barbecue. I've heard that in the talk around town, that she went to the friend's house for just a short time. Is there any way to find out who that student was?
I'm trying to think what his name was. The one she had taught, good gracious, that's been 10 years or more ago. And I really don't recall who it was. Now, in the meantime, I'll try to arrive at who she visited in Fitzgerald, but right offhand, I don't recall.
Okay, if you think of it, please let me know. His name will probably come to me, but right off hand, I don't remember. But like I say, Payne, I hope you can get some new information or come up with something because I know her parents and I know how devastated they were and how devastated they still are. We have no idea what happened to her. It's just one of the...
I wasn't really sure what to make of that. Melba seemed to think that Tara's visit to a student's house was just common knowledge. But I couldn't find it anywhere. She said she heard it in the talk around town. Not the most reliable sounding source. Really, other than Melba just saying she heard this happened, I don't really have anything at all.
It was time for a second opinion.
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Well, when I first heard it, I just couldn't find any basis for the information at all. I guess you would call it chasing one of those white rabbits. So you know, that was a term I was about to get very familiar with. Well, a white rabbit is leads or information in a criminal investigation that leads you down rabbit hole to nowhere. I mean, I'm not saying it wasn't true, and...
And it still may be true, but we just don't have any information to take that any further than it is right now. Right. So really, you just have to set it aside and let it go, because otherwise it'd just be a waste of time. Until you can get further information to say it's legitimate, you just have to refute it. But it would be very useful if it was true, and we would have to know the name of the individual.
So pretty much without that name, I had nothing. Maurice also brought up another good point. If you remember, Tara did make one more stop before the barbecue that was confirmed. She met her landlord's son, Rhett Roberts, at the curb of the road, only for about 15 minutes before heading over to the barbecue. Was Melba confusing this with some student in Fitzgerald? It's very possible that she's talking about Rhett Roberts, but he's not a former student. Okay, so Rhett was not a former student of Tara's.
No, they were about the same age. And she got to Rett's around what time? I would say around 20 minutes to 8, a quarter to 8. So you're saying the time gap is pretty small for that to happen? Yeah. In fact, the whole...
timeline of this entire case is pretty narrow. What's the earliest Tara could have left the pageant, you think? I would say 7-15. So does Tara stopping at a student's house for a minute sound far-fetched for the timeline, or is it still possible? Well, in an unknown case, unsolved case as this, with the twists and turns in it, it's possible.
Is it probable? No. So really I was back to square one. Until I had that name, there was really no further way to verify this ever actually happened. And even if I could prove it was true, would it lead me to what happened to Tara? The term white rabbit was bouncing around my head for a couple days. And just like clockwork,
White rabbits were falling in my lap. I have been truly, it's true God giving revelations for me. I'm not going to throw God at you, you know, shove God down your throat, but there is a lot that's been going on. Her remains is within the park here in Osceola, Cumbie Park. I have absolutely no doubt. It's called Cumbie Park. The park was never searched 10 years ago. It was in such an obvious place. Everybody overlived it. Nobody even thought nothing about it. Not even I. I was shocked.
I knew the investigator's first impression was that the whole student thing was probably a white rabbit. And as much as I believed him, the rookie investigative mind of mine just couldn't let it go.
Starting route to Ocilla.
My first stop was Rhett Roberts' house, which I found out was only a couple blocks from the barbecue. I actually had to drive past the house where the barbecue was held to get to Rhett's house. The destination is on your right. So Tara didn't just see Rhett at the curb of the road. It's likely that they had planned to meet there. It took 13 minutes and 7 seconds to get to Rhett's house from the theater. 1 minute and 22 seconds to get back to the barbecue. All of this stuff was just a lot closer than I thought it was.
So if Tara left the pageant at 7:15, drove straight to Red's house, stayed for 15 minutes, then went to the barbecue, she would have easily arrived before 7:45. Assuming that all accounts of her time are true, she would have at least 15 minutes to spare. Was it enough time for Tara to go somewhere else real quick? I think so. Was it likely? I don't know. I decided to give the whole student theory a rest for now. There were some other prominent figures in this case.
that I really needed to focus on. It's now been two weeks since a former beauty queen disappeared in Georgia. 30-year-old high school teacher Tara Grinstead was last seen at a dinner party with friends. Anita Gaddis joins this morning. She's Tara's sister. Good morning. Good morning, Hannah.
Anita, I'm sure this is just a terrible time for you and your family. Can you fill us in a bit on this story? Maybe our viewers will be able to help you out. The last time your sister was seen was about 11 p.m. on October 24th. What did police find when they went to her home? Well, they didn't find a lot. The house was locked.
Her cell phone was back in the charger. She always takes her cell phone with her everywhere she goes. Her purse and her keys were missing. The car was home, but it was unlocked, which is very unusual. Tara always kept her car locked. Is there any chance she might have left under her own free will with someone that she knew?
I think that's how it started out and then something went very wrong after that. I don't know if it started out to be an abduction and she was just lured out of her home or she went with somebody and then something happened. I'm just not sure, but I really do feel like it is an abduction at this point. Authorities are really frustrated because they say they haven't come close yet to calling anyone a suspect, but they have questioned a couple of key people, one of them being a former boyfriend of your sister's. What can you tell us about him?
approximately nine months ago he has been questioned many times at length he has obtained an attorney um they had had a very bad argument i just found out several days before she went missing concerning an 18 year old that he was dating and my sister did not think that her parents would approve of a 30 year old dating an 18 year old i was told that she threatened to tell the parents and they had a very heated argument over this
Shortly after Tara went missing, the first major person of interest in this case was her ex-boyfriend, Marcus Harper. To get you up to speed on Marcus, I'll have my friend Rob detail his background. Marcus Harper was Tara's long-term boyfriend of five years. They met in 1999 through a mutual friend named John David Anderson. Around that time, Marcus was an officer at the Osceola Police Department. Marcus joined the army after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
He went on to become an army ranger and served in Iraq. In September of 2005, Marcus was still serving overseas. But in October, he returned home to Osilla for three weeks. Marcus and Tara's relationship had become pretty rocky at that point. And when Marcus arrived back home, he didn't tell Tara he was there. It was during those three weeks back at home in Osilla that Tara disappeared.
Marcus told Fox News commentator Greta Van Susteren that Tara had ended their relationship well before she went missing. He said he felt a little rejected at first, but that we continued to be friends. Harper, in the televised interview with Fox, described his relationship with Tara as a commitment. ''We did not date other people,'' he said. ''But I was honest with her when I said I had no intentions of marriage.''
After they broke up, Marcus said in the interview that she was very irrational and she told me that if she found out I was dating someone, she would commit suicide. Atlanta, Georgia, 1979. Are you scared? Yes, sir. One by one, kids are going missing with no explanation. A black 15-year-old male who lived in the same area where three other children had disappeared. There was a real-life monster on the loose. The city of Atlanta demanded answers.
"Inner-city kids get killed. Unfortunately, nobody cares." By 1981, the FBI was involved in one of the largest manhunts in U.S. history. And eventually, they put one man behind bars. But nearly 40 years later, this case has left more questions than answers in what may be Atlanta's darkest secret. "I don't know today whether he's innocent or guilty." From the producers of Up and Vanished and How Stuff Works, we present an all-new podcast, Atlanta Monster.
Subscribe to Atlanta Monster right now on Apple Podcasts and be the first to hear it on January 5th. Right away, Marcus didn't look very good. But despite everyone's suspicions, he was very open and cooperative with the investigation. He also did several nationally televised interviews. The biggest thing to me was the timing. He was gone overseas for several months. And then when he comes home to Osceola for three weeks, Tara coincidentally disappears. Marcus did have an alibi, however, that checked out pretty flawlessly.
But before we get into that, there was one more person that really struck the interest of investigators.
Also questioned is a man who apparently stalked your sister and was arrested a year ago. Is that right? Well, actually, I think it was more like four to six months ago. She had taught him when he was in the ninth grade. He had just recently graduated. I think maybe after her and the boyfriend broke up, he kind of saw a window of opportunity, although Tara would never, ever date a former student. And he was arrested attempting to break in her house, and she was at home at the time.
A former student that was stalking her? Then arrested for trying to break into her house? Red flags were everywhere. This person's name is Anthony Vickers. He was the second person police were highly interested in. The whole student thing had me from the get-go, and I started researching as much as I could. To fill you in on his background, here's Rob again. Anthony Vickers was a former student of Terrace who was engaged in some sort of relationship with her in the months prior to her disappearance.
Shortly after Tara disappeared, Anthony was featured briefly on the Nancy Grace and discussed their relationship over the phone. This was the only interview Anthony has ever done. He said very few people knew about our relationship. There's probably only three or four people that actually knew. And we knew that they would not talk at all.
When we would see each other, I would usually go over to her house, would be the easiest thing to do. She would pick me up and we would go over there and just hang out, you know, watch a movie or something. That's kind of how we did it. I would like to help, but you know, if you try to help, a lot of times you just get scrutinized against.
On March 30, 2005, about six months before Tara went missing, Osceola police officers were dispatched to Tara's house for a disturbance call. They received a report that someone was trying to break down the owner's door. The individual was Anthony Vickers.
Based on the incident report, Anthony was very agitated. He started cussing and shouting at some of the neighbors who were watching. Vickers yelled so loud that a neighbor outside doing yard work about two blocks from Tara's house could hear him shouting. The officers asked Anthony to keep quiet, but he refused to cooperate. He was then handcuffed and arrested and taken to the Irwin County Detention Center.
I made an open records request with the Osceola Police Department to obtain a copy of Anthony's arrest report. With all the rumors flying around this town, I had to verify this incident myself. Chief Billy Hancock with the Osceola PD was very helpful in getting me this information. In the report, Tara had made a handwritten statement to police, some of which said this, Anthony's behavior was abnormal and was very aggressive on this day. I was very scared for my well-being, as well as scared about Anthony."
Anthony invaded my privacy in my home, while doing so in a raging and out-of-control manner. Anthony's written statement seemed to tell a different story.
He claimed that he was actually getting in his car to leave when the police arrived, and they screamed at him to step away from his vehicle. He also stated that an officer ran towards him and chest-bumped him, almost knocking him over, and that he never once tried to resist arrest. According to Tara's friends and family, Anthony's relationship with her was some sort of delusion or fantasy, but I wondered if maybe there was some truth to it. I reached out several times to Anthony for an interview, but no luck. And the same for Marcus Harper, Tara's ex-boyfriend.
these two were very tight-lipped about this case and honestly i could totally see why in the meantime i was able to get a hold of somebody his name is noah griffin he knew tara for several years and worked very closely with her in all the pageants i was just thankful somebody close to her was willing to talk to me
Well, to sum it up, Tara was driven. She was very determined to succeed at whatever she set out to do. I knew for a fact that she would never leave. Everybody says, oh, she's gone. She's just run off. And I said, no, she wouldn't do that.
I want to say, and I'm not good with time, but I want to say like six months had passed before I was ever questioned by the GBI. I told the GBI, I said, you know, I could have went to her house at two o'clock in the morning and knocked on her door and she'd open the door for me. Yeah. You know, and why was I not a suspect from the get go?
When the GBI talked to me, they wanted to know if anybody had videotaped that pageant that night. Somebody at the party that night that she went to, that cookout, said when she left that she was going home to watch the video of the pageant. And I still to this day don't know if there was a video or if that was, you know. And it's just like one night it just hit me.
Could this be the pageant tape that Tara was talking about? And if it is, does it actually help us at all? Regardless, if he still has it, I want a copy.
that the truth will never be known. I've just been constantly racking my brain. There's not a day goes by that she doesn't run across my mind, and I don't try to relive that day and that time and what could have happened to her. You know, there was a side of Tara
that I didn't know. Yeah. Which was very well hidden. If it was in fact true, I try not to believe that it was. You know, I know how people talk and how they gossip. I've had people say they've seen this and they've seen that. Well, I didn't see it. So if I didn't see it, I don't know it. You know what I'm saying? What side are you talking about? Very free with men. And one of them was a student.
Hello? Hey, is Anthony there? Yeah, this is Anthony.
Thank you guys for listening to episode two of Up and Vanished. The response from episode one was really awesome. I just want to thank everybody out there who's listening. As for my grandma's cowboy cookie contest, I'll be announcing the winner of that on my website, upandvanished.com. Just go to the site and click on the page called Discussions on the top right. And please, if you haven't already, rate this podcast on iTunes and leave a review. It really helps a lot. And I would like to ask again that anybody who knows anything at all about Tara's disappearance to please come forward.
Thank you and see you next time.