By Steve Huff

Ocilla, GA   (Crime Library) -Autumn comes slowly to Georgia. By the end of October, nights are cooling, but many trees still hold greedily onto their green. Sometime around Halloween, though, the first frost might fall. Soon thereafter, as November moves in and the daylight hours dwindle, leaves start to change. The further south you move, the less likely you are to see stark gold and crimson slashes in the trees because South Georgia is home to a great many pines, green year round.

advertisement

The people searching in and around Ocilla, GA, for 30-year-old Tara Grinstead, a former beauty queen and well-liked high school teacher at Irwin County High School, had no time to notice the change of seasons. Saturday, November 5 ended with no sign of her, and set a grim milestone — the former Miss Tifton, GA, 1999, had been missing for two weeks.

Tara Grinstead

News of the pretty history teacher's disappearance spread slowly at first. The Sunday after she vanished, October 23, her mother grew worried, and even called Tara's neighbors and asked them to check on her. Still — everyone has an off-day, even Tara Grinstead. In the months since she'd broken up with long-time boyfriend Marcus T. Harper, a former Ocilla, GA, police officer and Iraq veteran, Tara had experienced more ups and downs than those close to her had ever seen. After all, she'd been with Harper for 6 years.

Marcus T. Harper, 1992

After Harper's turn in the military, though, many around him seemed to feel something about him changed. Whatever the change was, it appeared to be the end of his relationship with Grinstead.

Tara and Marcus Harper

Tara Grinstead was devastated by the breakup. More than once she had an uncharacteristic emotional breakdown. Perry, GA, police captain Heath Dykes, a childhood friend, came to visit her at Irwin County, High.

Next

Woman's T-Shirt Reportedly Sent for Testing

Tara Grinstead on Emotional Roller Coaster

Tara Grinstead Publicity Mixed Blessing

Tara Grinstead's State of Mind

Beauty Queen & Teacher Tara Grinstead Goes Missing

Return to full coverage

Photo Gallery

Steve Huff can be reached via the contact form at his weblog, http://www.HuffCrimeBlog.com/. For daily updates on the search for Tara Grinstead, see www.findtara.com.