by Seamus McGraw
OCILLA, GA (Crime Library) —
After nearly two weeks of efforts combing nearly 400,000 acres of fields, swamps and scrubland authorities in rural Irwin County have not found any sign of Tara Grinstead, although articles of clothing and jewelry have been found throughout the county and have been sent to Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
The probe continues, and investigators still have hope of finding her or some clue to her fate.
"It's actually two separate items," said John Bankhead, a spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the state agency assisting in the search for Grinstead. "The Sheriff's Department was in charge of the search of the county...and yesterday they completed the last grid...and so the physical search...is completed. The missing person's investigation by the Ocilla Police Department with us assisting is continuing."
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Family members say they will continue to search with volunteers, among them teachers, for Grinstead. A private investigator hired by Grinstead's family will also join in the search for the 30-year-old who vanished on the night of Oct. 22, the night of the annual Sweet Potato Festival and beauty pageant that Grinstead had attended. According to authorities, Grinstead left the pageant and went to have dinner at the home of the former local school superintendent and his family. She was last seen around 11 p.m.
Tara Grinstead was reported missing Monday morning when she failed to turn up at school. Police responded to her home and found little out of place. Her car was parked in the driveway, though the driver's seat seemed to have been pushed farther back than the diminutive Grinstead would have preferred. The clothes she wore that night were found in the home, buried under a pile of other clothing. Her cellular phone was also recovered at her home, though sources familiar with her habits, say it was highly unusual that she left it behind.
Next Page
Woman's T-Shirt Reportedly Sent for Testing
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Tara Grinstead's State of Mind
Search for Tara Grinstead Involves Entire Community
Beauty Queen & Teacher Tara Grinstead Goes Missing
Return to full Tara Grinstead coverage
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