He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelors degree from USC Aiken. There were billboards. Jannis Paulk also spoke to the GBI in 2008 as the agency was reviewing the case. The jury saw pictures from Fitzgerald Farms, where agents searched for Grinstead's remains in 2017. Bones that were so degraded, no official cause of death could be determined. He went looking for her the night she disappeared and sparked the search for the woman when he alerted authorities the next day. He lit her on fire. The trial comes after Bo Dukes, a high school friend of Ryan Duke, was convicted of concealing Grinstead's death, which led investigators to Ryan Duke. "Its been a 17-year nightmare for them," Irwin County District Attorney Bryce Johnson said. I didn't know who I was staring at. For twelve years, the cops and private investigators tried to uncover the truth and bring the case to its deserved conclusion, but nothing came of it. Duke also admitted to taking her purse and keys and leaving a glove at the residence. She would never leave her kids. Marcus enlisted with the Army Rangers and spent time overseas. Texas Residents: For additional information regarding prepaid funeral contracts, please visit the website www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov which is maintained by the Texas Department of Banking. Another was a former student who claimed he and Tara been secretly seeing each other. Peter Van Sant: Was it an emotional moment for you to realize someone had been arrested after all that time? "As hes doing that he started getting emotional and said, She was so small, referring to the size of her in his arms,". And she snuck up on me and I hit her. John McCullough: Yeah, Tara Grinstead, and said, you know, "missing.". Rothwell took the blame for the GBI assuming local law enforcement determined information indicating Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as persons of interest were "unfounded." He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. I know who killed Tara Grinstead or had a part of it. "Two men who had no regard for a beautiful, loving person took her life. Ashley Hinkle, a forensic biologist with the State Crime Lab testified she swabbed the glove in June 2015. John McCullough: 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. Maria Woods Harber: Well, it's very emotional. "We believe in Ryan and we believed in him the entire time.". At the time, Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes were 21 years old. She described the various DNA tests performed on the glove hoping to find clues, "It was about 90% unknown male and 10% Ms. Grinstead,". Maria Woods Harber: So, when I came back out of the house, I saw right out from the front door, there was a latex glove. Tuesday, the witness list focused on the investigators who have worked the case over the years. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". Ocilla Police Chief Billy Hancock called theGeorgia Bureau of Investigationto help. the judge said. The two then went to a party. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Maria Woods Harber: Tara had a boyfriend for a long time And during the summer of 2005, they broke up. Ryan William Drakes, age 40, of DeSoto passed away on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Two months later, in February 2007, McCullough says he called three police departments in Georgia including Ocilla, where he left a voice message saying: John McCullough: "This is John McCullough. GBI agents have also said DNA matching both Duke and Grinstead was found on a latex glove discovered in her yard. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. Jannis Paulk: She was dating, I think, more than people realized that she was dating. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. Bo got in big trouble while in the Army. . But questions remained about discrepancies between Ryan's version of events and Bo's. Jurors also heard voicemails left in the home. "Ryan did not kill Ms. Grinstead. Brooke Sheridan: It was love at first sight. May the holy spirit comfort you in this time of bereavement. John McCullough: I'm glad somebody's finally listening. GARLAN LOTT: I assumed it was handled by law enforcement, yes. ", BO DUKES: Yeah. The state focused on Ryan Duke's 2017 recorded confession to GBI agents. Defense attorneys began to call witnesses of their own Monday when the state prosecutors rested their case after over a week of arguments. The family will receive friends Thursday morning, May 3rd beginning at 10 oclock at Shellhouse Rivers Funeral Home. Tara's alarm clock was under her bed, and a bedside lamp was broken. Marcus was often overseas, and though they had broken up by the fall of 2005, friends say Tara was distraught about the relationship ending. Neptune Society is the largest provider of affordable cremation services in the nation. Tara didn't bring home the Miss Georgia crown, but just competing was a huge achievement says Dana Wilder, who grew up in Ocilla. A wonderful man to know and to work with ,he told me about a month ago that he was enjoying taking care of his grand children God Bless. I didnt know what else to do," Ryan said. Tara Grinstead didnt show up for work on October 24, 2005. Call Call. Receive a notification when services are updated. Outside, in front of Tara's house, authorities found something that didn't seem to belong a latex glove. And Bo spent more than two years in federal prison. He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River . To the Dukes family, please know I am praying for you. In total, there were more than 40 witnesses and 300 pieces of evidence presented in the case. I told him, you know, leave me alone . He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. Ryan Duke's murder trial was scheduled to start Oct 4 in Irwin County, Georgia, but lawyers in the case met with Judge Bill Reinhardt Wednesday and agreed to delay the case due to rising COVID-19 . Sending my condolences to Mrs. Wendy and her sons. Please contact your local Neptune Society office for cremation prices, and to learn more about our cremation service. Police found her car seat in position for someone taller, and police said they found an envelope with $100 in cash on the dashboard. The defense said Bo Dukes' attorney indicated his client would invoke the 5th Amendment if called to testify. ", Brooke Sheridan: He says, "I just want her family to know. Ryan testified he had never even gone to Tara's house, and the glove was only discovered there on Monday by Tara's neighbors over a day after she went missing. Michelle Feuer is the development producer. AIKEN, SC - MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. Praying for your family have strength. Combined services will be held at Antioch M.B.C., 2033 W. Congress Ave. on Saturday March. . Peter Van Sant: What time did she go home? Grinstead graduated from Middle Georgia College and began teaching at Irwin County High School in Ocilla in 1998. Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love. Ryan William Drakes, age 40, of DeSoto passed away on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Maria Woods Harber: I've had to come to a conclusion that I'm just gonna have to live the rest of my life not knowing. Duke was convicted on the charge of Concealing a Death and was sentenced to the maximum punishment of . Duke's attorneys also focused on what they say is no evidence or DNA from their client found instead Grinstead's home. He returned to the trailer, according to testimony, where Bo Dukes said he'd show him where Tara Grinstead's body was. One of those always showing off and talking big and running his mouth. Now, it was Brooke's turn to be tormented by a terrible secret. Peter Van Sant: The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? John McCullough: Yeah and we were pretty close. The Ocilla police were called and entered Tara's home, and right behind them was Maria. Maria Woods Harber: Yeah, she did. JOHN MCCULLOUGH: The exact location, he 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. As for his alibi, Ryan claimed that he had been at his mobile home in Fitzgerald the entire night. According to the court, Ryan Duke became ineligible for state funds when he chose to go with private attorneys rather than a public defender. You need to own what you've done and confess," Sheridan told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant in 2017. Make a Memorial Donation . The talented signer was named Miss Tifton and competed in the Miss Georgia beauty pageant. Brooke Sheridan: I said, "You have to talk to me. "He actually made the motion in the interview and put his hands up like this mimicking how he held her body," GBI Agent Jason Shoudel said. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as: names, dates, place of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships. Went to Elementary to high School with John sending Condolences to the Family in my Prayers. Marcus always maintained his innocence but remained under suspicion. Ryan is the one talking about 411 getting connected to Taras house.". And as they were driving around town, a billboard caught his eye. And he said he threw his arms up just like this [shrugs her shoulders], "What are you gonna do?". Maria Woods Harber: She was charismatic, determined, a beautiful personality. "I asked them what they thought happened to Tara, and they said they killed her and burned her," Latt said. In addition to his parents, Ryan was preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth Jason Dukes, paternal grandfather, E. Kenneth Dukes; maternal grandparents, David Leon and Mamie Rae Lundsford Heilig and an aunt, Cindy Dukes Darr. 2023 FOX Television Stations, jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary, state and defense attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments. 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. He was there with his brother, Stephen, and their friends, Bo Dukes and Ben McMahan. 2023 Neptune Society. More than an hour into his testimony, Ryan Duke described the moment Bo Dukes led him to Grinstead's body. GBI Agent Jason Shoudel was on the stand to testify. Our prayer and sympathy are with the Dukes family ,may you find peace through pray, doing your time of grief. View The Obituary For Ryan Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina. I mean, she had the biggest smile. For years, Marcus Harper lived under a cloud some might say a thunderstorm of suspicion. Please join us in Loving, Sharing and Memorializing Ryan Dukes on this permanent online memorial. In March 2019, in a county courthouse about 30 miles from where beloved teacher and beauty pageant mentor Tara Grinstead was murdered, Bo Dukes went on trial on charges relating to covering up her death. Bo Dukes comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. It was in 2017 when Bo Dukes came out about his involvement in the case and even pointed the finger at Ryan. Visitation: Saturday, Feb. 18th from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral hour at Mt. You need to own to what you've done and confess. A unique and . Ryan Duke came into the picture of the Tara Grinstead case when he was charged with her murder in 2017, twelve years after her sudden disappearance. Updated on: May 24, 2022 / 10:33 AM The defense argued that Ryan's former best friend, Bo Dukes, was the man responsible for Grinstead's death throughout the trial. Obituary. This DNA test was taken two years before defendant Ryan Dukes recorded confession. "What happened in this orchard was senseless" says Woods Harber of her best friend. First published on January 2, 2021 / 11:05 PM. On the glove they not only identified Tara's DNA, but that of an unknown male. McCullough said he called authorities but they never followed up. Looking at Ryans life, there isnt much of criminal history. It was reactionary. "(Bo Dukes) reaches down, he grabs her arm and flips her over," Ryan Duke said. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River Site. In May 2022, at the Ocilla courthouse just up the road from Tara's home, Ryan Duke's attorneys argued that the state had the wrong man. 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. While Reinhardt acknowledged that Duke seemed remorseful on the stand, he pointed out Dukes' decision to not tell anyone had an impact on Grinstead's family and friends. Bo was facing a maximum 25-year sentence. Born on January 20, 1989 in Easton, Bryan is the son of Kathy Elburn Dukes . The state argues in 2017 Duke was swabbed, and his DNA positively matched that found on the glove. And she was very distraught. 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