It's kind of odd, isn't it? He wasn't sure who said what. Another was a former student who claimed he and Tara been secretly seeing each other. So, it's kind of crappy right now. Duke says he didnt know Grinstead other than the fact that she was a teacher at the high school. Born in Columbia, SC, Mike was a son of Vera Ballentine Dukes and the late Ernest Kenneth Dukes. He lit her on fire. After a few drinks, McCullough says Bo began talking about Tara. "Ryan did not kill Ms. Grinstead. her main goal was to win Miss Georgia or at least to get to Miss Georgia, and she did. Prosecutors asked Rothwell why no one followed up on a tip naming Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes as suspects. Maria Woods Harber: They've gotten away with it for this many years anyway. Jurors heard the forensic analysis on that piece of evidence. She did not want to end it. Dana Wilder: I never thought it was somebody from our community. Ryan Duke was sentenced to 10 years in prison for concealing the death of Tara Grinstead. GARLAN LOTT: The statement that I recall was, 'We killed and burned her body.". And that's where she wanted to stay and where she wanted to be. She wasn't wearing shoes. As Jannis recalls, early on, suspicion focused on the men in Tara's life. Jannis Paulk: So, I sat down with an agent and we just went through everything. The funeral will follow at 11 oclock in the chapel with The Rev. Ryan Duke testified he "passed out" after a night of drinking before Tara Grinstead allegedly died. John McCullough: He was like, "yeah, do you remember that bulletin that you had asked me about with that girl on it?" It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. The family will receive friends Thursday morning, May 3rd beginning at 10 oclock at Shellhouse Rivers Funeral Home. Maria Woods Harber: This is where Tara Grinstead lived in 2005. Both men were surprising suspects to the cops, who claimed that theyd never came up on the radar. Bo told them that he and Ryan had burned Taras body at the Hudson Pecan Company pecan orchard, and when the area was searched, some human bone fragments were found. The Associated Press contributed to this story. . Ryan Dukes Aiken, - MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018.A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael Dukes and Vicki Heilig Dukes. GBI Agent Shoudel testified Duke knew what he was doing, and that Duke told investigators he was mentally and physically cognitive. I don't know. But questions remained about discrepancies between Ryan's version of events and Bo's. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant first reported on this story in 2008 almost three years after Tara Grinstead went missing. 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. 5260 Daniel J. Enea, Manager. McCullough wasn't ready for what Bo would say next. Ray Dukes passed away on January 15, 2022 at the age of 37 in CHARLOTTE, North Carolina. Jannis Paulk: there were several people, several men, who got a lot of scrutiny for a long time . And for the first time, everyone heard Bo's own account when his GBI interview was played in court: BO DUKES [GBI video interview]: He told me he had killed Tara Grinstead. Jannis, who ran a local web design company, became an expert on the case keeping a close watch since Tara was reported missing. AIKEN, SC MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. But some things stuck out to Maria. And I was like, "Yeah." But if you're ready for this Bo had already been interviewed by the GBI a year earlier in 2016. But in the same sense, I always thought, "Well, it has to be.". The defense also called neighbors who provided testimony that supported a theory that Grinstead may have voluntarily left the home. A native and lifelong resident of Aiken, Ryan was a son of the late Kenneth Michael. It was in 2017 when Bo Dukes came out about his involvement in the case and even pointed the finger at Ryan. Witness Randy Hudson owned the pecan orchard where Grinstead's body was allegedly disposed. Vicki Heilig Dukes AIKEN, SC - Vicki Heilig Dukes, 65, died Thursday, September 15, 2016 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Peter Van Sant: And what is it about him that you love? Tara was. It was now time at the trial for Bo's one-time Army buddy, John McCullough, to finally tell his story of Bo's confession. He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. Additional Legal Information Regarding Veterans Offerings, CloseAdditional Legal Information Regarding Veterans Offerings, Subscribe to the 12 Weeks of Peace E-Newsletter, Subscribe to the Thinking Ahead E-Newsletter, A Guide to Cremation and Burial for Veterans, Unique Ways to Memorialize Cremation Ashes, A Complete Guide for When A Loved One Passes, The Essential Veteran Death Benefits and Memorialization Guide, California Residents Goods and Services Info. "You should be punished according - not for murder, not for burglary, not for aggravated assault, because that's the way the system works. They burned her body. Cindy Susan Dukes Darr June 10, 1959 - October 9, 2011. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Then, there was Tara's ex-boyfriend, Marcus Harper. Authorities couldn't explain either, and collected them as evidence the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, known as the GBI, was called in. But when questioned about her disappearance, he had an alibi and was never charged. Posey says Duke corrected the GBI agent over 20 times during his confession, and said he believes that is key to note. and that's nobody's business, but in this case, it made it tough. This event is not sponsored by, or affiliated with, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the California Department of Veterans Affairs, or any other congressionally chartered or recognized organization of honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces of the United States, or any of their auxiliaries. 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. Tuesday, the witness list focused on the investigators who have worked the case over the years. A date was set to start Ryan Dukes trial, but a hitch came when his lawyers filed an emergency appeal to halt it. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Aiken SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare (www.letlovelive.org) or the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org). Therefore, on May 20, 2022, the jury only found him guilty of concealing a death he was acquitted of every other count. Stunned as he was, McCullough was in a dilemma. Dr. Fred W. Andrea III officiating. One of those always showing off and talking big and running his mouth. Dukes is in prison for concealing Grinstead's death. Another video shown shows Duke leading investigators to where he says he dumped and burned her body. Jannis Paulk: She was dating, I think, more than people realized that she was dating. OCILLA, Ga. Editor's Note: The video in this story is archive footage from our coverage of the case in the mid-2010s. Ryan William Drakes Obituary. "Two men who had no regard for a beautiful, loving person took her life. BRAD RIGBY | PROSECUTOR: This case is about Bo's lies, lies that lasted from 2005 to 2016. The alleged drug addict was arrested once for a DUI in 2010 but was released on bond. In 1999, Tara Grinstead won the Miss Tifton pageant, which landed her a spot at the 1999 Miss Georgia competition. Tara's cell phone was charging inside the house. He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. Bones that were so degraded, no official cause of death could be determined. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Brooke Sheridan: He said, "That's something that only God and Ryan know." AIKEN, SC - MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. I just got off the phone with another department that had didn't do sh.". Bo says Ryan then repeated that a couple of days later. He will be replaced by one of the six alternates who also had been listening to the testimony. Ryan Duke testified he went to help Bo Dukes load wood into his truck and move Grinstead's body. An Irwin County jury returned "Not Guilty" verdicts on five of the six charges Ryan Duke faced related to the disappearance and death of former Irwin County teacher Tara Grinstead, acquitting him of her 2005 murder on Friday, May 20, 2022. Maria Woods Harber: She was such a good person She just didn't deserve it. Not guilty of malice murder and he was acquitted of all charges relating to Tara's murder convicted only of concealing her death. CONNIE GRINSTEAD [Reading family impact statement]: His confession in 2017 seemed genuine and sincere, and he looked remorseful. Visitation: Saturday, Feb. 18th from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral hour at Mt. The door was locked. Ryan William Drakes, age 40, of DeSoto passed away on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. Example video title will go here for this video. But there was more Brooke says Bo then admitted his own involvement in the crime, saying: Brooke Sheridan: "And I helped him burn her body.". "It should be an opening when we cremated her. Peter Van Sant: And by Ryan saying to him, "Hey, buddy. She had a lot of life ahead of her. Duane Ray Dukes, age 70, of Bryan, Ohio, passed away on Sunday, December 27, 2020, in his home, surrounded by family, following a ten-month battle with cancer. View The Guestbook For Ryan Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Ways to honor John Dukes's life and legacy. ". "Any reason to continue this?" It was told to me when I was in Georgia. John McCullough: I would say from the year of 2007 until 2016 I would probably say I reached out nine or 10 times to the GBI. Marcus Harper: I was swabbed for DNA. "We believe in Ryan and we believed in him the entire time.". Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Jannis Paulk's former employee, Garlan Lott, 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. In his own recorded words, Duke walked GBI investigators through how he killed, burned and buried Tara Grinstead. This is your truck, and this is your family's land," basically that was interpreted by Bo as a threat that we're partners now in this? Your family's land." Send simple, comforting meals with Home Chef. Bo told Brooke that Ryan stole his pickup truck that night and used it to transport Tara's body to a remote part of a pecan orchard farmed by Bo's family. Search by Name. But back then, Bo denied everything. GARLAN LOTT: I assumed it was handled by law enforcement, yes. Please contact your local Neptune Society office for cremation prices, and to learn more about our cremation service. Searching obituaries is a great place to start your family tree research. 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. Ryan Dukes. "(Bo Dukes) reaches down, he grabs her arm and flips her over," Ryan Duke said. Vicki Heilig Dukes. And even when she no longer competed, Tara helped other women, like Dana, break into that world. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://www.nationalcremation.com/location/irving- for the Drakes family. Read More Published In Last Name "Dixon". 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. Defense appeals delayed Ryan Dukes trial since the original 2019 start date. Ryan Duke had told investigators in 2017 he killed Tara Grinstead and helped burn her body. BO DUKES [GBI interview]: Again, I didn't believe him he asked me to come with him out to to the pecan orchard. It was somethin' I felt like, you know, I had to do. Dukes attorneys have said he made a false confession under the influence of drugs. At the time, Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes were 21 years old. The agent asks Bo his first reaction when he went to the orchard with Ryan. I can't live with myself. He called the state's top law enforcement agency heading the investigation, the GBI. 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. Bo Dukes comes from a prominent family that owned a huge pecan orchard in the Ocilla area. A devoted husband and grandfather, Duane was born on May 1, 1950, in South Gate, California, the son of Edwin and Florann (Boisseau) Dukes. Ricou Browning, the stunt man who played the title character in underwater sequences of the 1954 classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon," died Monday at 93. GBI AGENT: So, you immediately see this and you're like "what in the hell did you do? Maria Woods Harber: She was charismatic, determined, a beautiful personality. Ryan Duke said he drove toward a pecan orchard, owned by a relative of Bo Dukes. Ryan is the one talking about 411 getting connected to Taras house.". On Friday, two key witnesses took the stand: the forensic biologist who tested the glove found at Tara Grinstead's home and the forensic anthropologist brought in who helped find Grinstead's buried remains. Several agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also took the stand. For those who loved Tara Grinstead, Bo Dukes' 25-year sentence for covering up her death was only partial justice. And the one we didn't want to think about was somebody killed her. Ryan worked at a plastics manufacturing plant, while Bo would occasionally work at his family's pecan farm. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. You have funeral questions, we have answers. Had to tell my alibi, you know, or where was I at, who I was around. He was a graduate of Aiken High School and received his bachelor's degree from USC Aiken. Then, in 2017, a woman came forward with a remarkable story about her boyfriend but could it be trusted? Ryan admitted he was asked by Bo to help dispose of Tara's body in the orchard and moved her to the burn pile. Please join us in Loving, Sharing and Memorializing Ryan Dukes on this permanent online memorial. And remember that latex glove found at the crime scene? Ocilla Police Chief Billy Hancock called theGeorgia Bureau of Investigationto help. As such, in the State of Oregon Preneed Crematory Sales and Services are conducted under the trade name Neptune Cremation Service. We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. Tara's car was parked in the driveway. However, we had a glove, a latex glove that we couldn't explain. There are reports of him being put under suicide watch a few times, yet nothing too serious came out of the incidents. Gary Rothwell [2008]: It appeared that Tara may have left on her own. McCullough, now a manager at a water company in Texas, had met Bo Dukes at Army boot camp in 2006. The last witness in the case was GBI Agent Mitchell Posey, who was brought in to prove Duke wasnt lying in his 2017 recorded confession, "The question was How did you identify Tara? The answer was The pictures on the wall," Posey said, "Ryan is the one talking about the G&G in front of it. Two years later, in March 2019, Bo was the first to go on trial. / CBS News, [This story previously aired on September 4, 2021. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. For some people, the best send-off is one that they would have loved to attendthemselves: a big party. Ryan Duke, now clean-shaven and looking very different from his 2017 arrest, took the stand. Maria Woods Harber: Yes. Speaking in court before Ryan Dukes' sentencing, Anita Gattis said her sister's disappearance threw her family into ''an out-of-control spiral'' that they've never escaped. "We think the jury got it right, and we are very, very happy with the result," Defense Attorney Ashley Merchant 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. 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 Ocilla. "Its a portion of the human cranium. AIKEN, SC - MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. Bryan Samuel Dukes, 30, passed away on November 22, 2019 as a result of a work-related accident. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. He is extremely intelligent. He is preceded in death by his. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 1449 N Claiborne Ave New Orleans, LA KARLIN DUKES OBITUARY Karlin C. Dukes Sr., age 83, peacefully passed away surrounded by family on Monday, November 7, 2016. Another video shown portrayed Duke leading investigators to the pecan orchard he claims he took the lifeless body. It just wasn't what I wanted. She snuck up on me and I hit her. Michelle Feuer is the development producer. Here's my number I'll do whatever has to happen for y'all to take me serious. The defense had previously asked the judge to dismiss the case, an action that was quickly declined. "I said, 'You need to confess. Celebrate the life of Ryan Drakes, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. Both had been students at. Praying for your family have strength. 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. Of all charges relating to Tara 's ex-boyfriend, Marcus Harper a of... 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