He was a classic muscle car enthusiast with a passion for Chevy Impalas. Dr. Fred W. Andrea III officiating. John 3:16 Sending love and prayers for the Duke family! Ryan Dukes Obituary Remember Ryan Dukes. So, it's kind of crappy right now. 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. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. Celebrate the life of Ryan Drakes, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. It was in 2017 when Bo Dukes came out about his involvement in the case and even pointed the finger at Ryan. It was part of town gossip that they had gotten into an argument after Marcus had come back to town earlier than expected that October. He had an alibi, but the whispers continued. According to Bo Dukes, the two men took Bo's pickup truck and drove out of town onto a highway and pulled off onto a dirt road leading to the pecan orchard that's owned by Bo Dukes' family. Maria Woods Harber: Well, it's very emotional. He said Bo Dukes was "almost excited, cheerful," when they went to move Grinstead's body. Peter Van Sant: Why would Ryan Duke have murdered Tara Grinstead? But who would want to harm this vibrant 30-year-old woman? He pleaded not guilty. He lived most his life in Aiken and worked as a procedures writer at the Savannah River Site. He was a graduate of A AIKEN, SC MICHAEL RYAN DUKES, 43, died April 26, 2018. However, the family eventually hired a private investigator. GBI AGENT: Of all the people, why Tara, what's the connection? It turned out that he had completed his education from the Irwin County High School, which is where Tara used to work, three years before she went missing, and they might have come in contact there. Tara Faye Grinstead was the youngest child of Bill and Faye Grinstead, born in 1974. Tara Grinstead was a 30-year-old history teacher at the Irwin County High School in Ocilla, Georgia, when she was reported missing on October 24, 2005. Witness Randy Hudson owned the pecan orchard where Grinstead's body was allegedly disposed. Ryan Duke testified he drove from Fitzgerald to Ocilla in an unsuccessful attempt to return Grinstead's wallet, and he left Bo Dukes in the trailer. The funeral will follow at 11 oclock in the chapel with The Rev. Then, there was Tara's ex-boyfriend, Marcus Harper. However, we had a glove, a latex glove that we couldn't explain. We are not authorized to file an initial application for Veterans' Aid and Attendance benefits on your behalf, or to represent you before the Board of Veterans' Appeals within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in any proceeding on any matter, including an application for that benefits. She had a lot of life ahead of her. 28, 1957 - Feb. 10, 2023 Mr. John K. Dukes, Jr. entered into eternal rest on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. It took a jury less than an hour to convict Bo Dukes on all charges. A jury found Ryan Duke not guilty of murder but guilty of concealing her body. Ryan steeled himself before the verdict was read. "I cant lie. Brooke Sheridan: It was something very dark and I I chalked it up to, you know, serving his time in the military. SHELLHOUSE RIVERS FUNERAL HOME, 715 EAST PINE LOG RD., AIKEN, SC. Peter Van Sant: Why do you think investigators ignored you? The talented signer was named Miss Tifton and competed in the Miss Georgia beauty pageant. DEFENSE [closing arguments]: Bo Dukes should be on trial for the murder of Tara Grinstead, not Ryan. Lawyers and the judge also met today in whats called a charging conference where they finalized the official charges that the jury will be presented. Ryan Duke at his first court hearing after his arrest in February 2017, charged with Tara Grinstead's murder. Finally, he cracked. Duke said he was on drugs at the time he broke into Grinstead's Ocilla home and doesnt remember how exactly he killed her. But in the same sense, I always thought, "Well, it has to be.". "We think the jury got it right, and we are very, very happy with the result," Defense Attorney Ashley Merchant said. He claims he realized this after she was dead. Bo was sentenced to 25 years in prison. 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. In cross-examination, Rothwell added that he takes responsibility for the GBI lapse. "I have talked to other agents and reviewed the documents and come to a recollection of what happened, and that is not an excuse for what happened.". Marcus was often overseas, and though they had broken up by the fall of 2005, friends say Tara was distraught about the relationship ending. Peter Van Sant: And what is it about him that you love? The defense argued that Ryan's former best friend, Bo Dukes, was the man responsible for Grinstead's death throughout the trial. A native of Concord, NC, Vicki was a daughter of the late David Leon and Mamie Rae. Brooke says she kept encouraging Bo to open up to talk about this dark subject that was destroying him. Interment will follow in Southlawn Cemetery. 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." Bo told her they moved Tara's body to a pit, where it took two days to burn, destroying all evidence. 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 numbers. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. 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. John McCullough maintains he tried to get investigators a key tip in 2007 that could have cracked the case. Sign up for service and obituary updates. Cind Gary Rothwell [2008]: It is one of the most extensive investigations undertaken by the GBI. Another former student, Bo Dukes, is now serving a 25-year prison sentence for lying to the GBI and helping Duke bury her body. ", Brooke Sheridan: He says, "I just want her family to know. Make a Memorial Donation . No services are scheduled at this time. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. John McCullough says he is still haunted by painful memories of being ignored by investigators. Q: Did you see Miss Grinstead's body after she died? He later not only confided his secret to Bo but also asked for help to burn the body. 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. Peter Van Sant: Was it an emotional moment for you to realize someone had been arrested after all that time? It turned out that he had completed his education from the Irwin County High School, which is where Tara used to work, three years before she went missing, and they might have come in contact there. Back in 2008 Van Sant spoke with Special Agent Gary Rothwell. See the viral video from Bo Dukes' sentencing below: Georgia Supreme Court rules Ryan Duke can use state funds for defense in Grinstead case, Tara Grinstead case: Bo Dukes reports to prison for 25-year sentence, The trial was scheduled for October, but lawyers met this week and agreed to delay the case to spring 2022, Lent List: What is most often given up, and how you can find substitutes, Major water leak keeps Dublin City Hall closed, March kicks off by continuing the warm stretch, small rain chance. But McCullough wasn't the only witness who gave details about Tara's death. John McCullough: I can't explain it [emotional]. John McCullough: I'm glad somebody's finally listening. She did not want to end it. As their relationship evolved, Brooke sensed that something seemed to be eating away at Bo. Dana Wilder: As little girls, we looked up to her she was famous. Peter Van Sant: The kind of guy you want to share a foxhole with, right? 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. She could tell you anything to make you feel better. He testified that Bo Dukes told him he had killed Tara Grinstead but Ryan did not know how she died. And he said he threw his arms up just like this [shrugs her shoulders], "What are you gonna do?". And as they were driving around town, a billboard caught his eye. Then, more than 11 years after Tara disappeared, Brooke Sheridan came out of nowhere with her account about not only Bo Dukes but his friend Ryan Duke. Maria Woods Harber: My best friend, Tara Grinstead, was a beautiful person on the inside and the outside. McCullough, now a manager at a water company in Texas, had met Bo Dukes at Army boot camp in 2006. One witness called to the stand was Garlan Latt, who they hoped would disprove Ryan Duke's testimony that he was not the killer and Bo Dukes was the mastermind. You have funeral questions, we have answers. Dukes invited McCullough to Ocilla to spend Christmas with his family. 83 Peacefully passed away on February 23, 2023. Ryan worked at a plastics manufacturing plant, while Bo would occasionally work at his family's pecan farm. I was a drug addict I'd been drinking. In April 1952, flicka was the 500th baby born at Paso Robles. Ryan Duke, now clean-shaven and looking very different from his 2017 arrest, took the stand. Tara was. Brooke Sheridan: I said, "You need to confess. The document claims that later, he used a payphone to see if shed pick up, and when she didnt, he was convinced that she was dead. And why the f- would you do it here on my family's pecan orchard? It was an opening like that. GARLAN LOTT: The statement that I recall was, 'We killed and burned her body.". Looking at Ryans life, there isnt much of criminal history. He said, "I don't know why he did it.". NEW ELLENTON, SC -- CYNTHIA SUSAN DUKES DARR, 52, died Sunday, October 9, 2011 at her residence. Visit our Support Center. But back then, Bo denied everything. A date was set to start Ryan Dukes trial, but a hitch came when his lawyers filed an emergency appeal to halt it. But McCullough was determined to get the truth out. The alleged drug addict was arrested once for a DUI in 2010 but was released on bond. Neighbors knocked on her door but got no response. Ryan Duke testified he "passed out" after a night of drinking before Tara Grinstead allegedly died. We know who did," defense attorney John Merchant said. He admitted to helping his friend burn the body until, "it looked like it was all ash.". He was there with his brother, Stephen, and their friends, Bo Dukes and Ben McMahan. Send Flowers . I can still see her standing at the door. His fellow soldier? Michael Dukes of Aiken, South Carolina April 10, 1950 - March 30, 2017. But some things stuck out to Maria. 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. And even when she no longer competed, Tara helped other women, like Dana, break into that world. Bo Dukes is serving 25 years for concealing her death, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and lying to investigators. Investigators chased down dozens of leads across the country, but tips emerged that led right back to the high school where Tara was a teacher and perhaps someone who had sat in her classroom. One witness, Heath Dykes, testified to having a relationship with Grinstead while his was married. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant first reported on this story in 2008 almost three years after Tara Grinstead went missing. Eventually, a breakthrough tip came around, and two men were arrested in relation to the Tara case. The state and defense attorneys wrapped up their closing arguments earlier in the day. "Over the course of the last three weeks reliving this heinous act that Ryan Alexander Duke committed ripped open the wounds," Gattis told the court before calling Duke "evil," "sneaky dangerous," and a "vile human. 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. . He's the uncle of Bo Dukes. He said Bo Dukes admitted to killing her. Survivors include his grandmother, Vera Ballentine Dukes; aunts, Cheri McGee (Wayne), Debbie Wallace (David), all of Aiken, Linda Tinney (Mel), Pepin, WI, Pamela Clark (Rick), Ridgeville, SC; uncle, Jeff Dukes (Debbie), Aiken. Both had been students at. And this time, the whole world seemed to be listening. In total, there were more than 40 witnesses and 300 pieces of evidence presented in the case. For all that has transpired, there's one question that troubles Maria Woods Harber: what really happened to Tara on the night she disappeared? I was high. You need to own what you've done and confess," Sheridan told "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant in 2017. Dana Wilder: She just took me underneath her wing She taught me the ins and outs of interviews, hair and makeup, wardrobe. Survivors include his grandmother, Vera Ballentine Dukes; aunts, Cheri McGee (Wayne), Debbie Wallace (David), all of Aiken, Linda Tinney (Mel), Pepin, WI, Pamela Clark (Rick), Ridgeville, SC; uncle, Jeff Dukes (Debbie), Aiken. I told him, you know, leave me alone . Peter Van Sant and Mary Woods Harber in front of Tara Grinstead's Ocilla home. Investigators said Grinsteads car was in the driveway when police arrived at the home. Tara's car was parked in the driveway. "I was stealing from her purse and she snuck up on me. Cindy Susan Dukes Darr June 10, 1959 - October 9, 2011. 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