TARA GRINSTEAD-NEW WITNESS

 

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New witness reported in Grinstead disappearance

New tips are coming in after word surfaced of a new witness and suspect vehicle in the disappearance of Tara Grinstead, said the sister of the missing Irwin County High School teacher. The Tara Command Center - a clearinghouse for tips, searchers and volunteers - received about a half dozen calls this week after a North Carolina criminal psychologist working on the case said he located a new witness, said Anita Gattis, Grinstead's sister. 

Maurice Godwin, who, according to his Web site, holds a doctorate in investigative psychology from the University of Liverpool, said he learned of the existence of a witness during a recent trip to Ocilla. 

Godwin said the witness saw a man near a black Chevrolet pickup truck parked on the grass at Grinstead's house the night she was last seen, Oct. 22. "The person standing by the truck said something very rude to the witness," Godwin said Wednesday. 

The man threatened the witness, Godwin said, which might be the reason that person hasn't come forward. Godwin said he has talked to the best friend of the witness and plans to contact the witness today. "This person is legitimate. I can tell you that," Godwin said. Godwin said he was triple-checking his information before turning over the witness's name to investigators, he said.

He expects to notify GBI Special Agent Gary Rothwell before the week is out, he said. "When I get my ducks in a row ... I'm going to shoot them some information," Godwin said. 

Rothwell would not comment Wednesday on the specifics of the investigation or any witnesses. "It's a very complex investigation," Rothwell said. "We still have a lot of resources devoted to this investigation, and we still believe it's a solvable case."

As the investigation nears the six-month mark, Gattis said Godwin's new development "gives me hope that at some point justice would be served." Godwin agreed to take the case without pay about six weeks ago, when he first traveled to Ocilla and gathered evidence at Grinstead's home, he said. There have been two other witnesses who reported seeing a dark-colored pickup at Grinstead's house, including one man who called the tip line Wednesday, Gattis said. "It really sounds like somebody she knew," Gattis said. "It's just kind of a bizarre thing, but then again, this whole thing has been bizarre. We're just waiting to see what comes of it."

In the meantime, Gattis said she spends every weekend looking for her sister. Over the Easter weekend, searchers drained a pond looking for evidence, she said. Two psychics, Carla Baron and John Oliver, also have taken an interest in the case, Gattis said. Baron and Oliver filmed an episode about the Grinstead site for "Haunting Evidence," a television series scheduled to begin airing on Court TV in June, according to Baron's Web site.

In the meantime, anyone with information is asked to call the tip line at (229) 468-0667 or visit the Tara Command Center at its new location at 121 North Cherry St. in Ocilla, Gattis said. "We feel like we're really moving in a positive direction right now," Gattis said.