OCILLA — The sister of Tara Grinstead believes that a newly discovered witness could shed light on the teacher’s October 2005 disappearance.

Grinstead was last seen Oct. 22, 2005, and her sister Anita Gattis believes that a man spotted at the teacher’s home the following night might have had a hand in the disappearance.

Gattis said the man was spotted by a witness found recently by Dr. Maurice Godwin, a private forensic investigator researching the case.

“This is a person that we heard of shortly after Tara went missing,” Gattis said of the male witness, whose name has not been released.

She said that at first, she chalked the stories of a witness up to just a rumor — one of many that have circulated about the missing teacher. However, she said Godwin recently tracked the witness down and the man is now being interviewed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Gattis said that the witness tells a story that could point authorities in the direction of Grinstead’s kidnapper or killer.

The witness lived out of town and visited Grinstead’s neighbors on Oct. 23, Gattis said. She said that between 8 and 10 that night, he spotted a man parked in Grinstead’s yard in a black 1990s-model Chevrolet truck. He described a man in his late 20s or early 30s.

She said the witness spoke to the man in the truck.

“He made a verbal contact with him,” said Gattis. “The witness said they were very hostile words.”

She said that there have been leads in tracking down the black truck driven by the suspicious man.

In a case that has garnered national media attention, it seemed unlikely that the witness had not heard of the disappearance. When asked why the man did not come forward with the information previously, Gattis said she was unsure. She said it could have been that he thought the information was insignificant or that he was afraid.

“I’m not sure if he has known and just didn’t want to get involved,” she said. “There is a fear factor involved with this case.”

She said that there is an environment of fear because “so many people involved with the case wear badges.” She also mentioned that Godwin, the private investigator, received a death threat in recent months and that she and others close to the case are keeping the witness’ name secret because they do not want to make him back away or to put him in danger.

“We certainly don’t want to endanger this person,” Gattis said.

In other news related to the Grinstead case, the Tara Command Center, a post dedicated to the search for the missing teacher, has moved. Originally housed in the Irwin County Senior Center, the Tara Command Center moved months ago to a building owned by the Irwin County Board of Education. It has moved again to 121 N. Cherry St. in downtown Ocilla, next to the Irwin County Health Club. Linda Fletcher, director of the center, is leasing two suites of offices there.

Anyone interested in further information on the case should visit the Web site www.findtara.com.



To contact reporter Dusty Vassey, call 382-4321, ext. 208.