OCILLA, Ga. — Twenty years ago, Ocilla teacher Tara Grinstead disappeared . She was later determined to have been murdered, her body burned. While life has moved forward in the small town where she lived, Tara's memory remains vivid in the hearts of those who knew her.

Tara Grinstead grew up in Hawkinsville, but it was the small town of Ocilla that became her true home. After graduating from college, she moved in with family to complete her student teaching at the local school.

"She fell in love with the school and the students and the community and she decided just to stay with us and take a teaching job there," says Tara's stepmom, Connie Grinstead.

At Irwin County High School, a handful of current teachers once worked alongside Tara. The principal himself was a student during her t

See Full Page