Q&A with Payne Lindsey 03.02.17
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Hi, Payne and Dr. Godwin. This is Margaret calling from St. Louis, Missouri. I love your podcast and have been following along with the recent developments. A question I had after listening to the most recent episode on who is Ryan Duke is whether or not you think he could have been hired by someone. I don't want to say as a hit man, but...

Possibly it was an inside job and he was the one, you know, his friend said he wasn't super resourceful. So maybe he was impressionable and easily convinced to do things. And maybe somebody hired him or threatened him with some, you know, other information if he didn't complete this crime. Anyway, keep up the good work and I will look forward to hearing from you guys soon. Bye.

Personally, I don't think Ryan Duke was hired by someone to kill Tara. As of right now, we don't really know what Ryan Duke's motive was, but the GBI has also charged him with burglary. So one plausible theory here is that it could have been a robbery gone wrong. That doesn't really sit very well with me. It's not a very satisfying argument.

answer or motive, but it's definitely still a possibility. This is something that we're still investigating right now, but we'll update you guys if we get anything new on that in terms of Ryan Duke's motive. Hi, this is a listener from Nashville, Tennessee. Now that somebody has been charged possibly for this murder, or at least has been arrested, I can't help but wonder if possibly this fella and Ryan

the person that was George Harrison could be connected. Is there any possibility that might be the case or is this just coincidence? I can't shake the feeling that maybe this person that was George Harrison knew something and was so adamant about Payne solving this case that maybe he knows something about Ryan Duke. Just a thought.

Keep it up. I do not think that George Harrison has any connection to Ryan Duke whatsoever. As far as George Harrison's messages to me on Facebook saying, Payne Lindsay will solve this case, I really think that that was just a coincidence. I don't think that he had any sort of insight into that or any sort of effect the podcast may have had. Maurice and I did an extensive investigation into George Harrison's real identity. We found a man named Jose.

And this guy was, in fact, not a former student of Tara's and has no real connection to the case or to Tara or Ryan Duke, who was just charged with her murder. Hi, my name is Alma and I'm calling from South Carolina. I've been binge listening to this podcast for the last week and a half now, and I love it. My question or my comment is, is Ryan Duke related to Tara?

The guy who killed himself because he said that a group of people killed Tara on a dirt road, they seem to be about the same age. And at the time, you thought that his story wasn't very credible because of his mental problems. Do you think that could be related in that he was actually telling the truth the whole time?

I just love this podcast. Thanks. Bye. Back in episode six, we learned about a kid who committed suicide years ago and left a note saying that he couldn't live with himself any longer knowing what happened to Tara. Then he proceeded to list 12 different names in association with this. Since the arrest of Ryan Duke last week, we have interviewed countless people who knew Ryan. And we've also talked about the possible connection to the suicide note.

Now, from what I can tell you right now, we haven't found anything 100% definitive on this yet, but I can also say that there is still a possibility that these things are related. We will be sharing a few interviews with you and a few different testimonies from different people about the suicide note and its possible connection with Ryan Duke very soon.

I have a question. In the last podcast, you were talking to one of Ryan's high school friends and he dropped a name and you immediately sounded like you were pretty familiar with that guy. Was he on your radar before at all or has he since become on your radar after Ryan confessed?

And is he currently being investigated or do you know anything about that? Thank you so much and keep up the good work. Love the podcast. That's a really good question. So the name that we beeped out when we were talking to one of Ryan Duke's high school friends was familiar to me because we've been looking into this person ever since the news broke of Ryan Duke's arrest on Thursday. The moment I heard Ryan Duke's name, I also heard this other person's name. So they've been associated together since

in this thing since the beginning, since the news broke from my sources. This particular friend circle has come up on our radar in the past, but both of these individuals' names, including Ryan Duke, were never brought up specifically.

As far as what the GBI is doing in regards to this other person, I can't really comment on that right now, and I don't know for sure. But I do know that it will come to light pretty soon on both the podcast and the media in general. Save on Cox Internet when you add Cox Mobile and get fiber-powered internet at home and unbeatable 5G reliability on the go. So whether you're playing a game at home... Yes, cool! ...or attending one live...

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Plus, Shopify's award-winning help is there to support your success every step of the way. Do retail right with Shopify. Go to shopify.com slash retail offer to take your retail business to the next level today. That's shopify.com slash retail offer. Hi, this is Rick P. from Colorado. You know, let's listen to the Ryan Duke episode and...

They mentioned Ryan Duke. You know, the GBI never had him on their radar. But then the guy you were talking to at the end of the episode said that he had heard that story. He'd heard that story at the pecan orchard. He'd heard about, you know, this guy had killed Tara and dumped her body. And he'd heard that from someone else. Like, that was basically a rumor around the town. But GBI said they'd never heard about it.

My question is, you know, since the GBI was investigating basically every lead they got, how did this lead never get to them? I mean, did this ever get to Maurice? Yeah, long time listener, first time caller. Thank you, Payne. This is an awesome show. The GBI said in their press conference last Thursday and also a few more times since then that Ryan Duke was never on their radar. I have since heard some conflicting stories about that.

One obviously being the conversation you heard at the end of the last episode, where a man claimed to have heard about this same story 10 years ago. I don't want to comment on this too soon without completely vetting all the different stories and sources we have. But what I can say is that from what's been told to me by more than one person is that this pecan orchard story that involves Ryan Duke was in fact mentioned 10 years ago.

Whether or not the GBI was aware of that, I'm not entirely sure yet. But what I will say is that if they were, it would be a really big shame. I will be talking a lot more about this in the coming episodes.

Hi, Payne. I have a question about the location of where the GBI is currently searching for Tara's body and her remains. Rumor has it that Ryan Duke is not speaking about anything and that he's not being very cooperative. Again, rumor has it.

So, what led the GBI to this specific spot in this 200-acre pecan orchard? Did he actually lead them to that place? I would love to know more about how that specific location in that large of a pecan orchard was identified by the GBI. Right now, the GBI is currently searching for Tara Grinstead's remains at Hudson Pecan Orchard in Fitzgerald.

I don't know for sure how the GBI was led to this specific location, but from everything I've gathered in my own investigation so far, I believe that they were led here to this specific spot by the tipster or from subsequent interviews they conducted after the tipster came forward.

Hi, Payne. This is Jessica from Athens, Georgia. I actually have two questions. First, will any of the episodes that you had already made prior to the recent break in the case still be released at some point? So that's question one. Question two is if multiple people heard Ryan Duke talking about killing Tara and burning her body in a pecan orchard,

10 years ago, why didn't anyone ever investigate that? And why did no one ever go to the police or why didn't the police ever investigate him back then? So two different questions. Really love the show. Really want to hear more and your thoughts. Thanks so much. Bye.

Thanks for calling. That's a good question. Obviously, I had a completely different episode prepared for episode 13 prior to the GBI's announcement of charging Ryan Duke with Tara Grinstead's murder. But this doesn't mean that any of the information I had already doesn't link to Ryan Duke somehow. So a lot of it I will still be discussing in future episodes, as well as any other connections this may have to our previous findings in the podcast.

As far as why no one told the police about this pecan orchard story 10 years ago, I really don't know. I also don't know for sure that the GBI was or was not told about this. Again, this is something that we're avidly investigating right now, and we'll be sharing with you anything new we find in the next few weeks. Hey, Payne. My name is Angie. I live in Coffey County, Mayburn County, next to Osceola, where Tara is actually from. Quick question. Do we know if...

Ryan Duke has visitation privileges while he is being detained. Has anyone tried to reach out and speak to him for a statement? I'm just interested to see if he has given a statement himself or is he willing to speak to the press or anybody for a one-on-one interview. As far as reaching out to Ryan Duke for an interview or statement in regards to this case,

I've spoke to a few different people about how to get a hold of him and what he's technically allowed or not allowed to do right now. I was told the easiest way for me to reach him would be to send him a letter with my phone number on it and ask him to call me.

Hi, this is Annie Vaughn, and I live in Precise, Georgia, and I've really enjoyed your podcast. I got interested in it when I saw a link about it through the Tara Grinstead case, and I was just wondering, I saw a press release earlier that the GBI were searching the pecan orchard, and

He said that they were interviewing other people that were involved. And I was wondering if you had any leads on the other people that might be involved in that investigation. And I wish you luck with all your other stuff that you're doing right now. I know you're probably really busy, but if you have time to answer that question, I'd appreciate it. Thanks. Bye.

Yes, right now the GBI is conducting a search for Tara Grinstead's remains at Hudson Pecan Orchard in Fitzgerald, Georgia.

As far as the other interviews they're conducting, I don't know for sure who they are. But from my sources, I have found that they have been talking to the tipster, his or her friends and acquaintances, as well as possibly another party who was involved in helping to conceal Tara Grinstead's death. Hey there, my name is Merwin and I'm calling you currently from Rochester, New York. I'm loving the podcast and the story and my heart just breaks for Tara and her family, but I'm so glad it seems to be wrapping itself up.

Here's my question. A few times you keep playing the same audio clips

where someone is mentioning the details of the pecan orchard. And in one, it sounds like they said that's where he burned her body. Another one says that's where he dumped her body. Can you just, without maybe, you know, putting away too much, if you can clarify the discrepancies, because obviously one is quite different than the other. Thanks so much and keep up the wonderful work. Cannot wait to listen to the next podcast.

Just to clarify, we are all still investigating this, so I don't want to speak too soon. But to answer that, I will just say that a body can be dumped somewhere and then burned later.

Hi, Payne. This is Bridget Brennan from Orlando, Florida. Congratulations on helping crack the Tara Grinstead case. Quick question for you. What's the deal with Jose? Is he the reason that the GBI were able to crack the case? Did he give some information that may have helped? Any updates on him would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. Keep on going. Bye.

Jose, or by his alias on Facebook, George Harrison, didn't do anything except troll Maurice and I on Facebook and is in no way related to Ryan Duke or any of the recent developments in this case. Hi, Payne. This is Mary Heredia. I'm out of Loganville, Georgia.

And I just feel like this whole Ryan Duke arrest is very convenient. It just seems a little bit suspicious to me. I feel like there's more to this story. Just something seems off about it. And I was just wondering what your thoughts were. Thanks. Bye. I can tell you that the GBI would most likely not charge Ryan Duke with Tara Grinstead's murder unless they had sufficient evidence against him.

This family in the town of Osceola has waited too long for answers, and the GBI knows that. I am certain that they felt whatever evidence they had against him was strong, and that's why they charged him with her murder. As far as other people being involved, my personal opinion is yes. There is at least one more person involved, most likely in the act of covering it up.

And just so you know, this is not based on my speculation. It's based on credible accounts from multiple sources that have told me the exact same story. I feel confident that the GBI will convict Ryan Duke, but I'm not so sure about anybody else involved. I guess we'll see soon. Hey guys, this is Karen from Nashville, Tennessee. I just wanted to call and say that you both have had me captivated from the very, very first episode when I was listening to the GBI story.

I kept waiting for them to say, and we want to send a special thanks out to Payne. This wouldn't have happened without you. I hope you are just so proud of yourself. I think all of us want to kind of have a purpose in life and make a difference. And that's for sure. You absolutely have made a difference. You reignited the spire. You got people talking. You sparked interest. You can't tell me out of 12 years, all of this happened and didn't have anything to do with your podcast. Yeah.

I'm very, very, very excited for you. And I do have a bunch of questions, but I'm sure they're not unique to anyone else's. I'm eager to watch this thing unfold. I can't imagine this 20, 21 year old kid pulled off this murder that if he hadn't come forward, probably wouldn't have been solved. So anyway, I'll be eagerly waiting for your next episode. Congratulations, guys. You did a great job. Thanks. I really appreciate that.

The GBI did specifically thank the media and their press conference for not only keeping this case alive, but they also went on to say it played a huge role in the prosecution of Ryan Duke. I don't feel comfortable claiming any sort of credit for solving this. The GBI, as well as Maurice Godwin, have worked tirelessly for the past 12 years trying to solve this case. But I do feel like the podcast played a huge role in creating renewed interest in this case. And hopefully the spotlight from Up and Vanished contributed towards the tipster coming forward with new information. ♪

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