Episode 16

Episode 16

Payne talks true crime podcasts with Crimetown creator/host Mark Smerling. On a trip to Ocilla, he also visits Marcus Harper’s mother.

Episode 15

Episode 15

Payne and Donald visit Tara’s house, meeting the current tenant and examining the yard where the latex glove was found. Then the Irwin County High School principal allows them to examine old yearbooks with photos of Tara, Ryan, and Bo. Payne learns more about Ryan Duke’s past legal troubles, his possible mental state, and his relationship with Bo Dukes. Forensic psychologist discusses the trope of quiet guys being crazy criminals, and Payne and Dusty Vassey discuss their emotions after the arrests. Payne addresses when exactly law enforcement was tipped to the pecan grove as a crime scene, and he examines a cryptic Facebook message from Ryan.

Episode 14

Episode 14

Immediately after Ryan Duke’s arrest, Payne and Maurice start hearing mentions of Bo Dukes as a likely accomplice. Payne reports the search of the pecan orchard, quickly followed by Bo’s arrest. Legal expert Phillip Holloway explains how gag orders work, and a former associate of Bo Dukes recalls partying in the pecan orchard years ago and that Ryan Duke might have driven a black pick-up truck…

Episode 13

Episode 13

Ryan Duke’s arrest is announced at a GBI press conference in Ocilla, and the UAV team scrambles to find out who in the world he is. Payne first hears about a pecan orchard on the way to Fitzgerald…

Episode 12

Episode 12

Payne and Maurice think they’ve figured out how “George Harrison” (now identified as Jose) knew about the UAV podcast before it started. They later learn that the GBI interrogated and possibly harassed him after being tipped off by Maurice. Payne discusses how quickly news of Tara’s disappearance spread, to a local newspaper editor and even to cable TV host Nancy Grace, both of whom appear on the podcast. Former school superintendent Troy Davis describes Tara’s behavior at the BBQ and several phone calls she received that fateful evening.

Episode 11

Episode 11

Payne and Maurice try to figure out who’s behind the “George Harrison” Facebook account, including a conversation for Troy Davis who was Facebook friends with him. A forensic psychology professor visits the podcast to discuss the history of murderers who have chosen to insert themselves into investigations of their own crimes. Finally, Payne and Donald visit a private investigator’s office in Atlanta and learn the identity of “George Harrison.”

Episode 10

Episode 10

Payne addresses the issue of several people who were in or around Tara’s house before and during the initial police search, including a conversation with Tara’s friend Mandy, who saw some oddities in how the house was arranged. Law professor Colin Miller explains evidence authentication and chain of custody protocols. Payne pursues the mystery of the black truck and who might have driven it, and he talks to someone who saw the truck that weekend as a kid. Maurice and Payne also tell us about messages from a mysterious face Facebook account belonging to “George Harrison.”

Episode 9

Episode 9

Payne and Maurice examine some emails sent by Tara in the weeks before she disappeared, focusing on her breakup with Marcus Harper and her emotional state of mind. Payne interviews Jim Hickey a friend of school superintendent Troy Davis who dated Tara a couple times and received a text from her the night she disappeared. We also take another look at that latex glove and whether it was blue or white, wondering if it could have been swapped out at any point in the investigation.

Episode 8

Episode 8

We continue to investigate the behavior of the young man who died by suicide in 2010. Payne interviews the man’s brother as well as a clinical psychologist regarding his head injury and subsequent personality change. Payne checks in with his grandma’s friend Melba about who Tara might have visited the day of her disappearance. And he and Maurice Godwin discuss Joe Hilton’s claim that Marcus Harper spent part of that fateful weekend with him. Maurice also describes threats he received while investigating the case in Ocilla.