OCILLA — Thursday marked a decade since Irwin County High School teacher Tara Grinstead was last seen. In the years since, authorities have chased hundreds of leads and even drained a pond in their search for her, but all to no avail.

The night Tara Grinstead, 31, disappeared in 2005, friends say she attended a beauty pageant at the Grand Theatre in Fitzgerald. She was a supporter of the pageant scene and a former Miss Tifton. After the Oct. 22 pageant, she reportedly ate dinner with friends and went to her home in Ocilla. Grinstead’s coworkers reported the Hawkinsville native missing on Oct. 24. Police, firefighters, emergency management officials, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and volunteers began looking for her soon after.

Police place her last known contact with anyone at around 11 p.m. on Oct. 22. A search of her house turned up no clues. In fact, her house appeared undisturbed, according to Ocilla Police Chief Billy Hancock. Her car was parked in the driveway of her residence. Her house was locked and the only items that appeared to be missing were her purse and keys, according to a GBI press release.

Grinstead’s disappearance and the subsequent search garnered national media attention, with reports on CNN and Fox News. A reward totaling $25,000 was offered for information in the case.

In February of this year, a small pond in Fitzgerald was drained in search of evidence. J.T. Ricketson, special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation office in Perry, said that about a week and a half earlier, someone contacted the office and provided information, and enough of that information was corroborated. A search warrant was secured for officials to search a small pond located on the north side of Fitzgerald, off Satilla Street. The pond was drained, but authorities said no body was found.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Ocilla police, (229) 468-7494 or the tip line at (229) 468-TIPS, or the GBI Perry office at (478) 987-4545 or the GBI tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS.

Terry Richards is an editor at The Valdosta Daily Times.