Up and Vanished, narrated by filmmaker Payne Lindsey, is the chilling true story of the disappearance and murder of Tara Grinstead in the small town of Ocilla, Georgia. Grinstead was 30 years old at the time of her disappearance. A history teacher and former beauty queen, she left a friend’s party to go home on October 23, 2005 and was discovered to be missing that Monday when she missed work. Twelve years later, her case remained unsolved until this very year when Lindsey began his podcast and reignited the media’s interest, eventually leading to the apprehension of her alleged killers.
The podcast begins with Lindsey telling of how he found the case: searching online for his next documentary project and coming across the Grinstead case, the largest casefile in the history of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The weekly episodes take you through the case evidence and Lindsey’s own search to find the truth. He interviews forensic psychiatrists, lawyers, and even one of the accused men’s ex-girlfriend. He hides nothing from his audience and also has some evidence uploaded onto his website. And in addition to unraveling a heinous crime, he uncovers some of the corruption that sounds like it’s out of an episode of “House of Cards”.
It was an amazing podcast that I couldn’t stop listening to. And the most shocking part? It’s all real. Seriously, you can Google everything you hear and double check! If you’re looking for something to listen to while you’re working or cleaning, look no further. This is the best I’ve heard so far, and I can’t wait for Lindsey’s next project.