EP. 258 - SERIAL KILLER: THE BEAST OF BLOOD MOUNTAIN: PART TWO: THE HUNT FOR GARY HILTON

In December of 2007, the National Forests of the Eastern US were being hunted by a killer. By that point, Gary Hilton had already claimed two victims. But as 2007 turned to 2008, he set his sights on two more. Little did he know, as he slunk through National Forests targeting these women, that they would be his downfall. Because Cheryl Dunlap and Meredith Emerson weren’t going to go down without a fight. And their fight not only led police to the realization that they had a serial killer on their hands, but led them right to him, in a game of cat and mouse unlike anything we’ve ever seen. - Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!: -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl -Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844 -Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files -Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101 -iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/ -PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca -CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:44Speaker 01

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• 1:13Speaker 02

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• 1:36Speaker 03

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• 1:45Colin Brown?

  Warning: The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.

• 1:57Courtney Brown?

  Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.

• 2:03Colin Brown?

  This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

• 2:06Courtney Brown?

  In part one of this two-part series, we took a look at the dark beginnings of Gary Hilton, a man who lived his life in the shadows, slinking through national forests on an insatiable quest to take from others by any means necessary. In October of 2007, he struck for the first known time, killing a married couple in their 80s, Jack and Irene Bryant, who had just gone outside to experience the beauty of nature. Instead, their lives were taken from them for a mere $300. But before 2007 came to an end, Gary Hilton was desperate for cash once more. And if there was anything that made Gary Hilton his most dangerous, it was desperation.

• 2:50Courtney Brown?

  So this is part two, on the story of serial killer Gary Hilton, the so-called Beast of Blood Mountain. I'm Courtney Brown.

• 2:58Colin Brown?

  And I'm Colin Brown.

• 2:59Courtney Brown?

  And you're listening to Murder in America.

• 4:00Colin Brown?

  Waculla County, Florida, covers 736 square miles, but more than three-quarters of it is protected land. The Appalachia Cola National Forest dominates the west, St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge stretches across the east, and in between sits a collection of small towns just south of Tallahassee. It's quiet and unhurried, the kind of place where the roads don't have much traffic and, as cliché as it sounds, everyone knows everyone. Appalachia Cola National Forest is a favorite place to visit for the locals. Stretched across 532,000 square acres, the forest has woodlands with towering long-leaf pines and lakes and rivers offering boating, swimming, and kayaking.

• 4:42Colin Brown?

  It's a popular spot for people to escape the heat and enjoy the beauty that Florida has to offer. And on December 1st, 2007, that's exactly what 46-year-old Cheryl Dunlap intended to do. Born in Tallahassee on November 18th, 1961, Cheryl Hodges Dunlap had spent nearly her entire life in Waculla County. Classmates from Waculla High School remembered her as a true friend to everyone, someone who always had a smile and wanted to know how you were doing, no matter where she ran into you. Her childhood friend Melinda Cox remembered sleepovers, skating trips, and staying up all night to watch the Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon together, or the all-night skate at the Tallahassee Armory. After graduating from the nursing program at Tallahassee Community College, she became

• 5:27Colin Brown?

  a registered nurse and eventually landed a position at the Thaggard Student Health Center on Florida State University's Tallahassee campus. Cheryl cared a lot for people over the years. She made a huge impact on, not just her patients, but their family members, too. Roy Lent would later say that Cheryl cared for both his mother and grandmother while she was still in the early days of her career. But Cheryl was the kind of nurse that made everyone's day brighter. She gave so much love, and it was clear that she had chosen the perfect career. Outside of her work at the clinic, Cheryl's faith was at the center of everything she did. She was an active member of the Evangelical Christian River of Life Church, where she served as a Sunday school teacher and a prayer warrior.

• 6:09Colin Brown?

  She was also a graduate of the Fire School of Ministry in Pensacola, which took her on mission trips to China, Haiti, and Mexico. One of her friends told the Tallahassee Democrat, she was a godly woman, a woman of the utmost integrity. And that integrity showed everywhere she went. When Hurricane Ivan tore through the Florida Panhandle, she was among those who showed up to help with relief efforts. And her friend Laura described her to police pretty perfectly.

• 6:35Speaker 06

  The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Cheryl is godly. You hear about people that are Christians, but she was the type of person that, she really, really, really tried to live this Christian life, I mean, the way the Bible said.

• 6:52Colin Brown?

  Giving came naturally to her, and for the most part, caring for others dominated her life. But by 2007, things were different. Cheryl was 46 years old. She'd been divorced for two decades and had two sons, Michael, who lived with his father, and Jake, who had stayed with her in Crawfordville. But Jake had just enlisted in the Army, so for the first time in years, she was an empty nester, finding herself with time to do as she pleased. When the recession reached Crawfordville the same way it reached everywhere else in 2007, Cheryl rented out her home and moved into a cinder block shed she had inherited from her father, William, to save money. The shed wasn't much: a tin roof held up by three wooden beams that amplified every

• 7:37Colin Brown?

  Florida rainstorm, a lawn that was more dirt than grass, and a thick wooded backyard where she could let out her loving chihuahua buddy. But it was hers, and she was happy there. With her son Jake gone and her routine settled, her days filled up with friends, church, and the particular kind of peace that comes from rural living. But little did she know, danger was lurking nearby.

• 7:59Courtney Brown?

  On the night of Friday, November 30th, Cheryl ran into her friend Jack Lund while having dinner at the Grand China Buffet, a relaxing end to the week before a full weekend of errands. The next morning, December 1st, she got up and got dressed for the unpredictable Florida winter, wearing a dark, long-sleeve sweater over a white blouse. Then at around 9:00 AM, she got into her 2006 white Toyota Camry to run some errands. First, she stopped at the bank to cash a check for $100. Then she swung by Walmart for some light shopping before heading north towards Tallahassee. Along the drive, she called her friend Kiona Hill. The two caught up and made plans for dinner that evening.

• 8:41Courtney Brown?

  Cheryl mentioned she was planning to stop by the library to use the internet. But first, she made one last stop at Target. Finally, after spending the day running errands, Cheryl decided to take some time for herself. She loved to read, and she loved the beautiful sightseeing her town had to offer. So at 1:30 that afternoon, she drove to Leon Singh's Recreation Area in the Appalachia Cola National Forest. After parking her car, she grabbed her book and sat down near the boardwalk, immersing herself in the story as the birds and cicadas chirped around her. Two hikers, Michael and Vicky Shirley, saw her in passing. Then a little while later, they saw her again. This time, she was walking back towards the entrance of the park, book under her arm,

• 9:25Courtney Brown?

  heading in the direction of the parking lot. Sadly, that was the last confirmed sighting of Cheryl Dunlap. Because while Cheryl had been innocently enjoying her book, in the quiet of nature, Gary Hilton had been watching. Draped in a mosquito net to better blend into the greenery of the forest, he stalked her through a pair of binoculars. And somewhere between Cheryl passing those two hikers and the parking lot, he decided to take his chance. Cheryl hadn't seen him coming. In a flash, Gary Hilton was on top of her, overpowering her. Now, how he got her or what he attacked her with, he's never revealed. Police suspect, however, that he subdued her, possibly by that police baton. And then he wrapped her in duct tape, just like he had done with Jack Bryant.

• 10:09Courtney Brown?

  Once subdued, he dragged Cheryl to the back of his van and threw her inside. As he slammed the door behind her, Cheryl must have been stunned. It all happened so fast. It had just been a normal day, and now she knew something horrific awaited her. But for a few minutes, all she could hear was the sound of keys jingling, and then an engine starting. The engine of her car. Gary had taken her keys and decided to move her car, so he could cover up what he was about to do. He turned out of the Leon Sings parking lot and drove a bit down Crawfordville Highway, before he finally stopped on the side of the road, slashing her back right tire to make it look as if she had broken down on the side of the road. Afterwards, he made his way back to his van, where Cheryl lay in the back, defenseless.

• 10:54Courtney Brown?

  Evidently, Gary had learned a few things from his last attack. Because this time, rather than kill Cheryl right away, he decided to keep her alive. And over the next few days, she was subjected to a living hell. When she was in duct tape in the back of his van, Gary would bring her out into the remote woods, tying her to trees with chains to keep her compliant. Day after day, he ordered Cheryl to give him the pen to all of her cards, and he used her debit card at the local Hancock Bank. While there, he withdrew a total of $700 across several transactions. But what violent Cheryl was subjected to during that time, Gary hasn't revealed. What we do know is that sadly, he toyed with her over the course of several days.

• 11:39Courtney Brown?

  Throughout those horrific days, Cheryl leaned on her faith, as she always did. For her, prayers were a comfort. For Gary, they were even more incentive to kill. He later disclosed that he got a "perverse pleasure" out of the fact that kidnapping Cheryl didn't just terrorize her, it would impact an entire church community. For him, the sheer amount of people who loved Cheryl made the idea of killing her that much more alluring. But after holding her captive for several days, Gary finally decided that he was done with her. He pulled deep into the forest and put the van in park. Then, despite knowing exactly what he was about to do, he told Cheryl that he was going to let her go.

• 12:21Courtney Brown?

  He just wanted to run her card and take her money one last time. Rather than stay in the van, he told her to chain herself to a tree. Gary later remarked in an interview that by that point, Cheryl "knew the drill." She picked up the chains and began to tie herself to the tree. She was just trying to survive, complying with the madman who had been holding her captive. But Gary had no intentions of letting her go. As she knelt before him, wrapping the chains around herself, he unzipped his fanny pack and pulled out his 22. Cheryl met his eye. She knew then and there that she wasn't going home. But she didn't cry, she didn't beg. Instead, she looked at Gary and told him, "Before you die, ask Jesus to forgive you for what you've done."

• 13:06Courtney Brown?

  Right then, he squeezed the trigger, just seconds after the words left her lips. He admitted in later interviews that her final words had "shaken him", but they didn't stop what he did next. After killing Cheryl, he started a fire. He then removed her clothing and threw them into the flames. Then he pulled out a serrated knife. And as the sun began to set, he sawed off her hands and head, slicing through bone, muscle, and tissues, while the fire burned and burned. Wanting to get rid of identifying evidence, he tossed her hands and heads into the fire, and then he watched as her flesh melted away. The smell of burning skin and muscle filled the air, but there was no one around to notice. He was deep, deep in the woods.

• 13:50Courtney Brown?

  And to cover his crime even further, he decided to go deeper. After dismembering Cheryl, he carried her torso deeper into the woods. He then set it down and covered it with brush and tree limbs. Then he turned and walked away, birds chirping overhead and trees swaying around him. The Apalachicola National Forest is a place where people find peace. It's a place where Cheryl chose to read her book days earlier, but now she was buried within it, her body in pieces. Meanwhile, her loved ones were frantic, trying to find her.

• 14:22Colin Brown?

  On Sunday, December 2nd, 2007, when Cheryl didn't show up to teach Sunday School, fellow members of her church knew something was wrong. Cheryl never missed a Sunday service, and if she had to, she'd let everyone know well ahead of time. Her close friend Vera Palmer was immediately concerned. She called Cheryl's house over and over again, but there was no answer. So she decided to reach out to Cheryl's other friends, starting with her close friend, Kiana Hill. That's when Vera's concern turned to panic. Kiana revealed that the day prior, she and Cheryl were supposed to get dinner together, but Cheryl never showed up. She hadn't called to say she was missing it either. And when Kiana had called her home, she got no answer.

• 15:04Colin Brown?

  So with the news that she had been missing for at least 24 hours, her friends were worried sick. But they kept telling themselves that, sure enough, Cheryl would turn up. She was an adult. Perhaps she needed some time to herself. However, by the next morning, Monday, December 3rd, when Cheryl still hadn't made contact, that's when they really started to worry. Tanya Land, another one of Cheryl's friends, drove over to Cheryl's house to see if she could find any clues, but instead, she found something that only made her more concerned. Cheryl's beloved Chihuahua, Buddy, was alone inside, still locked in his crate. The house reeked of feces, and it was clear that the little pup was starving.

• 15:45Colin Brown?

  In no world, in no situation, would Cheryl leave Buddy to suffer. So with that discovery, Cheryl's friends filed a missing persons report and contacted her two children. Upon hearing the news, Michael also rushed to his mother's house. In an interview with police, he relayed that in that moment, after seeing the condition that Buddy was left in, he was certain that something horrific had happened to his mother. Here's a clip of that very interview.

• 16:11Speaker 07

  The dog was still in there. What was your first thought? This ain't good. She's been missing for two days and that dog is still in there. That dog is everywhere with her. And if she's not taking it, she makes arrangements for it to be taken care of. That dog was my brother, if you will.

• 16:27Courtney Brown?

  Soon after all of her loved ones learned she was missing, they spent hours driving around town trying to find her. Eventually, they spotted her white Camry along Crawfordville Highway. They pulled over to see that it was tagged as abandoned. And immediately, they contacted the authorities. When Detective Chapman, who was in charge of Cheryl's missing persons case, heard the news, he ran the license plate and discovered that one of their officers had actually made a report of the abandoned vehicle early Sunday morning. So for the first time, investigators had something solid to work with. A location and a rough timeline. Soon enough, crime scene technicians examined the Camry where it had been found. Unfortunately, it had been raining heavily prior to the examination,

• 17:10Courtney Brown?

  which likely destroyed much of the fingerprint evidence. But they processed the vehicle anyway. Inside, they found Cheryl's FSU identification card, along with pay stubs, water bottles, a checkbook, her Florida driver's license, a Walmart envelope filled with photographs, and two Arizona tea containers, packed with loose cash and coins. They also found several cards written by a man named Rod Dillon, each one filled with affectionate messages to Cheryl. It was their first and only lead. Soon after, investigators located Rod Dillon. They questioned him about Cheryl's disappearance, and almost immediately, he was ruled out. He admitted that the two dated years earlier, but he hadn't spoken to Cheryl in a while.

• 17:52Courtney Brown?

  He gave detectives no indication he was involved in her disappearance whatsoever. And as police did their due diligence, questioning everyone close to her, they were met with dead end after dead end. The Army granted her son Jake a four-day emergency leave to come home. And when detectives sat down with him, he was straightforward. There were no serious family problems, nothing beyond "just the typical childhood problems", getting caught smoking and stuff like that. He and his brother Michael had always gotten along, only ever getting into one fight growing up. When the detectives asked what he and his mother talked about when he called from the base, Jake didn't hesitate. "God. God was her life," he said. He continued by saying,

• 18:36Courtney Brown?

  "The biggest part would always be about talking about God, always about spiritual stuff and caring about God." Cheryl would ask how training was going, talk about news from her best friend Kiana, and then circle back to her faith. When detectives asked if there was anyone who might want to hurt her, Jake's answer was simple. "Everyone loves her."

• 18:57Speaker 06

  As far as people.

• 18:58Speaker 07

  I can't lie to anybody. Some of my mom's are tight that everybody loves her. She doesn't have any enemies. She's not a little that she just go disappearing.

• 19:08Courtney Brown?

  None of Cheryl's loved ones could give investigators a single name of someone who would want to harm her. Police started to suspect that Cheryl had been attacked by a stranger. However, it wasn't until Tuesday, December 4th, that they got the lead regarding the motive behind her disappearance.

• 19:24Colin Brown?

  combing through Cheryl's financial records, law enforcement discovered that someone had withdrawn money from Cheryl's bank account on December 2nd at the Hancock Bank on West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee. And just like in the investigation surrounding Jack and Irene Bryant in North Carolina, investigators contacted the bank for surveillance footage. Around 11 a.m., detectives arrived at the main branch on North Monroe Street to review the footage. They had seen a lot in their day, but nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to see. On the screen, they saw a figure withdrawing money. The figure was cloaked in a baggy jacket, a ski hat, and shockingly, a handmade mask constructed out of what appeared to be surgical tape. All detectives could make out were the eerily

• 20:08Colin Brown?

  dead, emotionless eyes of the suspect as he expertly typed in Cheryl's PIN, withdrew money, and shuffled off. It was clear that he had been desperate to conceal his identity, so desperate that he covered his face in tape. Then hours later, the same man returned to make two more withdrawals. Each time, he wore a different outfit, but the homemade tape mask remained. All police could make out from the footage was that the suspect was estimated to be about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a thin build. From December 2nd to December 4th, the man made several transactions totaling around $700. Whoever this man was, investigators believed he was a local who knew who was comfortable in the area.

• 20:51Courtney Brown?

  For weeks, Cheryl's loved ones waited in agony with few leads and almost no answers regarding her disappearance. On December 8th, 2007, 180 law enforcement officers and volunteers conducted a grid search of the woods near where her car was found. But nothing new was discovered. Although tips came into the Crime Stoppers hotline, they all appeared to be dead ends. And it wouldn't be until 14 days later, when they finally got some answers. It was December 15th, when Park Ranger Willard Parker was dispatched to Forest Road 381 East to investigate a report called in by two hunters, a man named Ronnie and

• 21:32Courtney Brown?

  his son. When Park Ranger Willard arrived, he noticed that both men had horrified looks in their eyes. Panicked and breathless, Ronnie explained that the two were driving their truck to a remote location off a dirt road when they encountered a large number of vultures feeding on something dead roughly 100 yards off the side of the road. Ronnie stepped out thinking it was possibly a deer carcass. But as he got closer, he realized it was no deer.

• 21:59Speaker 07

  I drove up in there to where I like to walk in, walk the dogs in, and I seen some buzzards fly up just right beside the road. I told my son to stay in the truck to, you know, let me see what they was, what the buzzers was doing. And I walked out there and it appeared to be a human body. At first, all I could see was just maybe the torso. I didn't see a head. I see was from maybe neck to waist. Okay. And I thought it was a deer to start with. And when I looked at it, I seen the leg and the foot sticking out. I knew what it was then.

• 22:32Colin Brown?

  Ronnie and his son led the ranger to the location of the body near Bloxham Cut Off Road in Leon County. Partially covered by palmetto leaves and twigs, Willard spotted the remains of what appeared to be a naked woman. The vultures had picked off the flesh from the torso and legs, leaving behind gaping holes in her body. However, the most disturbing aspect was that the woman's head and hands had been cut off. Police suspected that the body belonged to Cheryl Dunlap, but without the head, it was impossible for them to confirm. On December 16th, Leon County Coroner Dr. Wesley Rice conducted the autopsy. A DNA sample was taken, and on December 19th, they positively identified the body as belonging to Cheryl

• 23:15Colin Brown?

  Dunlap. However, Dr. Rice could not determine what date Cheryl had died on, nor the manner of her death. There appeared to be no signs of trauma to her body, and if she had been shot or bludgeoned, the answers would have been found on her missing head. But it was also possible that she had been decapitated while she was still alive. If so, Dr. Rice confirmed that her last moments would have been torturous. It appeared her head had been cut off just below the neck with a sharp instrument, possibly a knife or saw. They would later learn that she had been decapitated using a serrated knife. They wondered if the murderer had been sexually aroused by mutilation, and if her missing hands were some sort of serial killer's signature. The cuts were clean with minimal damage to the

• 23:59Colin Brown?

  bone. The manner of death was officially ruled undetermined homicidal violence. It was a serious and violent crime. Whoever was responsible, investigators needed to find him as soon as possible before he killed again. But finding him would prove challenging because each lead they received only seemed to add to the mystery.

• 24:19Courtney Brown?

  Shortly after Cheryl's body was identified, a tip was called in from a hunter. He told Crime Stoppers that on the afternoon of December 7th, he spotted a homeless-looking man with a knife and a dog standing beside a white van inside the Apalachicola National Forest. The hunter said that he warned the man that the forest wasn't safe during hunting season, but the interaction left him feeling uneasy, and he believed that the man could possibly be connected to Cheryl's homicide. And shockingly, he wasn't the only one who had a strange encounter with this man. Here are two witnesses speaking to law enforcement about seeing a similar-looking man around the time of Cheryl's disappearance, a man who left them all feeling unsettled.

• 25:03Speaker 07

  Ran into this man and his white van, and his dog started barking at us, a big dog, kind of reddish, brownish hair, long hair, I guess.

• 25:15Speaker 03

  And we saw an old man, skinny. I remember he was skinny, looked homeless, walking towards us.

• 25:22Speaker 07

  A gentleman was standing in front of it and said hello, and he engaged in conversation immediately. I noticed stuff strewn around the campsite, and the most prominent thing was a beautiful dark red Irish setter.

• 25:41Speaker 06

  This gentleman with his dog approached me coming out of the woods, and it made me nervous. He had this big, long knife strapped to his side. The dog was a, looked like a golden ferret, but it was like a dark rust color. Probably 5'9", 5'10". He's an older man. Scruffy in the face, like missing a couple of teeth in the front. He gave me the creeps when I saw him. He weirded us out so much that, I mean, I was just joking, completely joking around when I said this, but when I left, when we left, I was like, man, that guy's killed like 10 people.

• 26:15Courtney Brown?

  But aside from the description of the mysterious man in the woods and the man with the mask at the ATM, there was little else to go on, which only made local residents feel more terrified. Women in Wakulla County were desperate to feel safe. So just before Christmas, dozens participated in a firearms and personal safety course sponsored by the Sheriff's Office. They feared that what happened to Cheryl could happen to them. In fact, some had even been around when serial killer Ted Bundy attacked and brutalized female students at Florida State University in 1978. But even with taking personal safety courses, everyone was still fearful. Cheryl's case eventually went cold, and for about

• 26:57Courtney Brown?

  a month, there were no tips and no leads, leaving the community of Crawfordville, her friends and her family members devastated. All the while, investigators were left scratching their heads. And it wasn't until Gary Hilton killed another victim weeks later when investigators finally started to realize that they had a serial killer on their hands.

• 27:18Colin Brown?

  On December 28th, 2007, exactly three weeks after Cheryl's murder, Gary Hilton was cited for illegally camping and driving with an expired Georgia license in the Osceola National Forest, not far from where Cheryl Dunlap had been killed. From there, he was forced to leave, and he decided to head back to familiar territory. After leaving Florida, he crossed state lines into Georgia and disappeared back into the woods he knew well, heading north toward the rugged trails and mountain terrain of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Within the vast Chattahoochee Okanee National Forest, Blood Mountain rises from the Blue Ridge Mountains near Vogel State Park. In Cherokee legend, the mountain was said to

• 27:59Colin Brown?

  be a refuge for lost wanderers, a place where travelers could be taken in, cared for, and safely guided back home. But care and compassion were the last things that 24-year-old Meredith Emerson found on Blood Mountain. Because there, lurking near a trailhead, the self-proclaimed Beast of Blood Mountain was waiting, and he had his eyes sent on her. Meredith was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Throughout her early childhood, she lived in Holly Springs, North Carolina, and then, at just three years old, she moved to Longmont, Colorado, where she spent the majority of her childhood. In the shadow of the Rockies, she developed a love of the outdoors from a young age. Her adolescent years were spent snowshoeing, hiking, and kayaking

• 28:43Colin Brown?

  in the beautiful Colorado wilderness, where she often brought her friends along with her. She was described as outgoing, well-liked, and friendly, and when she wasn't hiking, she was studying. She excelled academically, graduating from Newhart High School with a 4.0 GPA, after which she decided to return to her southern roots. She enrolled at the University of Georgia, where she studied French, and while at UGA, she immersed herself in her studies, living in one of the language-learning residence halls on campus, studying abroad in France for a semester, eventually graduating magna cum laude in 2005. She was a president scholar each semester, inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society,

• 29:25Colin Brown?

  the French Honor Society, and the Delta Epsilon Eota. Her love of learning and literature sparked a dream of eventually teaching English overseas, and after graduating, Meredith settled into a two-bedroom apartment in the Atlanta suburb of Beaufort, where she lived with her roommate, Julia Karenbauer. It's also around this time when she adopted a black lab, Ella, whom she was training as a service dog. At 24, Meredith was steadily building a grounded, independent life. She worked as a sales representative for insulated wall systems in DeKalb County, trained in martial arts at the Edo School of Self-Defense, and somehow, despite her busy schedule, she also made time for all of her friends and her boyfriend, Steve Seegers.

• 30:10Colin Brown?

  Meredith was also a devout Christian, and those who knew her described her as being both driven and balanced, someone who moved through her routines with quiet confidence and consistency. Towards the end of 2007, Meredith was proud of the life she had built, and she had a promising future ahead of her. But sadly, that was all about to be taken from her in a senseless act of violence.

• 30:32Courtney Brown?

  Before she knew it, it was January 1st, 2008. And while most people her age were waking up and nursing a hangover from the night before, Meredith set out to do what she loved most, to hike through the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains with her dog Ella by her side. Before heading out, she left a quick note for her roommate Julia on a small chalkboard in their kitchen. It read, "Taking Ella hiking. Hope you had fun", with a smiley face written underneath. As she walked out the door, she had everything she needed for a successful hike: a small fanny pack filled with snacks and water, as well as supplies for Ella, a small collapsible water dish, and some leashes. And from there, she and Ella hopped into her 1995 Chevy Cavalier

• 31:16Courtney Brown?

  and started the 37-mile journey to Blood Mountain. It was a bit of a drive, but it was worth it. Soon enough, Meredith pulled into the small parking lot at the base of the mountain and unloaded Ella and her gear. The weather wasn't too cold, the air was crisp, and the sky was clear. With Ella's leash in one hand, she started her trek onto the Byron Herbert Rees hiking trail. Unfortunately, Gary Hilton was on that same trail. He was familiar with this section of the forest. He knew it was one of the more popular hiking areas, and a lot of people also meant a lot of witnesses. He would later say that he had no intention of killing anyone that day. He was just finding a place for him and his dog, Dandy, to set up camp. But when he laid eyes on Meredith,

• 32:00Courtney Brown?

  he claimed that his intentions for the day changed. He saw her at a trail crossing. While Gary and Dandy were coming down the mountain, Meredith and Ella were going up. And with Dandy by his side, Gary knew that he had an easy way to approach her, a tactic he called, quote, "reverse anthropomorphism". If he had a nice, lovable, non-threatening dog, then he would be perceived the same. So, he approached them. He started casually, asking simple questions like, "What's your dog's name? Is it a boy or a girl?" Unassumingly, Meredith answered, "She's a girl. Her name's Ella." The interaction seemed innocent enough, but it wasn't. Gary continued chatting with her,

• 32:42Courtney Brown?

  talking about their dogs and hiking experience. At one point, Meredith even offered him some trail mix from her fanny pack, and eventually, they parted ways, but not for long. As Meredith and Ella continued up the mountain, Gary and Dandy pretended to go down. Then, when Meredith was far enough away, he changed course, heading back up the mountain. For a while, he kept his distance. Along the way, a number of hikers passed them. First, the hikers would see Meredith and Ella. Then shortly behind, they'd see Gary and Dandy. One of these hikers was actually an ex-law enforcement officer named Clay Stager. And as he passed Gary Hilton, he noticed something strange: a police baton hanging from his belt loop.

• 33:26Courtney Brown?

  Now, it's not uncommon for people to bring weapons on a hike. You never know what kind of dangerous animal you could encounter. But usually, people carry bear spray, knives, or even guns. A police baton isn't going to do much damage to a bear or mountain lion. But nonetheless, Clay Stager continued on with his hike, having no idea that the young woman he just passed was about to be brutally murdered by the man with the baton. On the way up the mountain, Gary Hilton was planning exactly how he was going to do it. He decided to conceal himself in the foliage of the forest and lie in wait for Meredith to return down the trail. Here he is discussing his motive behind that decision with law enforcement.

• 34:08Speaker 02

  Did you form an opinion at that point? Or did you form an idea at that point that you wanted to abduct her at that point?

• 34:14Speaker 07

  Yeah. This was driven really by nothing but, well, the desire to obtain her card.

• 34:21Speaker 02

  That was the sole purpose? He wanted her card?

• 34:24Speaker 07

  Yeah, and rather than pick a guy who would, or a couple with a guy who might really fight, you know? Because if you want a card and PIN number, and the guy fights you, you gotta kill him, and belt him where you at, you know? So I felt it would be, I knew it would be easier to establish control over a female, any female, than it would a male. It's not that I could whip a male, but once you whip him, he might be left holding an empty bag.

• 34:53Courtney Brown?

  As he saw Meredith and Ella coming back down, he waited for them to pass before he emerged from the trees, trying his best not to alarm her. Then from there, he followed behind. Meredith likely noticed him. You can hear it when someone's walking behind you. But when she turned around, she saw it was the kind stranger and his dog. Now, I'm sure she was a bit confused at first, since the last time she saw him, he was already coming back down the mountain, and here he is, coming down again. But during their last interaction, he was pleasant. There was nothing to indicate she was in danger. Meredith and Ella continued their descent. But every time she turned around, the man and his dog were getting closer and closer. Before she knew it, he was right behind her, completely closing the gap between them.

• 35:37Courtney Brown?

  And this time, when she looked at him, that friendly look on his face had disappeared. And this time, he was holding a knife when he demanded,

• 35:45Colin Brown?

  "Give me your credit cards and PIN numbers."

• 35:47Courtney Brown?

  Taken aback, but still prepared to stand her ground, Meredith did the unthinkable. She grabbed the knife by the blade, slicing the palm of her hand in the process. Using her martial arts skills, she delivered a swift kick to his hand, knocking the knife to the ground, effectively disarming him. Gary later told police that he was stunned by the fight Meredith put up. Desperate to keep her under control, he grabbed his second weapon, the baton. He attempted to hit her with it, before she once again managed to knock it loose. With both of his weapons now on the ground, his last resort was his hands. As Meredith kicked and punched, Gary attempted to grab her, causing the two to tumble off the trail down a hill. Gary got up first, found his footing,

• 36:31Courtney Brown?

  and delivered three blows to her face: one to her right eye, one to her left, and one to her nose, breaking it. As Meredith stood, disoriented and bloody, she yelled out for help as loud as she could before falling to her knees in the dirt. Gary was also exhausted. He didn't usually have to fight this hard to subdue his victims. He later described the struggle to law enforcement, but diminished the pain he caused Meredith.

• 36:56Speaker 07

  I had the hand whiter. And that's where I got this hand. I probably had multiple fractures.

• 37:02Speaker 02

  In my right hand now.

• 37:03Speaker 06

  Okay.

• 37:04Speaker 02

  However, I'm not in pain and I don't think any of my displays. I had to hand flatter and I still couldn't get control of her. She would uh feign or pretend that I was in control and then start fighting again.

• 37:15Speaker 06

  Right.

• 37:16Speaker 02

  So I had to, I had to hit her a number of times.

• 37:19Speaker 06

  Now you hit her every time with your right hand or?

• 37:22Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 37:23Speaker 06

  Okay.

• 37:23Speaker 02

  These are straight in, straight in punches.

• 37:25Speaker 06

  In the face or?

• 37:27Speaker 02

  Yeah, or the, or the head.

• 37:28Speaker 06

  Okay.

• 37:29Speaker 02

  As to what extent she was injured, uh, her, her two eyes were somewhat blackened. Uh, she may or may not have a fractured nose. I, I checked with her a number of times and she was not in any pain other than uh, afterwards she was not in any pain other than a headache. I offered her and gave her uh asthma.

• 37:53Courtney Brown?

  With her nose broken and her body battered, Gary stood over her and demanded,

• 37:57Colin Brown?

  Get up, don't try anything. All I wanted was your cards and PIN numbers.

• 38:02Courtney Brown?

  Too weak to answer, to do anything, Meredith just sat there. He then yelled at her to move. Since he knew the forest inside and out, he led Meredith and the two dogs to a secluded side trail that ran alongside the parking lot. Halfway there, he realized that in the midst of the fight, he had left his weapons behind, along with Meredith's belongings and Ella's leash. So he quickly tied Meredith to a nearby tree and gagged her to prevent her from screaming. He then retreated back the way he came to recover the items he left behind. But as he approached the main trail, distant voices stopped him in his tracks. He quickly dropped down in the foliage so no one would see him.

• 38:42Colin Brown?

  Up ahead, he saw a fellow hiker hovering over the items on the ground. Gary watched in horror as the hiker began to pick it all up. They grabbed Meredith's water bottle and fanny pack, Ella's leash and his bayonet and baton. They didn't know exactly what had happened or that they were being watched by a serial killer, but they were unsettled by what they had discovered. So they picked them up and brought them down the trail. Gary was frustrated. Nothing had gone the way he suspected. Then he retreated back to Meredith, untied her and hurried her and the dogs to his van. And to her dismay, as he opened up the back, she saw a chain attached to the floor of the vehicle. Meredith began to plead for her life, but Gary wouldn't listen.

• 39:25Colin Brown?

  He grabbed her and secured a padlock on the makeshift collar around her neck. Examining her, he noticed a small cut on her right hand from when she had grabbed his knife. In a strange attempt at humility, he offered to bandage it up for her, but she declined. Here's Gary describing what he forced Meredith to endure.

• 39:44Speaker 02

  I put a, a loop line around her neck and just like a leash, like a dog's leash. And that's the only way she was secured. Okay. And I told her that I had a gun and that, you know, I was just gonna shoot her down. I didn't have a gun, but I had a BB pistol, looked like a gun. And uh, and I was gonna shoot her down and you know, she took off running or something. You know, but you gotta do that because most girls could probably outrun me. You know, not that fast. And uh, and after that, from then on, she totally cooperated with me.

• 40:19Courtney Brown?

  It was there, chained in the back of the van, where Gary asked her once again for her credit cards. Meredith told him that they were in her car. So with her chained up in the back, he drove to the parking lot to retrieve them. After rifling through Meredith's Cavalier, he placed her dog Ella inside. He would later say that he did this, hoping someone would eventually find Ella, instead of him letting her loose. But after he grabbed Meredith's wallet, he returned to the back of the van and once more demanded her PIN number. Terrified and bleeding, Meredith gave him a number. From there, he drove to a nearby bank where he attempted to withdraw money, but the transaction was declined. Meredith had given him the wrong PIN number on purpose.

• 41:03Courtney Brown?

  Despite the situation she found herself in, she found ways to outsmart Gary over and over again. She knew deep down that as soon as he got what he wanted, she was useless to him and that once the money was in his hands, he would likely kill her. So Meredith was buying herself time. However, Gary believed the ATM might be faulty, so he started driving to a different bank. Along the way, Meredith told Gary she was worried about her dog Ella. In an attempt to satisfy her and regain any sort of trust, and because his love of animals was stronger than it was of humans, he agreed to go back and get her. Returning to the scene of the crime, Gary quickly guided Ella by her collar into the back of the van.

• 41:46Courtney Brown?

  And for a small moment, Meredith found comfort in having her dog back, but it wouldn't last long. Gary was still on the hunt for her money and he knew it was time to get serious. From that point, he decided to drive 50 miles south to a bank in Gainesville. After scanning the parking lot for cars, he exited the van wearing a baseball hat and a makeshift mask made of tape. But once again, he typed in the wrong PIN and the transaction declined. Frustrated cold and running out of options, he headed towards the city of Delaniga. Through a raging blizzard, Gary found an abandoned Forest Service road and decided to set up camp for the night. But Meredith's nightmare was far from over.

• 42:28Courtney Brown?

  As Gary sat at the campsite, he was frustrated with how things played out. He had spent the entire day driving all over the state, using gas he couldn't afford and putting miles on his already beat up van for nothing. He wasn't sure why the pens weren't working. Meredith was sure she gave him the right one, but by this point, he knew she was lying. In his own sick mind, after all the hard work he had gone through that day, Meredith owed him and if he couldn't get money, he'd get something else. In an interview, he told police what he had told Meredith.

• 43:01Colin Brown?

  Honey, I told you I was gonna let you go. You've run me around all over North Georgia, maybe put 150 miles on my van. We still don't, you've lied to me. Give me some pussy.

• 43:12Courtney Brown?

  From there, Gary Hilton brutally raped her in the back of his van as the snow whipped outside and the temperatures dropped further and further. He later told detectives that the act was not quote forcible or unwanted, but obviously it was. In his twisted mind somehow, Meredith wanted him.

• 43:31Colin Brown?

  Back at home, Meredith's roommate Julia was sick with worry. Meredith and Ella had left for their hike hours and hours earlier. They should have been back. And when she didn't show up to work the next day, January 2nd, her coworkers knew something was wrong. Like Cheryl Dunlap, Meredith would have never missed work without calling in. So at 12:59 PM on January 2nd, Julia called the Union County Sheriff's Office to officially report her missing. Meredith's boyfriend, Steve Seegers, then drove up to the Reese Trail parking lot where he located her car. He alerted law enforcement and soon after, police from the Union County Sheriff's Office arrived to initiate the search for Meredith. And as crews searched, Meredith's parents flew in from Colorado.

• 44:16Colin Brown?

  They issued a statement saying, she is smart, level-headed, Meredith's middle name is Hope, and that's exactly what the Lord gives us for her. So we're talking about Meredith in the present tense and we will find her and she will safely come home to us.

• 44:35Colin Brown?

  And now for a brief ad break.

• 44:52Colin Brown?

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• 45:37Colin Brown?

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• 46:20Colin Brown?

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• 47:03Colin Brown?

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• 47:48Colin Brown?

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• 48:13Colin Brown?

  Anyways, y'all, let's get back to the show.

• 48:19Courtney Brown?

  Almost immediately, news began to spread around town that a hiker had gone missing in the nearby forest. And luckily, someone came forward with information. It was a gas station attendant. The attendant told police that a man had come in the previous day, holding a bunch of random items. He told the attendant that he had found the items on a hiking trail, and wanted to know if he could leave them there, just in case someone came looking for them. Coincidentally, that same day, that ex-cop Clay Stager also came into the gas station. Clay told the attendant about the strange man he saw walking the trail, with a police-issued baton. So clearly, the officers wanted to see these items that were left on the trail. The gas station attendant handed them over, and

• 49:03Courtney Brown?

  it was there where they saw Meredith's belongings. They saw the police baton. And seeing this, they were confident that Meredith had been abducted while on the trail. From here, they interviewed the witnesses on the trail, getting a solid description of the man who had been seen following behind Meredith.

• 49:19Colin Brown?

  Soon after, investigators released a description of the man to the media, and it spread far and wide. The fact that this young woman went missing with her dog was big news. Meredith's story was heavily featured on Georgia's news outlets, and it worked. The description reached a man named Jack Tabor, and if you recall, Jack was Gary Hilton's boss and landlord for a time, and when he heard the description, he instantly knew it was Gary. Not just because of his previous threats, but because on January 3, 2008, Gary had called Jack to ask about money and getting his job back. During the call, Gary had made some concerning comments about a girl that was with him. Jack relayed this

• 50:02Colin Brown?

  all to law enforcement, and for the first time, he had a name: Gary Michael Hilton. Now, they just had to find where he was. That same morning, January 3, as the sun rose over snow-capped mountains, Meredith awakened in the same nightmare she had found herself in the night before: beaten, raped, and tied up in the back of Gary's van. And Gary was packing things up to take off yet again. This time, they were headed towards Dawson Forest, only 40 miles from Blood Mountain, where Meredith had been kidnapped. Along the way to this new area, Gary also made one more attempt to use Meredith's bank cards, which, to no surprise, still didn't work. Defeated and agitated, he retreated

• 50:45Colin Brown?

  back into the mountains, unaware that the surrounding woods were being searched by police. And they weren't just looking for Meredith this time, they were also looking for him.

• 50:55Courtney Brown?

  By January 4, 2008, Meredith had been held in captivity for three long days, and now she and Gary were deep within Dawson Forest. During those horrific days, Meredith wondered if she was ever going to make it out alive, if she was ever going to see her friends and family again. At times, the thought seemed impossible, but to her surprise, on this particular day, Gary approached her and said he was going to let her go. The amount of relief she must have felt in that moment was heartbreaking, because sadly, Gary was lying. In an attempt to comfort her, he bagged up all of her belongings, pretending to get them ready for her departure. But first, he had to tie her up one last time.

• 51:37Courtney Brown?

  He lied and said he wanted to make some coffee really quick. He would tie her up while he made it, and then, once he was finished, he would untie her and let her go. So using a blue nylon cord, he tied Meredith to a tree, before retreating into his van to make that cup of coffee. However, minutes later, when he emerged from the van, he wasn't holding a mug. Instead, he was holding a large serrated kitchen knife and a metal jack handle. It was at that moment where Meredith knew she was never going back home. Gary walked up to her, hitting her in the head with the metal jack handle. Meredith, still conscious, choked out a final plea. "Please don't kill me," she said. But before she knew it, he delivered a second blow. From there, he continued hitting Meredith over

• 52:22Courtney Brown?

  and over again, until she was dead. Then, just like he did with Cheryl Dunlap, he grabbed his serrated knife and sawed off Meredith's head. He threw her head in the back of his van, along with her clothing. Then he poured liquid bleach over her body, hoping to destroy all evidence. Afterwards, Gary got into his van and drove to a different part of Dawson Forest, further away from her body, and there he disposed of her head. Now, it's believed that Meredith's dog Ella was present during her murder. It's unknown if Ella was still in the van when it happened, or if she saw the whole thing. But what we do know is that after leaving Dawson Forest, Gary Hilton left with Ella and his dog

• 53:05Courtney Brown?

  Dandy, and started driving towards a populated area in Cummings, Georgia.

• 53:09Colin Brown?

  As he drove towards Cummings, Georgia, he still had Ella in the vehicle with him, and he couldn't bring himself to murder the dog. So, he dumped her near a grocery store in Cummings. The town was about 50 miles away from where Meredith Emerson's friends and family were looking for her, and soon enough, locals found the black lab wandering around. Now, by this point, everyone knew about the missing hiker and her dog. So, when Ella was found, they immediately called the police, speculating that it could be Meredith's dog. Officers then brought the dog to a local veterinarian to check for a microchip, which confirmed that the dog was, in fact, Ella. Her father issued a statement, saying,

• 53:51Colin Brown?

  "We're happy that Ella has been found, but Meredith is still out there." And Meredith was out there somewhere, but unbeknownst to her family, she was lying in pieces. And the man who had killed her was on the run yet again. Criminologist Dr. Everett Penn reflected on just how scary his freedom was, stating that he was essentially telling police, "You can't catch me. I'm here in this vastness of the United States, and it's up to you to try to find me or stop me, because I'm going to keep doing this horrific act." For Gary, the walls were rapidly closing in.

• 54:25Courtney Brown?

  He was out of money, out of options. So on January 5, he decided to reach out to someone for help. He stopped at a QuickTrip gas station to place a call to Melissa Purdy, an ex-girlfriend he hadn't spoken to in years. When she answered, he cut right to the chase. He needed money, and he needed it now. Her response was simple: "Don't you know that the whole world is looking for you?" And with that, he hung up, aware for the very first time that his long murderous con game was finally coming to an end. Purdy then contacted the police, hoping they could trace the call. And when they did, they found it was made from a payphone outside a QuickTrip, which just so happened to be

• 55:05Courtney Brown?

  located across the street from The Kroger, where Ella was just found hours prior. Officers quickly raced to the gas station, but once again, Gary was nowhere to be seen. Still taking an opportunity to canvass the scene, they searched the dumpsters located at the back of the building, and it's there where they made a gruesome discovery: Meredith Emerson's bloody belongings. They found her bloody fleece top, her black leather wallet, her University of Georgia student ID, and her driver's license. Officers were then sure that they had their man, and sadly, given the sheer amount of blood on her items, they were positive that Meredith was no longer alive.

• 55:45Colin Brown?

  That evening, around 7:40 PM, a man in DeKalb County spotted him at a Chevron gas station on Ashworth-Dunwoody Road. He immediately called 911 and told them, "The van is here, the dog is here, the red dog, and I saw the man's face, and I've been watching the news, and I know it's him, I know it's him. He's got a green, long-sleeved sweatshirt, he's wearing a hat, and he's emptying all of his stuff out of his van. Pillows and a blanket, and it looks like he's got a sleeping bag right now. Taking it all to the trash, it's definitely him, and he's looking around like he's guilty of sin. I can go take him down if you want. It looks like he's finishing up, you guys gotta hurry." As Gary took his time emptying the contents of his van in the gas station dumpster, police

• 56:28Colin Brown?

  were en route to apprehend him. The 911 call revealed the moment he was captured, and the man can be heard saying, "Here we go, here comes the cop, yes, yes, they got him. Oh, they got him now." Here's that call in full.

• 56:42Speaker 06

  Hi, I'm calling from Cadenburg Square Shopping Center, and I'm calling about that person, Gary Hilton, in connection with the woman that's missing. But I'm walking my dog, and at the gas station up here, there's a white van and a red dog wandering around, like his red dog. It's definitely him, the van is there, the dog is there, I saw his face. He's got a whole bunch of stuff he's pulling out, like he's living out of his van, pulling out and organizing his stuff in his van. He's throwing stuff in the dumpster here. He's making multiple trips back to his van and getting out and taken into a dumpster. 114, you know, Sergeant Crow, we're around to that location, set up PIB. It's definitely him, he's looking around like he is as guilty as sin.

• 57:27Speaker 06

  He's gonna be gone if somebody doesn't get you. I can go take him down if you want. Go, sir, stay right there. Okay. He looks like he's finishing up, you guys gotta hurry. Oh, I'm just shaking. Here we go. Here comes the cop. Yes, yes. Police are there? Yes. Yes. They got him.

• 57:45Colin Brown?

  When the DeKalb County police officers arrived, they discovered Gary standing in front of his van, holding a rag and bleach, just seconds away from wiping the van clean up evidence. When he locked eyes with law enforcement, he froze. They immediately pulled guns on him, demanding that he lay on the ground. And just like that, in a gas station parking lot, the bloody saga came to an end. Gary dropped to the pavement and was read his Miranda rights. He was handcuffed without incident and taken to the Union County Sheriff's Office for questioning. But Gary wouldn't make it easy. When he arrived, he immediately dropped to the floor, complaining of pain from multiple sclerosis, and he refused to cooperate.

• 58:26Speaker 06

  Mr. Hilton, my name's Clay Bridges, I'm a special agent with the GBI. Over the past couple of days, I've come to know you pretty good. I've spoken with numerous people who say that you're extremely healthy, extremely smart.

• 58:38Speaker 07

  Very intelligent, almost genius level. I would prefer to talk to you if you were kind of sitting up and I could look at you a little bit and I understand that you're a distance runner and that you, you know, a very healthy individual.

• 58:51Courtney Brown?

  Eventually Gary agreed to talk to law enforcement, but not without an attorney present. As detectives waited for an attorney to show up, they noted the many injuries Gary had sustained. He had fingernail scratches on his nose, face, and neck, and an extremely swollen, likely broken hand. As investigators worked through his van, they discovered blood that would later prove to be a match to Meredith's. That alone was enough evidence to officially charge him with her murder. But based on Gary's behavior, they weren't sure he was going to come clean about his crimes. However, it seemed as if Gary knew that there was no getting out of this, because when they offered him a plea deal, he took it.

• 59:31Courtney Brown?

  In exchange for avoiding the death penalty, Gary agreed to plead guilty and tell law enforcement everything. Now open and speaking about his crimes, Gary continued to tell investigators that he had no idea he was a wanted man. He claimed he didn't read newspapers, he didn't watch TV, and he had no clue he was being hunted in connection with Meredith's disappearance. With a straight face, he even admitted that if he had known police were already looking for him, quote, "She would be alive," end quote. Now throughout his confession, investigators played on Gary's enormous ego. They allowed him to vent, brag about his intelligence, his survival skills, and how cleverly he operated in the woods.

• 1:00:14Courtney Brown?

  Sitting with detectives, he shared his unfiltered thoughts on his reasoning and decision-making, the entire crime from start to finish. He told them, quote, "Blood Mountain is a nice selection because of all the people," end quote. A sentence that might sound innocent out of the mouth of anyone, except Gary Hilton. When he told investigators how he cut off Meredith's head, he called it, quote, "dreadful," saying all you can do is go on autopilot. He told them he regretted not attempting something like a bank robbery instead, and that he knew once you take someone, quote, "You either kill them or you get caught." They listened patiently as he spoke of himself as a superior being who had outsmarted everyone.

• 1:00:58Courtney Brown?

  And eventually detective strategy paid off. Gary agreed to take them to the location of Meredith's body. They pulled out a map, and Gary leaned over and pointed to a location in Dawson Forest, right off Shoal Creek Road. On Monday, January 7, 2008, using Gary Hilton's map, investigators located Meredith's head and body 50 miles southwest of Blood Mountain. Despite the fact that Gary had led them there, they could hardly believe the level of brutality they were looking at. Her body was completely unclothed, marred with marks from the chains and bruises from the abuse she endured at the hands of Gary Hilton. When they found her head, the brutality she had faced became even more apparent.

• 1:01:43Courtney Brown?

  She was black and blue, hardly recognizable. It was clear just by looking at her that her cause of death was blunt force trauma.

• 1:01:51Colin Brown?

  The medical examiner eventually ruled Meredith Emerson died of massive crushing head injuries when she was struck 19 times with a blunt instrument. This resulted in severe lacerations of the scalp in association with crushing injuries of the cranial vault and severe injuries involving the underlying brain.

• 1:02:10Courtney Brown?

  Her manner of death was officially labeled a homicide, and with that, Gary Hilton was officially found guilty of murdering Meredith Emerson on January 30, 2008. After that, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. But that sentence would soon change. Just days after, on February 2, 2008, Hunter Mark Waldrop discovered human remains near an illegal dumping site in North Carolina's Nantahala National Forest. Through dental records and his pacemaker, the state medical examiner's office would positively identify the remains as belonging to Jack Bryant, another of Gary Hilton's murder victims.

• 1:02:52Courtney Brown?

  If you recall, Jack Bryant was murdered on October 21, 2007, right after Gary murdered his wife Irene. And while Irene's remains had been located, Jack's sat undiscovered for over a year. But finally, with this discovery, their families could properly lay him to rest. A joint memorial was held for the couple on March 29, 2008, in Hendersonville, North Carolina. But at the time, authorities still had no leads on the couple's murder and no clue that their suspect was already in jail. Soon enough, however, people began to connect the dots.

• 1:03:26Colin Brown?

  In early 2008, Gary Hilton's crime against Meredith Emerson became national news. Everyone was shocked that this young girl, who was simply going on a hike with her dog, had been killed in such a violent way. National forests are supposed to be a place of peace and solitude, and those who knew Gary were even more heartbroken. His former boss, Jack Tabor, later recounted, "It was too much to even comprehend how he could be that cruel, that evil, and commit the horrific acts that he did. It makes me sick to my stomach." As the devastating details of his actions spread, people started seeing some similarities with other murders around the United States, specifically with the murder of 46-year-old Cheryl Dunlap.

• 1:04:09Colin Brown?

  Now Cheryl was murdered in Florida, but like Meredith, she was last seen in the wilderness, her credit cards were used at different ATMs, and her head was cut off. So with this information, police in Florida searched for Gary Hilton in their database. And that's when they found that body cam footage of the police officer making him leave the area right around the same time Cheryl disappeared. Immediately, investigators made their way to the area where Cheryl had disappeared, and this time, they searched even harder than before, finally able to find what they had been looking for.

• 1:04:43Courtney Brown?

  Deep within the woods, they found a fire pit with what appeared to be burnt remains, a human head and hand. Near the fire pit, they also found a cigarette butt. They bagged it up and took it in as evidence. Soon after, they got confirmation that the DNA on the cigarette belonged to none other than Gary Hilton. But as if that wasn't enough, they also found a pair of hiking boots within Gary's van that had blood on it, blood that was soon identified as belonging to Cheryl Dunlap. Ultimately, Gary pleaded not guilty to the murder of Cheryl Dunlap, but he was found guilty in a 12 to 0 verdict several years later on February 15, 2011. For that murder, he was sentenced to death.

• 1:05:28Courtney Brown?

  Now despite coming clean with the murder of Meredith Emerson, Gary Hilton was not as forthcoming when it came to Cheryl's murder. In fact, he stayed silent about it for 18 years. It wasn't until just recently in 2025, when he did an exclusive interview with True Crime and Law where he simply told them, quote, "I did it."

• 1:05:49Colin Brown?

  Fortunately, Cheryl and Meredith's family got the closure they deserved. However, there was still the case of Jack and Irene Bryant. Despite Jack's remains being found in 2008, it would take several years for investigators to definitively link their murders to Gary Hilton. Around the same time that police were making connections between Cheryl and Meredith's murders, investigators in North Carolina were spotting similarities within the case of the Bryants. Like the others, Irene was killed by blunt force trauma. Her card was used at an ATM machine with the suspect obscuring his face with tape. In 2011, a federal grand jury indicted 66-year-old Gary Hilton on five counts in the kidnapping,

• 1:06:32Colin Brown?

  robbery, and murder of Jack and Irene Bryant. And surprisingly, Gary pled guilty in March of 2012, receiving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. After that trial, Gary was sent back to Florida to serve on death row. In 2018, Gary attempted to overturn his death sentence, calling his defense team ineffective and dysfunctional. Both federal and state authorities have denied his appeals. And as of 2026, Gary Hilton resides in Florida's Union Correctional Institution. He's been on death row for 15 years. There's currently no execution date scheduled, and Jack and Irene Bryant's daughter Holly would later say that she would have preferred a death sentence for the murder of her parents,

• 1:07:17Colin Brown?

  but she takes solace in knowing that he won't kill again and that, quote, "He will spend the rest of his life and die in a cage or at the hands of a Florida executioner." For Cheryl Dunlap's friend Gloria Tucker, the outcome carried mixed emotions. While she accepted the verdict, she believed it could never truly account for the loss of her dear friend Cheryl, a woman she lovingly called Sherry. She said, “He's no equal for Sherry. She grew up with a bad home life and grew up to be a lovely person.” For Meredith Emerson's family and friends, they found peace in knowing she was loved by so many. Her parents described her as “a firecracker,” and the family is glad knowing that Ella, whom they later adopted, is a part of Meredith that they'll always have.

• 1:08:02Courtney Brown?

  And despite Gary being linked to the murders of Meredith, Irene, Jack, and Cheryl, questions still remain. Because no one, not investigators, profilers, prosecutors, nor the families of his victims, believed that Gary Hilton had suddenly started committing murders in his 60s. In fact, there were several other mysterious deaths and disappearances that people believe he could have committed. As early as 1997, on September 9, 1997, several human bones belonging to a 51-year-old hiker named Judy Smith were found scattered near a campground in Pisgah National Forest, the same forest where Irene Bryant was murdered.

• 1:08:43Courtney Brown?

  On April 11, 1998, Clemson University student, 20-year-old Jason Andrew Knapp disappeared. His abandoned 1990 Chevrolet was found abandoned nine days later at Table Rock's Lake Park in Pickens County, South Carolina. His remains were never found, and he was declared legally dead in 2018.

• 1:09:03Colin Brown?

  On April 15, 2004, 38-year-old hairdresser Patrice Marie Tambur Endris disappeared from her hair salon, Tambur's Trim and Tan in Coming, Georgia. Her remains were found on December 6, 2005, in Dawson County. According to criminal records, Gary Hilton was in Forsyth County around the same time Patrice's body was found, only 15 miles from Dawson County, having been stopped for a traffic violation. He also admitted that he would sometimes go to hair salons to ask for money. On December 7, 2005, 26-year-old hiker Rosanna Milani was in Cherokee County, North Carolina. She had called her father to tell him that she planned to hike the Appalachian Trail.

• 1:09:47Colin Brown?

  On December 13, she was seen with an older unidentified white man in his 60s in Bryson City, North Carolina. A store clerk later claimed that Rosanna appeared nervous and that the man she was with stated he was a traveling preacher. Her remains were never found. The store clerk was adamant that Rosanna was with Gary Hilton. On November 21, 2007, 27-year-old Michael Scott Lewis disappeared. His bagged-up remains were found in a canal near the Tamoca River Bridge in Florida several weeks later. He was dismembered, and his head has never been located. To this day, Gary remains a prime suspect in these unsolved murders and disappearances,

• 1:10:29Colin Brown?

  and others who vanished in remote wooded areas across the southeast. However, he's never cooperated and refuses to discuss any crimes beyond those he was convicted of. So, the full extent of his evil may never be known.

• 1:10:44Courtney Brown?

  Today, 79-year-old Gary Hilton awaits execution at the Union Correctional Institution in Rayford, Florida. Investigators still believe that the four murders he was convicted of represent only a fraction of his total victims. We will probably never know the true number of lives he destroyed, and the secrets of those who were lost in the forest, he will take them to his grave. Gary Hilton was a man who walked through life, selfishly taking what he wanted, including the lives of good, hard-working people who made this world a better place. People who chose to spend their time within nature, a place where most people feel connected to the earth. Jack, Irene, Cheryl, and Meredith, all led very different lives, but the one thing that

• 1:11:28Courtney Brown?

  tied them together was their unwavering love for the outdoors. Every trail they hiked was for the purpose of adventure, for the purpose of living. The one quality they shared with Gary Hilton was that love for the outdoors. And luckily, Gary Hilton will never get the pleasure of enjoying that ever again, as he will die within the stark white walls of death row.

• 1:11:50Colin Brown?

  One of the main sources used for this episode was Fred Rosen's book titled Trails of Death: The True Story of National Forest Serial Killer Gary Hilton. In honor of all the victims of Gary Hilton, we'll be making a donation to the Fowler O'Sullivan Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the families of missing hikers locate their loved ones and get support in their time of need. Hey, everybody. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of Murder in America. If you guys love what we do here on the show, please consider joining our community over on Patreon. On Patreon, you can get access to early, ad-free versions of every episode that we post here on the show.

• 1:12:34Colin Brown?

  So if you don't like the ads and you want to listen early, Patreon is a place where you can get those perks. And in addition, if you've already listened to every episode of the show and you've never signed up for our Patreon, on Patreon, we have, I don't even know how many, 160, 170 bonus episodes of the show that you can listen to right when you sign up. These are full-length bonus episodes of the show, just like the episode that you just heard. Sometimes our bonus episodes are even longer than our main feed episodes. So, yeah, if you've already listened to every episode and you want to get rid of the ads, please consider supporting the show and the team that helps produce this show over on Patreon. Also, don't forget to leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to this show, and

• 1:13:16Colin Brown?

  follow us on Instagram at Murder in America to see photos from every case that we cover here on the show. Anyways, y'all, I hope you guys have a great weekend if you're listening on Friday, or a great week if you're listening not on Friday. Anyways, guys, we'll be back next week, and yeah, I'll catch y'all on the next one.

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