Missing Hiker Found Dead In Georgia

Body Found Hours After Judge Denied Bond To The Man Accused Of Kidnapping Her

(CBS/AP)  Authorities found the body of a missing hiker Monday, hours after a judge denied bond to the man accused of kidnapping her in the mountains of northern Georgia.

Investigators were also examining whether the death and the disappearance of two elderly hikers in October in North Carolina were related.

A source close to the investigation, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity, said the remains of 24-year-old Meredith Emerson had been found. The disclosure came after authorities scheduled a "major announcement" in the case in Dawson County, south of where Gary Michael Hilton, 61, appeared in court.

Family spokeswoman Peggy Bailey confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the body had been found. "We did find out just now, not that it was unexpected," Bailey said.

Hilton is charged with kidnapping with intent of bodily injury, and more charges could be added, Enotah Judicial District Attorney Stan Gunter said. Gunter said he expects Hilton to be indicted within 90 days.

Hilton did not speak during his first appearance before Union County Magistrate Judge Johnie M. Garmon. Hilton's attorney, Neil Smith, did not enter a plea on Hilton's behalf.

Investigators said Hilton, who was detained Friday, was the last person seen with Emerson on the trail. He had tried to use Emerson's credit card, according to his arrest warrant.

Three bloody fleece tops and a bloodstained piece of a car's seat belt were found in a trash bin beside a convenience store where Hilton had used a pay phone, the warrant stated. Hilton had tried to vacuum and wash portions of his 2001 Chevrolet Astro van, which was found without the rear seat belt, according to the document.

Hilton was not cooperating with authorities, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead.

Gayle Bachelor, an officer at the Union County jail, declined to allow The Associated Press to speak with Hilton by phone.

Authorities said they are exploring whether the disappearance of a couple in North Carolina is related to that of Emerson. John and Irene Bryant, both in their 80s, had gone hiking in the western North Carolina mountains in October.

Irene Bryant's body was found in November; authorities say she was killed with a blow to the head. Her husband remains missing but is presumed to have been killed.

Sheriff David Mahoney of North Carolina's Transylvania County agreed that there are similarities "that we're certainly wanting to look more closely at - nothing that we can release at this point."

Mahoney did note that authorities in both cases were looking for someone wearing a yellow jacket, and that an ATM transaction was made with the Bryants' card about 50 miles from the area of the Georgia investigation.

Hilton was a drifter well known in the area and was often seen with his dog, Dandy, and a police-style baton, Union County Sheriff Scott Stephens said.

Emerson was last seen hiking with her dog in Vogel State Park, about 90 miles north of Atlanta. The dog was found 50 miles away Friday in a grocery store parking lot in Cumming, a suburb north of Atlanta, and identified using an implanted microchip.

Vogel is one of Georgia's oldest and most popular state parks. The area includes a segment of the Appalachian Trail, the hiking route that stretches from Georgia to Maine.

Friends of the 24-year-old hiker had held a candlelight vigil Sunday, reported The Early Show.

Emerson's boyfriend Steve Segars described Meredith Emerson as "brilliant."

"She shines," he told the The Early Show. "She is the single most amazing thing in this world."

[johnny_chaos]

Winos suck.

[johnny_chaos]

closethippy1... what you put down the blunt and answered your own question?

[closethippy1]

Has everyone on this comments section lost their minds? What does any of this have to do with the story?
Posted by docadams3 at 03:25 PM : Jan 08, 2008

It has everything to do with it. It was Reagan who first let crazies into the street when he began cutting down government programs his rich friends didn''t have any use for.
And now look at the consequences and how many people have suffered because of it. I hate it when I see them begging for money on the streets and next to exit ramps.
Once I gave $5 to this homeless guy and he followed me all the way to my car demanding five more. I thought he was going to whack me.

[nirak2-2009]

They lost their way docadams. LOL

[docadams3]

Has everyone on this comments section lost their minds? What does any of this have to do with the story?

[guysdigdirt]

And her dog ... the dog was found 50 miles away ... none of the articles indicate whether it was dead or alive.
Posted by neenga

The first indication they had that she was in trouble was when the dog wandered into a store, on its own and alone, 50 miles from where she was supposed to be. That would mean it was alive.

[guysdigdirt]

Why are mentally ill people allowed to roam around freely?
I hope whatever universal health care plan we adopt will take this folks off the street and into the hands of professionals who can help them.
Posted by closethippy1

The homeless will not go to these programs on their own accord. There are programs and we cannot get them to go now, why would a health plan make it any different?

[johnny_chaos]

the reason the mentally ill are allowed to "roam free" is Reaganomics

[johnny_chaos]

My guess is Hilton led GBI to her body due to deal to avoid capital punishment. he probably whacked her from behind which means a gun wouldnt have helped. if meredith had a gun, it would have ended up in Hiltons hands. grapple/impact ambush attacks make weapons almost uesless for the victim.

[closethippy1]

From the article:
"Hilton was a drifter well known in the area and was often seen with his dog, Dandy, and a police-style baton, Union County Sheriff Scott Stephens said."

Why are mentally ill people allowed to roam around freely?
I hope whatever universal health care plan we adopt will take this folks off the street and into the hands of professionals who can help them.

[Krazcarl]

gunownerdan...I support your right to carry a murderous weapon lets get honest it''s all it is good for. I''ve read your post and mostly agree with you but sone folks don''t need a sling shot let alone a gun.

[Krazcarl]

NEENGA....I was wondering the same thing murder a lady and take the dog for a ride and dump it there is some serious mental illness here and more to this tail.

[gunownerdan]

"We live in a world where more and more women are unaccompanied at odd hours, or they are vulnerable in dangerous places - a world where restraining orders are often ineffective and the police cannot be counted upon to arrive in time, if at all. In such a world, women must be able to protect themselves." -- Mary Zeiss Stange, "Guns, like abortion, are a matter of choice"

Self Defense
A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com

[neenga]

"Born-in-the-sticks girls?" Most of them could kick your butt into next year!

And her dog ... the dog was found 50 miles away ... none of the articles indicate whether it was dead or alive.

[Krazcarl]

nancy_niave...That was crude but unfortunatly true.

[cricketmk3]

Nancy_Naive, Natalee was from Mountain Brook (Birmingham), AL. I would hardly call that "born-in-the-sticks". We do have running water down here now. These types of heinous crimes happen everywhere and yes...going just about anywhere alone is not smart but we always think these things won''t happen to us.

[excoachken]

A sad story of a naive woman, who thought she had the freedom to go for a walk and gets ripped off by a sick dude. I see a lot of "quick fixes" in the comments, but I am afraid it was two people from different worlds who happened to meet in one place. I feel truly sorry for her friends and family and equally sad that we were not able to identify and change his behavior earlier. This phenomenon shows that we all have work to do in creating a safer society.

[kattyclayz]

It''s not much to really be happy for, but at least Meredith''s family at least has her body to be able to finally lay to rest. I feel so badly for this deceases woman and her family. She was only 24 and had so much of her life left to live. I hope that this guy goes to jail and gets whatever he did to her, done to him.

[jetlizhan]

because our world is getting so evil, i expected them to find a body and not a live girl. so sad and so senseless. i look at the killer''s face in this pic and see the last thing this girl saw before she died. he doesn''t deserve the air he breathes.

[mythuliedog]

A small caliber handgun would not weigh too much. In any case, packing a few extra ounces as prevention, is a small matter in face of the consequences. I went on a 5 day backpacking trip with my daughter a few years ago. You can bet I was packing a couple extra pounds in my pack in the form of a Ruger Blackhawk .357 mag!! Fortunately, we had no encounters, animal or human, that required it''s use. To me it''s like American Express, "Never leave home without it!"