1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,680 Hi everyone, this is Deb from Dying to be Found. Before we get started, I just wanted to say that episodes contain disturbing discussions on 2 00:00:07,900 --> 00:00:11,680 harmful acts and crimes against animals and or humankind. 3 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:17,280 Recordings are not intended for young or sensitive audiences due to the content nature of this podcast. 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,840 Listener discretion is strongly advised. 5 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,120 Why are you laughing? Because you're drinking wine. 6 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:33,440 I am drinking wine. I've had a heck of a week. Do you want to tell us about it? No. Okay. 7 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,520 Okay, one, two, three, go. Hi everyone. I'm Deb. And I'm Beth. 8 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:45,040 And we want to welcome you to our latest episode of Dying to be Found. 9 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,600 We are so glad that you are taking your time out of your day today to be with us. 10 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,240 But before we get started, Beth, what's new with you? 11 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:58,560 Well, I've been putting in a lot of overtime, two 16-hour days, and they asked me to stay again today. 12 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:03,360 But I wanted to be with you and all of our fans. 13 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,640 We appreciate it. Well, thanks for that because I have a really good story today. 14 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:14,000 This might be why I'm drinking wine. I really think that this one affects me a little bit emotionally. 15 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,520 I'll tell you why in just a minute. Anything else going on? Nothing. 16 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:22,720 Okay, so long hours and then you get to spend the evening with me today. Yes. 17 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,320 Goodie. All right. Listen, so we're going to get started. 18 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:33,280 And today we're going to be diving into a topic that really, really does hurt my heart. 19 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:40,160 Beth, this story really hits home with me because I'm really familiar with the area that I'm about to talk about. 20 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,200 Today, we're going to talk about Meredith Emerson. 21 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:48,720 And just upfront, just to tell you, she was abducted in the North Georgia mountains. 22 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:53,040 And I'm really familiar with these parts of the story. 23 00:01:53,120 --> 00:02:00,000 So when I start talking about where she was hiking, I have been there a dozen times. 24 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:05,360 And so I've been known to go on day trips with John, with my other family members. 25 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:11,280 We go out there quite a bit. And I'll tell you what, even Beth, this area, I fell in love with the mountains, 26 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:16,640 but I also fell in love with John. That is so sweet. 27 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:18,720 Johnny. 28 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:25,840 We were out on the motorcycle one day and I've got to tell you, man, there's something about somebody being in leather. 29 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:29,280 He looks so good that day. I just knew he was mine. 30 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,320 So that's my story. So yeah, we're going to be talking about Meredith Emerson. 31 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:45,520 She was a 24 year old woman who lived in Beaufort, Georgia, which is about 30 miles or 48 kilometers east of Atlanta. 32 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:53,920 Meredith was abducted from Blood Mountain in Union County, Georgia on New Year's Day of 2008. 33 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,320 How is that in relation to Stone Mountain? 34 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:05,920 Stone Mountain is about 25 miles east of Atlanta and Blood Mountain is north of Atlanta. 35 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:13,360 I would say between the two spots is a good hour and a half drive for you to get there because at some point in time, 36 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:15,440 you have to get on two lane highways. 37 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:16,240 Okay. 38 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:21,360 Well, Blood Mountain is located in Neal's Gap, like I said, north of Atlanta. 39 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,360 And this is the highest peak of the Appalachian Trail within the state of Georgia. 40 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,440 Have you heard of the Appalachian Trail, Beth? 41 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,320 Sure have. I think we learned it in school. 42 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:39,360 For the listeners who are not familiar with the Appalachian Trail, it's a pretty famous hiking trail that spans over 14 out of the 50 states. 43 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,040 And it goes all the way from Georgia up into Maine. 44 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:52,880 It runs about 2,200 miles long or 3,540 kilometers and it hosts around 3 million hikers per year. 45 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,320 This would include sectional hikers and through travelers. 46 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:00,320 So if you're a sectional hiker, then what you're doing is you're taking a day trip. 47 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:07,200 You're just parking on the side of the road or grabbing a parking spot and just going hiking for the day just to get up to the high peaks. 48 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:12,160 If you're a through traveler, that means that you are hiking the entire trail. 49 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:19,440 Now there are some people that will travel for months all the way from Maine down to Georgia or vice versa. 50 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:20,560 Good Lord. 51 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,920 I know. I mean, I'm just first thing that I'm thinking is bears. 52 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:28,240 Well, 3 million hikers is an awful large number. 53 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,600 Yeah, but that's spread out over that 14 states. 54 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:39,840 It is a lot, but I'm going to say the majority of the population of hikers is the day travelers that just go up for the day. 55 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,040 I'm not an outdoor expert, but that's what I'm going to assume. 56 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:48,480 I know, you know, when I go up to Blood Mountain, there's a ton of people out there at all times. 57 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,960 Yeah, so that's what we're going to be talking about today. 58 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:52,560 Now a question. 59 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:53,120 Yeah. 60 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,760 Blood Mountain, was it named before the murder or after? 61 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:04,400 I think that at some point in time, there was conflict with the native Indians that lived in the area. 62 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:06,160 So that's why they called it that. 63 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:06,800 Okay. 64 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:07,360 Yeah. 65 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,280 On another note, just a little bit more clarification on this. 66 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,560 The mountains that we're talking about where Blood Mountain is located, 67 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:21,520 I see these mountains that Meredith went to visit on the day that she was abducted far off in the distance. 68 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:28,720 I swear, Beth, every time I see those mountains, ever since I've heard this story, I cannot not think of Meredith. 69 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,520 She's always on my mind when those mountains come into view. 70 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:40,240 And that's why it hurts my heart so much because to me it's a little personal and I can only envision what she went through during her ordeal. 71 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:41,840 I'm very anxious to hear. 72 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:42,400 Yeah. 73 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:59,600 I'm going to start by saying that Meredith Hope Emerson was born in Charleston, South Carolina on June 20th, 1983. She grew up near Raleigh, North Carolina, and then moved to Longmont, Colorado, but eventually made her way to Georgia when she went off to college. 74 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,560 She studied French at the University of Georgia. 75 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:03,520 Go dogs. 76 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,200 That's what they say around here. 77 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:06,320 Go dogs. 78 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:08,880 Go dogs. 79 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,320 And she graduated in 2005. 80 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:17,440 Then she eventually moved on to become a sales manager of a local packaging company. 81 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,280 Meredith also held a blue belt in martial arts. 82 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:26,160 And I'm not really familiar with the order of the belts, Beth. 83 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:30,080 I did go look this up because I know you've got karate, you've got jujitsu. 84 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:36,640 If she had a blue belt in karate, then she would be at the fifth out of nine levels. 85 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:41,680 So she's pretty well versed in martial arts if she were taking karate. 86 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:52,320 Now in jujitsu, the blue belt is second level, but it teaches you many defensive techniques and takes about one to two years to obtain. 87 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,880 So I think either way, Beth, Meredith was pretty well versed with her martial arts. 88 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:58,560 She certainly was. 89 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:07,040 Well, she was also a huge outdoor enthusiast and loved to take her black lab Ella out hiking with her at any given time. 90 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,760 So where you saw Meredith, you would see Ella. 91 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:18,320 There's a pretty common picture that if you look Meredith up, you will always see the picture of her dog getting a certificate, I think, in training. 92 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:18,960 Yeah. 93 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:27,040 On New Year's Day of 2008, Meredith left her roommate a note and said that she would be taking Ella up to Blood Mountain for the day. 94 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:33,920 And this trip for her coming out of Beaufort, Georgia, was just over an hour drive to get there. 95 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,600 And as I mentioned, this area is common for day hikers. 96 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:43,200 So there would really be no reason why Meredith could not return home that night. 97 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:50,000 Well, Meredith did not return home and her roommate ended up reporting her missing the very next day. 98 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:58,320 Authorities thought that she might have been injured on the trail, so listed her as an overdue hiker when they began their search for Meredith. 99 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,720 It's good that they got right on it. 100 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:14,640 True. When you have a pattern that you're pretty predictable, it is very good that they did hop on it rather quickly because you'll see it really took very little time from the moment she went missing to actually capture the person who abducted her. 101 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,440 So, yeah, I'm glad they got on it quickly. 102 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:28,000 Well, as authorities canvassed the area, they had discovered several items left on the Appalachian Trail that looked like they might belong to Meredith. 103 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:32,800 First, they found some water bottles, a dog's leash and some dog treats. 104 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:39,920 And they also discovered a police baton in the area where the ground was disturbed as if there might have been a struggle. 105 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:49,520 I will say that this baton did not belong to Meredith, but once it was found, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations or GBI was called in to take over the case. 106 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,280 Wow, that's something finding something like that. 107 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:57,040 Yeah, because that was just January 2nd, the very next day. 108 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,400 So for them to come in quickly, like you said, 109 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:09,760 Meredith's car was discovered abandoned at the base of Blood Mountain in Vogel State Park on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008. 110 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:17,920 And by Thursday, they had search parties coming in along with 19 police agencies that took part in this search for Meredith. 111 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:19,200 Holy cow. 112 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:30,480 The media also played a large role in getting information out to the public, so when the police set up a tip line, calls began coming in almost immediately. 113 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:42,800 One of these calls on the tip line came from a man named John Tabor, an Atlanta businessman who identified a suspect in Meredith's disappearance as Gary Michael Hilton. 114 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:50,720 And Hilton was known to be a drifter in the area, and John just happened to employ him off and on as a handyman. 115 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:57,840 So when this case made headlines, Beth, John was easily able to identify Hilton as a person of interest, 116 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:05,040 especially since he had just engaged in a 20 minute phone call with him during the time that Meredith was missing. 117 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:12,960 I imagine that Hilton was probably calling John up to ask him for some side work to get some money, 118 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:19,200 because as you'll see in just a little while, this is sort of his MO. Anytime he ran out of money is when trouble started. 119 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:20,720 That's not good. 120 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:28,640 Well, there are reasons unknown as to why John waited close to three hours after that phone call before calling the tip line. 121 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,520 Who knows? He's a businessman. He probably got busy. He probably didn't see the news. 122 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:40,800 So when he provided the information to say that Hilton was known to frequent the woods in Union County, 123 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,960 where Blood Mountain was, along with his red dog named Dandy, 124 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:49,520 then he was able to give police officers a little bit more information. 125 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:54,240 I'm going to go ahead and just mention that according to Hilton in a later interview, 126 00:10:54,320 --> 00:11:00,240 Meredith was probably still alive when John's call came into that tip line, Beth. 127 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,000 Oh my goodness. 128 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,520 Yep. Wow. 129 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:08,880 On January 4th of 2008, so that's three days later, Beth, 130 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:15,040 Hilton tried calling an old girlfriend from a payphone at a gas station in Forsyth County. 131 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:22,000 All right. Just to give our listeners a visual, the majority of these towns or counties that I'm talking about, 132 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,720 they were all located in the North Georgia area, 133 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:31,280 but Hilton had called an old girlfriend from a payphone at a gas station in Forsyth County. 134 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:35,120 And this call took place at a local huddle house restaurant. 135 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,120 Any ideas of what a huddle house is, Beth? 136 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,480 No. What is it? 137 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:42,240 I'm going to ask you that because you, do you know what a waffle house is? 138 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:49,920 Yes, I know waffle house because when I drive down to Georgia, my gosh, there's an awful lot of them. 139 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:55,760 Huddle house is very parallel to waffle house. It's just a different brand. 140 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:56,640 Uh-huh. 141 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,480 It's exactly the same thing. Yeah. 142 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:02,320 So Hilton had called his girlfriend from a local huddle house, 143 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:08,080 but workers there were likely not aware of the news footage that was going around 144 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,880 to give the most recent updates on the case. 145 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,480 And she had told Hilton that police had a suspect. 146 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:22,080 During this call at the huddle house, Hilton's ex-girlfriend asked him why he was even calling her in the first place. 147 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:29,600 She asked Hilton if he knew that law enforcement in the entire state was out looking for him. 148 00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,000 And Hilton must not have realized that. 149 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:37,680 I wonder why this particular case drew in so many investigators. 150 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:44,160 Well, the news media for some reason really had a positive impact on the case. 151 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:50,560 Hilton must not have realized that the police were onto him so quickly because he immediately hung up 152 00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:54,400 and began cleaning out his van to get rid of any evidence. 153 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:56,080 OMG. 154 00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:02,800 Yeah. Well, I'm going to take you to the 911 call that came out when Hilton was trying to dispose of the evidence. 155 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,720 And to be honest with you, Beth, I'm getting a little bit better with our audio. 156 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:12,080 So I was going to see about putting that clip in there, but I need to look up the legalities first. 157 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:17,520 This 911 call came in from a male witness who was out and about 158 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:22,880 and identified someone as the person of interest in the missing woman case. 159 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,760 And he was referring to Meredith Emerson. 160 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:31,520 So during the 911 call, the caller sounded very nervous, but Beth, 161 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:36,320 he offered to go take this man down and hold him until the police got there. 162 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:40,480 Wow. And here we go again. Another sleuth. 163 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:45,520 Yep. There you go. Well, the 911 police said, yeah, no, don't do that. 164 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:47,440 The police are on their way. They'll be right there. 165 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:51,200 But that man, he was so good at what he was doing. 166 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:58,000 If you guys have a chance to go find that 911 call, this caller is an amazing individual. 167 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,760 He was spot on. He was able to identify the man. 168 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:03,680 He knew the person that was missing. 169 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:10,560 He was even able to identify the red dog named Dandy that this person was known to travel around with. 170 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,040 Hmm. That's quite interesting. 171 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:18,560 Yeah. Well, the caller was at a gas station located off of Ashford Dunwoody Road, 172 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:26,000 just outside of Atlanta, when he spotted the white Chevy Astro van that Hilton was said to be driving. 173 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:32,320 He was very confident that the driver was Hilton because he had been watching this case on the news. 174 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:39,920 Well, the caller also said on the 911 call that he was watching this man as he emptied out his van 175 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:44,320 and threw things into a dumpster at the gas station that he was at. 176 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:45,280 Good Lord. 177 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:50,800 So he's pretty much like, please hurry, please hurry and to get here because I'm ready to take this guy down. 178 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:58,080 And it turned out later, Beth, that Hilton was disposing of three of Meredith's fleece shirts, 179 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,480 her backpack and her Georgia driver's license in that dumpster. 180 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:03,120 Oh. 181 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:10,320 Yeah. Well, police drove up to find Hilton vacuuming his van and washing it down with some sort of 182 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:15,200 diluted bleach solution. So obviously he's guilty or he's acting guilty. 183 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:16,240 For sure. 184 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:22,720 And when Meredith's shirts were collected, this hurts my heart. 185 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:26,960 They still had blood on them, Beth, that had not had time to dry. 186 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:31,920 And authorities believe that Meredith was killed the same day that Hilton was apprehended, 187 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:34,160 which was on January 4th. 188 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:40,960 Meredith's dog, Ella, was found wandering in a grocery store parking lot in Cumming, Georgia, 189 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:45,760 which is located 50 miles or 80 kilometers away from Blood Mountain. 190 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:50,000 And they were able to identify Ella due to her microchip. 191 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:54,720 This is just another reason to be sure you have your pets microchipped, folks. 192 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:59,440 Yeah, I've got my dogs chipped and it's almost like they live in a different world. 193 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:05,200 They can go in and out of the backyard frequently, but they never really see what's on the other side, 194 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,040 unless we take them to the dog park. 195 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:14,080 So I just kind of wanted to talk to you at this moment, Beth, the 911 call comes in. 196 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,320 Hilton's pretty much surrounded. 197 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:21,600 He's caught red-handed with a lot of Meredith's belongings. 198 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,320 So he was immediately arrested. 199 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:29,200 And I wanted to kind of go over his background a little bit so you can get a clear picture on the 200 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,600 type of human being that he is. 201 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:37,040 He is considered a highly intelligent, but very eccentric individual. 202 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:38,160 Remind you of anybody? 203 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:39,200 Yeah, dad. 204 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:39,760 Yeah. 205 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:41,120 You. 206 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:41,840 Me? 207 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:42,560 Yes. 208 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:44,640 Don't compare me with this Hilton guy. 209 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:45,200 No. 210 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:49,040 I'm just eccentric. 211 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:52,000 You're just eccentric. 212 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:53,760 I'm intelligent and eccentric. 213 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:54,080 Okay. 214 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:55,760 Thanks for the compliment there, Beth. 215 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:56,640 You're welcome. 216 00:16:56,640 --> 00:17:02,160 All right, so he also had a troubled childhood and ended up joining the military and was a 217 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,160 paratrooper when he turned 18. 218 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:04,880 Okay. 219 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,120 How many people have troubled childhoods? 220 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:08,400 I'll raise my hand. 221 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:08,960 Yeah. 222 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:11,440 Did we grow up to be serial killers? 223 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:12,080 No. 224 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,840 No, there's a time and a place to break the chain, people. 225 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:17,520 That's not an excuse. 226 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:23,520 Before his arrest for Meredith's abduction, Hilton was a known criminal who had a record of 227 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:29,440 arrests for possession and distribution of marijuana, theft by taking, plus other 228 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:33,600 misdemeanors and felonies, including hit and run and arson. 229 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,240 So he's just a bad character all around. 230 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:37,600 He certainly is. 231 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:43,920 He lived aimlessly for the past couple of years before Meredith's abduction and once 232 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:49,280 told his friends that he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and only had six months 233 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:53,600 to live, so he planned to live out the rest of his days in the woods. 234 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,800 Now I had to go look that up because this sounds fishy to me. 235 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:04,720 Multiple sclerosis is not a timeline where you are only given a certain amount of time 236 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,720 to live and news flash, this guy's still alive today. 237 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:10,080 So what a crock. 238 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:13,680 Liar, liar, pants on fire. 239 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:20,000 Yeah, so people who are diagnosed with MS, Beth, are not usually given that time frame, 240 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:26,480 like six years, and according to the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 241 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:32,480 the average lifespan for patients with MS is 74 to 81 years. 242 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,520 Hilton is in his 70s right now. 243 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:39,120 He might have MS, but that I only have six years to live. 244 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:40,320 You should feel sorry for me. 245 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:41,840 I'm going to go out into the woods. 246 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:42,880 That's baloney. 247 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:49,120 Now, when he went to trial, in order to avoid the death penalty, Hilton made a plea deal 248 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:54,880 with authorities and told them where they could find Meredith's body, which was located 249 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:58,640 in a state park in Dawson County, Georgia. 250 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:02,400 Now, again, let's just give you a little bit of a visual here. 251 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:08,240 Blood Mountain, if you just take the road down into the next county, you can go up and down 252 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:16,960 a major highway that goes from Dahlonega, Georgia to Dawsonville, Georgia to Cumming. 253 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,240 This is really the area that he was seen quite a bit. 254 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:27,120 At this point in time, he had said that he had left Meredith in a state park in Dawson County, 255 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:33,120 which is between Blood Mountain and Cumming, Georgia, and he let them know that her head 256 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:34,400 would be missing. 257 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:36,800 Oh my gosh. 258 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:38,480 That's horrid. 259 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:45,040 Yeah, and I just keep going back to the fact, Beth, that his employer called the tip line 260 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:47,680 and she was probably still alive. 261 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,480 This whole story is gut wrenching. 262 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:56,000 Well, I'm surprised with her blue belt that she wasn't able to defend herself against 263 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:56,960 this man. 264 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:00,720 Well, I'm glad you brought that up because I'm going to actually tell you about that 265 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:02,000 in just a little bit. 266 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:02,720 Okay. 267 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,920 During his initial interview, Hilton stated that he had targeted Meredith because she 268 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:08,720 was a woman. 269 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:10,400 I mean, she's a pretty tiny woman too. 270 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,200 If you looked at her picture, she's pretty petite. 271 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:18,640 I'm just going to say that the renegade that she is with her blue belt and she could kick 272 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,720 somebody's butt most definitely, she's a tough little woman. 273 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:28,640 She was pretty petite, but I mean, she's a little renegade and he followed her along 274 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:34,640 the Appalachian Trail, but obviously found it pretty difficult to keep up with her because 275 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:40,000 Meredith was 24, athletic and in very good shape because if you've ever walked up that 276 00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,960 mountain, yeah, you better be in good shape to do that. 277 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,200 Hilton at the time was also in his 60s and pretty much was and was. 278 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:48,160 Just going to say it. 279 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:52,800 Hilton proceeded to lie in wait for Meredith so he couldn't keep up with her, Beth. 280 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:57,680 So he decided to lie in wait for her until she returned down the mountain from Neal's 281 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,440 Gap, which is that highest peak in the state of Georgia. 282 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:05,840 And then he ambushed her at Knife Point and a police baton. 283 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,560 Do you remember me saying a little while ago that when the GBI came in, they had found 284 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,360 some things on the trail that looked like they belonged to Meredith? 285 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:14,080 Yes. 286 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:20,400 They had also found a policeman's baton and so he had ambushed her with a policeman's 287 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:21,680 baton and a knife. 288 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,720 So I wonder how he got the policeman's baton. 289 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:27,120 Well, you know, he was a paratrooper. 290 00:21:27,120 --> 00:21:30,640 So he probably had connections to get those sort of things. 291 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,000 If he had military background, I'm sure it's a little bit easier. 292 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:34,880 True. 293 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:40,240 Hilton admitted that Meredith yelled for help and almost got the upper hand, Beth. 294 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:45,120 This is where her martial arts comes in because she used her martial arts training to 295 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:46,240 protect herself. 296 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:53,200 In fact, she was able to disarm Hilton, who had both that knife and that police baton 297 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,480 that I had mentioned that was left behind on the Appalachian Trail. 298 00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:59,920 However, Beth, this is the unfortunate part. 299 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:03,440 At some point in time, Meredith lost her footing. 300 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:08,880 Now, she's on a pretty steep hill, so she's trying to work her martial arts. 301 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:13,200 I don't know what the terminology is, so my apologies to anybody out there who takes 302 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:13,920 martial arts. 303 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,320 But she was exercising her martial arts and she lost her footing. 304 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,880 And this is when he was able to take control again. 305 00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:26,720 Several witnesses on that hiking trail stated that they saw Meredith walking with an older 306 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:28,560 man down that mountain. 307 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,080 Get out. 308 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:30,720 Yeah. 309 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:35,280 I wonder why she wasn't able to just make a break for it. 310 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:36,320 I know. 311 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:40,480 Even if he did have that knife, if he couldn't keep up with her to go up the mountain and 312 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:45,840 then there were people around, I don't know why people would not have been able to ambush 313 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:46,240 him. 314 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:47,040 You know what I mean? 315 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:48,880 Take him down. 316 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:55,120 Well, once Hilton got Meredith to his van, she'd asked him, what about Ella, her dog? 317 00:22:55,200 --> 00:23:00,560 So as nice as he was, Beth, he went back to get Ella and then proceeded to use his own 318 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:05,040 dog, Dandy, to win Meredith's trust while holding her captive. 319 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:06,400 So they had something in common. 320 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:07,440 They had dogs. 321 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:09,200 This guy is really weird. 322 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:09,680 Yeah. 323 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:14,960 Well, after Meredith's abduction, he drove to Gainesville, Georgia and attempted to use 324 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,560 Meredith's ATM card around 930 that night. 325 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:24,640 For the next three days, Hilton tried to get Meredith's PIN number for her ATM card and 326 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:30,320 attempted to use it at multiple locations in the surrounding North Georgia counties. 327 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,000 But Meredith, my God, she's such a whippersnapper. 328 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:39,120 She continued to give Hilton the wrong combination in order just to buy herself some 329 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:39,840 time. 330 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:46,000 You know, that's a risk because you've got this man who's holding you captive and what's 331 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,840 it going to take to tick him off if you keep giving him the wrong PIN number. 332 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:50,800 That's right. 333 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:55,520 Hilton stated that over the three days, he had reassured Meredith that he was not going 334 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,240 to kill her and that she would be released. 335 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:04,720 He eventually tied her to a tree in the Dawson forest, which lies between Atlanta and North 336 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,440 Georgia mountains where Meredith was abducted. 337 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:12,080 Hilton thought it would be really nice, Beth, to go take a coffee break at his van. 338 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:12,480 Wow. 339 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:17,040 Yeah, so he did that before returning to Meredith and beating her to death with a car 340 00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:18,720 jack and then beheading her. 341 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:20,080 I have tears. 342 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:21,360 I know you do too. 343 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:23,120 Yeah, I do. 344 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:28,000 I'm telling you, this has got to be one of the most impactful stories that I've ever 345 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:31,520 heard on other podcasts or TV shows. 346 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,840 And ever since that day, I just had to make sure this story was told. 347 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:43,280 Meredith's body was recovered on Monday, January 7th of 2008, just one week from the 348 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:44,960 first time that she had disappeared. 349 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:49,520 And her autopsy revealed that her cause of death was a blow to the head. 350 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:53,600 There was like a two and a half hour interview on YouTube that I saw. 351 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:54,960 I'll put that in the show notes. 352 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:58,960 I'm not going to give this guy the time of day to sit there and watch, but I wanted to 353 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:03,920 touch on a couple of his theories because he's so intelligent and eccentric. 354 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:09,360 After he was caught, Hilton basically had the attitude of I am who I am and this is 355 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:10,080 what I do. 356 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:10,480 Okay. 357 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:12,960 Just accept me for who I am because this is me. 358 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:17,200 Meaning he had no desire to be respectful or a respectable citizen. 359 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,120 Hold a job or anything else. 360 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:24,160 He would get his money by robbing, abducting and killing people as if this was normal 361 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:25,360 behavior, Beth. 362 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:30,560 For an example, he had said, and I quote, if I'm going to go out and kill someone, I 363 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:31,840 need to have a reason. 364 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:36,480 But in Meredith's case, I went against everything I usually follow. 365 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,640 I had $40 and plenty of food, so there was no reason to kill her. 366 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,360 So I just went against everything I said and killed her anyway. 367 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:44,400 Unquote. 368 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:46,320 I mean, there's just no reasoning. 369 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:48,960 No, you can't reason with a criminal. 370 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:49,920 You can't. 371 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:56,080 And during his interviews, Hilton voices several theories about his behavior as a 372 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:57,200 criminal, Beth. 373 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:02,960 He was quoted as saying, my advice to people, if they're ever abducted, is to 374 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,880 engage your abductor and to make yourself a person to them. 375 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:12,080 Did Meredith make herself a person to you for three days, Mr. Hilton? 376 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:19,360 I've actually heard advice in self-defense back in grade nine, and they did say that 377 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:26,480 you need to make it personal so they know you're a human and just everything that 378 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:27,680 goes along with it. 379 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:28,960 I mean, it makes sense. 380 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,600 You'd have to find that avenue to do that. 381 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:36,800 And Meredith, for all accounts, did try to buy as much time as she could. 382 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:38,400 And it's just unfortunate. 383 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,840 Yeah, I just don't get why he chose to do this. 384 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,560 Well, because he's a serial killer, Beth. 385 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,520 And that means that she was not the only victim because I'm actually going to 386 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,800 include some of the victims in just a couple of minutes. 387 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:52,480 Oh, okay. 388 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:53,440 Oh, yeah. 389 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:53,760 Okay. 390 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:54,720 I'll tell you what. 391 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:59,040 Years ago, when I first saw this story, I don't believe that they had connected 392 00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:01,680 Hilton with any other killings. 393 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:07,680 So he was likely not classified as a serial killer at the time, but he certainly 394 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:08,720 is today. 395 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:13,680 And I think just through the investigations, they were able to connect the dots. 396 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:14,400 Okay. 397 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:15,600 So that's why he did it. 398 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:16,720 That's his MO. 399 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:21,680 On February 25th, the 2008, Hustler Magazine, I don't even know if they're 400 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:26,480 still in business, but Hustler Magazine asked for photos of Meredith's crime 401 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:30,080 scene as part of an open records request. 402 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:34,880 With the open records request, Beth, reporters in the United States are able 403 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:39,280 to file a request to obtain records on just about everything. 404 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:41,120 That surprises me. 405 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:42,560 Can you not do that in Canada? 406 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:43,440 Well, I don't know. 407 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,080 I'll have to look it up, but I really don't know. 408 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,640 But it just seems so invasive. 409 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:49,280 Yeah. 410 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:54,240 And in Meredith's case, I completely agree because Hustler's request was 411 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,040 denied due to the sensitive nature of the case. 412 00:27:57,120 --> 00:27:58,880 We know what happened to Meredith. 413 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:05,440 And for anybody to want to publish that in a magazine, that is beyond horrific. 414 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:07,040 Yeah, exactly. 415 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:13,280 Georgia legislators soon introduced the Meredith Emerson Privacy Act law to 416 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:17,120 exempt crime scene photos from that open records law. 417 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:18,560 That's a great thing. 418 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,920 Autopsy photos are already exempt. 419 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:26,000 As far as I know, Hustler Magazine was never able to obtain those photos. 420 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:27,440 I don't read the magazine. 421 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,280 Do you know what Hustler Magazine is? 422 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:30,240 I think so. 423 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:33,360 It caters to the male population, let's put it that way. 424 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:34,160 Yes. 425 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:35,520 Yeah, that's what I thought. 426 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:35,920 All right. 427 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:42,000 So I'm actually going to talk a little bit about Gary Hilton as a serial killer 428 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:44,480 because he did have other victims, Beth. 429 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:45,760 Dear Lord. 430 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:51,360 Meredith's case really opened up evidence against him. 431 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:56,080 And like I said, there were times where the police in different areas were able 432 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:57,440 to connect the dots. 433 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:58,480 Dennis is barking. 434 00:28:58,560 --> 00:28:59,680 Why don't you have a wine? 435 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,720 I'm going to have a wine. 436 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:04,080 That's a lovely wine. 437 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:06,080 I'm drinking Pinot Grigio. 438 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:12,640 OK, so I'm going to talk about several people that were connected or maybe not 439 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,040 connected with Gary Hilton. 440 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:19,840 I'm going to go in chronological order to the best of my ability here, starting 441 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,560 with Judy Smith, who was 50 years of age. 442 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:27,840 Judy's remains were discovered on a hiking trail in Asheville, North Carolina. 443 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:34,080 Hilton cannot be directly linked to this case, nor has he ever confessed to killing 444 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:34,880 Judy Smith. 445 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:39,200 But authorities strongly believe that he has something to do with her death 446 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:44,800 because another one of his victims was found tied to a tree in the same facility 447 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:46,800 that Judy's remains were discovered. 448 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,280 Oh, yeah, he's definitely guilty. 449 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:49,680 Yeah. 450 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:55,040 And so, again, if you're thinking about the Appalachian Trail, all of these areas, 451 00:29:55,120 --> 00:30:02,320 his MO is definitely to work the trails, whether it's in North Carolina, Tennessee, 452 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:07,760 Georgia, wherever he's at, he's going to be working the trails. 453 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:14,080 Patrice Andres, age 38, was a Georgia hairdresser from Cumming, Georgia. 454 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:20,320 Patrice was last seen on April 15th of 2004, somewhere around lunchtime. 455 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:25,360 And again, Gary Hilton cannot be directly linked to this case, but authorities 456 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:30,800 believe that he abducted Patrice after he admitted that one of his favorite places 457 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:33,360 to go was to Patrice's hair salon. 458 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:34,880 Oh, come on. 459 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:35,760 Right? 460 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:37,040 Yes. 461 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,960 Money was missing from the salon's cash register when police investigated 462 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:42,400 Patrice's disappearance. 463 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,120 So again, Beth, he's working the trails. 464 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:50,080 Anytime he needs money, he's going to rob, steal, kill, whatever he needs to do 465 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:50,880 to get money. 466 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:55,360 Rosanna Milana was age 26 from Miami, Florida. 467 00:30:55,440 --> 00:31:00,720 And Hilton, again, cannot be directly linked to Rosanna's disappearance either. 468 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:05,360 But her father states that his daughter was seen with someone bearing a strong 469 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:07,760 resemblance to this serial killer. 470 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:14,080 And Rosanna last talked to her dad on December 6th of 2005 when she told him 471 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:18,960 that she had taken a bus to North Carolina to go hiking the Appalachian Trail. 472 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:23,440 Yeah, everything goes towards Gary Hilton. 473 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:29,520 She was last seen on December 7th of 2005 in Bryson City, North Carolina. 474 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:32,640 I really don't know where that is, but it's up in the Asheville area. 475 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,520 She was buying a backpack in a general store. 476 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:41,040 And the store clerk identified Rosanna's companion as a known preacher who 477 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:46,800 traveled around camp areas and that Rosanna appeared somewhat nervous when he 478 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:48,160 was waiting on the couple. 479 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:54,800 So I just don't know how Hilton is able to take control of these people. 480 00:31:54,880 --> 00:32:01,040 I don't neither because he probably is a ruffian looking scraggly and that's how 481 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:01,600 I... 482 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:02,240 Oh, he is. 483 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:02,880 Have you... 484 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,040 Oh, how you're envisioning him? 485 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:06,320 You are spot on. 486 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:08,640 You're telling me you did not go look him up yet? 487 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:09,120 No. 488 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:10,720 Yeah, you are spot on. 489 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:14,320 I'm going to do that right now. 490 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:18,640 Well, while you do that, Beth, I'm going to talk about John Bryant and his wife, 491 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:19,920 Irene Bryant. 492 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:25,920 This was the sweetest couple who were in their 80s, Beth, who loved to go out to 493 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:27,520 the mountains and go hiking. 494 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,840 They were known for their love of hiking and often let their children know that 495 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:36,720 they would be out for the day enjoying fresh air, which is why their kids were 496 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:43,920 not initially alarmed when they did not hear from them on October 20th of 2007. 497 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:49,760 The couple was reported missing on November 9th of 2007 when they never turned up. 498 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:53,040 So they likely told their family, we're going to go hiking. 499 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:58,080 Again, if you are familiar with the area, you can easily get a cabin for a couple 500 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:03,360 days when the Bryant's family did not hear from them, then they just didn't 501 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:04,400 think anything of it. 502 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:09,360 But once the authorities were alerted that the couple were overdue hikers, just 503 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:14,480 like Meredith was, they began their search and discovered Irene Bryant's deceased 504 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:21,040 body just 30 yards from her SUV in the Pigsaw National Forest in Brevard, North 505 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:21,920 Carolina. 506 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:27,040 She had been beaten to death and had died of blunt force trauma with a weapon, 507 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:30,000 Beth, that was consistent to a police baton. 508 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:31,280 Come on. 509 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:37,840 John Bryant was eventually recovered months later in February of 2008 by a 510 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:42,560 hunter who had discovered his body near an illegal dumping site. 511 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,520 John had died of a gunshot wound to the head. 512 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:51,200 So that to me was a little off according to Hilton's MO because he's never used a 513 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:52,320 shotgun before. 514 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:53,840 Maybe it was John's gun. 515 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:55,280 Maybe he got a hold of it. 516 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:58,080 Mr. Bryant was 84 years old. 517 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,880 So did you look up Hilton yet? 518 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:05,120 Yes, I'm looking at him and he really is a rough scoundrel. 519 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:07,200 Yeah, scraggly rough scoundrel. 520 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:08,560 So exactly. 521 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:12,080 And then his evil look when he's in jail. 522 00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:16,400 Oh, Beth, that has got to be one of the most evil mugshots I've ever seen. 523 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:18,480 I mean, you can see the devil in his eyes. 524 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:19,520 Yes, you can. 525 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:26,560 Getting back to these cases, I just find it funny that he's going for the head. 526 00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:28,880 I just wonder what he's thinking. 527 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:34,000 True, because if you watch enough documentaries, there's always a reason. 528 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:35,200 They always have a reason. 529 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:38,640 And I'm going to tell you right now, it's probably mummy issues. 530 00:34:38,720 --> 00:34:40,160 That's what I was thinking too. 531 00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:41,120 But you're right. 532 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:44,960 What better way to get the upper hand than just to knock him out, you know? 533 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,000 But then he does take it too far, obviously. 534 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,480 Authorities did believe that Hilton's motive to kill the Bryant couple 535 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:56,800 was to rob them and use their ATM card, because again, that's what he did. 536 00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:02,720 Bank surveillance videos showed someone trying to use an ATM card on October 22nd 537 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:09,200 in Ducktown, Tennessee, which is somewhere around 100 miles from where Irene was found. 538 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:13,600 And the person in this video did resemble, because I've seen the video, Beth, 539 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:17,680 his mannerism and body type did resemble Hilton. 540 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:24,160 And at the time when he used that ATM, he was able to withdraw $300 from the Bryant's account. 541 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:25,440 Bless that couple. 542 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:26,240 I know. 543 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:31,440 They must have really wanted their escape and gave him the numbers. 544 00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:36,080 Well, if he led Meredith to believe that he wasn't going to do anything to them, 545 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,880 he probably did the same thing with the Bryant's. 546 00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:40,320 Yeah, for sure. 547 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:49,040 So Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, age 46, was a Sunday school teacher from Crawfordville, Florida. 548 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:56,800 Cheryl was first reported missing on December 1st of 2007 and later discovered on December 19th, 549 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:03,040 dead and dismembered in the Apalachicola National Forest near Tallahassee, Florida. 550 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:07,760 A local bank caught a masked man on their surveillance camera, 551 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:11,760 attempting to use Cheryl's ATM card on December 1st. 552 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:16,480 A state forestry officer encountered Hilton close to the scene. 553 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:20,400 Beth ran his plates, but did not detain him. 554 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:26,880 Hilton's next victim was Michael Scott Lewis, age 27. 555 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:33,920 And on December 6th of 2007, Michael Scott's dismembered torso and legs were discovered 556 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:37,680 in the Tomoka River inside the Tomoka State Park, 557 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:44,240 which is located in Ormond Beach near Daytona, Florida, and his head was never found. 558 00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:46,400 So there you go. He did it again. 559 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:47,360 Good Lord. 560 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:48,960 I thought that was odd too. 561 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:54,880 Now he did go after Mr. Bryant, who was the 84-year-old hiker with his lovely wife, 562 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:56,720 but who knows? 563 00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:01,680 There's no way I could even say how these two are, you know, how their paths crossed. 564 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:06,080 But in this case, Beth, Hilton cannot be directly linked to this case, 565 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:12,080 but authorities have a strong suspicion to believe that he is directly linked to Michael Scott's murder. 566 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:17,280 And this time he went with a male instead of female. 567 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:18,320 So true. 568 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:21,120 I'm going to talk here about Nancy Linkesh. 569 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:25,920 She's not a victim of Hilton, Beth, but she did encounter him. 570 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,720 Nancy was age 36 and a sales rep from Gainesville, Georgia. 571 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:34,720 Nancy lived to tell the tale of her encounter with Gary Hilton. 572 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:41,040 She and Hilton had crossed paths on the Byron Herbert Rees Trail in Union County, 573 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:43,920 which is the same county where Meredith was abducted, Beth. 574 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:44,800 Right. 575 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:50,080 She had encountered Hilton one day before Meredith went missing. 576 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:55,840 The reason we know that Nancy's encounter occurred is because it was brought up briefly 577 00:37:55,840 --> 00:38:02,400 during Hilton's January 31st arraignment when he pled guilty to Meredith Emerson's murder. 578 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,640 So just another witness on the stand. 579 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:08,480 Hilton had approached Nancy on the hiking trail, 580 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:14,240 but she happened to be with a group of people who were taking a break from hiking two miles up the mountain. 581 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:18,400 It was late in the afternoon and the temperatures were dropping. 582 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:24,400 So Nancy began walking quickly ahead of her group when she saw Hilton. 583 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:29,840 She was a few hundred yards ahead of her group when Nancy came upon Dandy, 584 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:34,720 Hilton's red or ginger retriever that was on the trail with Hilton. 585 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:39,040 So of course they're going to start talking about the dog because if you're like a dog magnet with me, 586 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:40,720 I like tiny little ones. 587 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:42,320 You like the bigger dogs. 588 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:43,600 I do like big dogs. 589 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:45,680 They're like body pillows. 590 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:47,520 Give me a chihuahua any day. 591 00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:50,240 They're like a little dog with a big attitude. 592 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:52,320 I had two chihuahuas. 593 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:55,200 I remember those chihuahuas. 594 00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:58,560 They were so cute and they didn't bark. 595 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:00,000 They didn't bark. 596 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:01,040 No. 597 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:02,800 As they were descending the mountain, 598 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:07,680 Hilton walked ahead of Nancy and they talked about Dandy for just a couple of minutes. 599 00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:10,320 When Hilton became agitated, 600 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:14,880 he told Nancy that he gets so angry with people, Beth, 601 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:17,200 who come up the mountain that are not prepared. 602 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:22,640 So she was probably telling him that she was going down the mountain to get her jacket 603 00:39:22,720 --> 00:39:24,400 because the temperatures were dropping. 604 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:29,520 So that's when he got angry with her and said basically that she was unprepared. 605 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:34,720 She had assumed, of course, that he was referring to her light outerwear for the hike, 606 00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:41,120 but Hilton abruptly stopped, turned to face Nancy, and then Beth, this is creepy, 607 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:42,880 he asked her if she was alone. 608 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,360 I'm sure that she said she was with her group, 609 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:49,200 but then he asked if she had a cell phone and again she said no. 610 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:51,600 Oh, I hope she didn't give it up. 611 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:54,080 Her friends soon caught up to her 612 00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:58,240 and both parties ended up taking two different trails in different directions. 613 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:01,920 But as Nancy and her group reached the bottom of their trail, 614 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:05,600 they turned around and saw that Hilton was coming down behind them. 615 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:10,800 Nancy at this point realized in the following days after watching the news 616 00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:13,600 that she had come face to face with Gary Hilton, 617 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:16,480 who just may have been shopping for his next victim. 618 00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:19,360 That is, that's really scary. 619 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:27,040 I wonder what emotions and I just wonder everything about the shock she would be in. 620 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:28,800 Oh, yeah, absolutely. 621 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:30,000 Totally agree with you. 622 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:32,400 I mean, she dodged a bullet. 623 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:33,440 She did. 624 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:35,440 So there we have it. 625 00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:36,960 I'm going to go ahead and sum things up. 626 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:41,200 Gary Michael Hilton traveled around quite a bit in those three days 627 00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:44,960 that led up to his arrest for Meredith Emerson's abduction. 628 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:50,560 He was seen in at least six counties and talked to numerous people along the way. 629 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:54,720 During his arrest for the abduction and murder of Meredith Emerson, 630 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:58,240 he was also identified as a person of interest 631 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:02,320 or directly connected to at least six other murders, 632 00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:04,000 which I find interesting though. 633 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:06,240 And he's never confessed to any of these 634 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:09,600 because he's probably linked to some of these cases 635 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:11,920 that I had just finished talking about. 636 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:16,480 And I just find how arrogant that he wouldn't even confess to any of those. 637 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:18,480 You're obviously linked, 638 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:22,560 but what arrogance that you're not going to give families peace of mind 639 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,040 when they're already in turmoil, you know? 640 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:26,080 Very true. 641 00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:29,200 But that's his narcissistic personality. 642 00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:31,840 He currently sits on death row in Florida 643 00:41:31,920 --> 00:41:35,200 for the murder of Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, 644 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:40,400 who was the 46-year-old Sunday school teacher from Florida 645 00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:46,000 who went missing in the Apalachicola National Forest in Tallahassee, Florida. 646 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:48,080 So he's on death row for one, 647 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:50,560 but do remember that he was at least charged 648 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:53,760 and convicted for Meredith Emerson's killing as well. 649 00:41:53,840 --> 00:42:00,240 Jeez, after all of that, he only is on death row for one killing. 650 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:04,560 They just don't have enough evidence in several of those other cases. 651 00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:06,960 True. I hate when that happens. 652 00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:09,040 I know. I do too. 653 00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:12,560 You'd think with DNA, there would be evidence. 654 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:13,440 When was DNA? 655 00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:18,000 DNA came out really at the very beginning of the new millennium. 656 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:20,480 So even though it was 2007, 657 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:24,880 I'm sure it was not as sophisticated as it is today. 658 00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:26,560 But I don't know. 659 00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:28,880 He's probably enjoying himself behind bars 660 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:31,760 because he's got a bed to sleep in. 661 00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:34,400 But rest in peace, Meredith Emerson, 662 00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:38,000 because you in my eyes are a true renegade. 663 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:40,160 And I personally appreciate 664 00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:42,720 how you tried your best to outwit Hilton, 665 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,280 both physically through your martial arts training 666 00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:48,320 and mentally by not giving up that pin number. 667 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:49,760 So you go, girl. 668 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:51,120 You're really not forgotten. 669 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:54,000 Well, Deb, that was a sad story. 670 00:42:54,080 --> 00:42:54,720 Yeah. 671 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:57,440 I think it's the saddest one that we've done. 672 00:42:57,520 --> 00:43:00,640 Yeah. I mean, this one, for some reason, 673 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:02,240 just really hits home with me. 674 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:05,360 And it's probably because I know the area so well. 675 00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:07,040 That's Meredith Emerson 676 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:13,600 and the story behind her strength and capabilities. 677 00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:15,040 It's just unfortunate. 678 00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:16,800 Well, I'm glad you told the story 679 00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:20,160 and everybody is now aware of this man. 680 00:43:20,240 --> 00:43:23,120 Should he go up for parole? 681 00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:25,040 Well, in Florida, he is on death row. 682 00:43:25,120 --> 00:43:26,640 So I'd have to look at the laws, 683 00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:29,600 but he will never get out if he's on death row. 684 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:30,880 Good, good, good. 685 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:31,440 Yep. 686 00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:34,640 So do you have a teachable moment for us, Deb? 687 00:43:34,720 --> 00:43:36,960 Yeah, Beth, I do have a teachable moment. 688 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:40,960 If you're going to go out into isolated areas 689 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:42,400 like hiking trails, 690 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:45,360 it's always best to use the buddy system. 691 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:48,000 In Meredith's case, she did everything right. 692 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:50,320 She used her martial arts training. 693 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:53,200 She used her wits to buy herself time. 694 00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:55,280 And she even had a dog with her. 695 00:43:55,360 --> 00:43:57,840 But sometimes, Beth, that's really not enough. 696 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:01,520 And I had mentioned that I personally know the area 697 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:03,360 where Meredith was abducted. 698 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:08,160 And we'll say that hikers do tend to have the same camaraderie 699 00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:09,680 when they're on the trails, 700 00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:12,080 because it's like a hobby to people. 701 00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:14,720 When you have the same hobby, you have a lot in common. 702 00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:16,480 You look out for each other. 703 00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:19,520 But in today's day and age, it's important to buddy up. 704 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:24,720 And think about taking some sort of protection with you on your hikes. 705 00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:27,920 That is one thing, Beth, that I did not see 706 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:29,680 while I was doing my research. 707 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:32,800 Did Meredith have any type of protection on her? 708 00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:37,040 She probably thought that Ella was enough to keep her protected, 709 00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:38,880 but that's not always the case. 710 00:44:38,960 --> 00:44:41,600 Take a hunting knife, a stun gun, 711 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:43,680 even see if you can get a police baton, 712 00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:47,360 and make sure that the protection that you are carrying is legal. 713 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:51,360 But secondly, these items can easily be strapped to your belt 714 00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:54,880 or on your leg, underneath your clothing. 715 00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:58,880 So just take some protection with you and buddy up. 716 00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:01,360 Well, thank you for sharing this story. 717 00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:04,880 It certainly has me a little bit more spooked 718 00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:09,600 and a little bit more aware of what my surroundings should be. 719 00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:11,680 And keep on the lookout. 720 00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:14,160 Yeah, you just have to in today's day and age. 721 00:45:14,240 --> 00:45:15,120 Mm-hmm. 722 00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:16,720 Just can't be too careful. 723 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:17,520 No. 724 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:20,000 So that's Meredith Emerson. 725 00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:21,600 And that's a wrap. 726 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:23,040 That is a wrap. 727 00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:26,080 So thanks to everyone for listening to our podcast. 728 00:45:26,160 --> 00:45:29,440 And before we go, we would love for you to leave a review 729 00:45:29,520 --> 00:45:31,920 on your favorite podcast platform. 730 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:36,320 Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest 731 00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:39,360 at Dying the Number Two, the Letter Be Found. 732 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:42,400 If you like our episodes, please rate and share 733 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:44,240 and consider buying us a coffee. 734 00:45:44,320 --> 00:45:48,080 Be sure to leave a comment at buymeacoffee.com 735 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:52,240 slash Dying to Be Found spelled just like you see it on our logo. 736 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:55,840 If you have an idea for a story that you would like for us to cover, 737 00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:59,600 please email us at dyingtobefound at gmail.com 738 00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:01,520 or message us on Instagram. 739 00:46:01,600 --> 00:46:03,600 To find out more about your hosts, 740 00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:06,880 be sure to visit our website at dyingtobefound.com. 741 00:46:06,960 --> 00:46:08,080 So thanks, everybody. 742 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:10,960 And we will talk to you all next Thursday. 743 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:18,720 Bye.