A 24-year-old Georgia woman has been missing since New Year's Day and authorities are seeking a "person of interest" who was seen talking with her on a popular trail in the North Georgia Mountains. Meredith Emerson, a 2005 graduate of the University of Georgia, was an experienced mountain trail hiker along with her dog Ella.

Witnesses reported seeing Emerson walking on a path at Vogel State Park with a gray-haired man in his 60s. Late Thursday, police said they were looking for Gary Michael Hilton, 60, as a person of interest in the case.

Hilton, who lives in DeKalb County, Georgia, owns two vehicles according to police, a white 1996 Chevrolet Astro Van (license 76APZ) and a white 2001 Chevrolet Astro Van (license plate AFQ1310).

Hundreds of volunteers have been searching the Vogel State Park area where the ground is covered in about two inches of snow and where temperatures dipped into the teens this week. Officials confirmed that a water bottle and a dog leash found along the trail belonged to Emerson, who lives in Buford, Georgia.

No Stranger to Hiking

On Tuesday, Emerson parked her car near Freeman Trial and began hiking with her black, mixed-breed dog Ella. She was last seen between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. talking with a man authorities have now identified as Hilton, who was walking with his red dog named "Dandy."

Pat Mitchell, a dog trainer who helped train Emerson's dog Ella, said she is no stranger to mountain hiking.

"Meredith is so wise and so outdoor smart," Mitchell told reporters. "She'd be the type that you could drop on a mountain and she could find her way to the car. This is not some city gal who went to go for a hike in the woods."

See Also:
Police Seek 'Person of Interest' in Case of Missing Buford Woman
Person of Interest Named in Missing Hiker Case

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