The man accused of beating a 24-year-old Georgia hiker to death and decapitating her is suspected in at least four other murder cases in three different states. Authorities from Georgia, North Carolina and Florida met this week to compare notes on Gary Michael Hilton, suspected in the deaths of several other hikers.
Investigators met at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation office in Cleveland, Georgia to share evidence and discuss possible connections between several cases which had similarities with the death of Meredith Emerson, a Buford woman who disappeared while hiking with her dog on New Year's Day.
Hilton was charged with Emerson's murder after he led police to her decapitated body.
Other Murders Under Investigation
No charges have been filed in the other cases, but investigators are developing evidence in the following murders:
- Cheryl Hodges Dunlap - The decapitated body of Cheryl Hodges Dunlap was found Dec. 15, 2007 in the Apalachicola National Forest in Leon County, Florida, south of Tallahassee. Last week, Florida authorities said they have enough evidence to charge Hilton with the murder of the 46-year-old woman.
- Michael Scot Louis - The body of 27-year-old Michael Scot Louis of Ormond Beach, Florida, was found in three different garbage bags on Dec. 6, 2007 near Tomoka State Park. Louis also had been decapitated.
- John and Irene Bryant - The body of Irene Bryant, 84, was found in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, North Carolina, in October, but her 79-year-old husband John has never been located. Searchers found Irene Bryant's body Nov. 9. She and her husband had been missing since Oct. 21. North Carolina authorities say they have definitely linked Hilton to the Bryant case, but would not reveal what the link is.
- Rossana Miliani - A 26-year-old Florida resident, Rossana Miliani, was hiking in western North Carolina near Bryson City when she disappeared Dec. 7, 2005. A store clerk in Bryson City said Miliani was in the store with a man in his 60s and appeared nervous while purchasing a backpack.
Police said Hilton tried to use Emerson's ATM card to get cash after her disappearance. Surveillance photos show a man trying to use Cheryl Dunlap's ATM card on three different occasions between Dec. 2-4. Investigators also have bank video tape of a man wearing a yellow jacket withdrawing $300 from John and Irene Bryant's account.
The man in the video was wearing a yellow jacket that investigators believe belonged to John Bryant. When a witness saw a man talking with Meredith Emerson at Vogle State Park, they described him as wearing a yellow jacket.
With Hilton in custody in Georgia and awaiting trial in the Emerson case, authorities in North Carolina and Florida are in no hurry to file charges. "We'd like to build our evidence, our case," Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney told reporters.
See Also:
Three States Look at Crime Links to Hilton
Sheriff: Hiker Suspect Tied to NC Case
Background:
The Gary Michael Hilton Case
Forum:
Discuss The Emerson Case
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