On New Year’s Day 2008, 24-year-old Meredith Emerson set out for a solo hike on Georgia’s Blood Mountain. When she didn’t return, a frantic search led investigators into a chilling pattern spanning three states — and straight to a drifter named Gary Michael Hilton.
In this episode, we uncover the truth behind Meredith’s disappearance, the manhunt that followed, and the other victims whose stories helped reveal who Hilton really was.
SOURCES USED
- AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) — comprehensive reporting on Meredith Emerson, Hilton’s arrest, plea deal, sentencing
- 11Alive News (Atlanta) — timeline reconstruction, interviews, GBI statements, ATM footage reporting
- GBI official statements & press releases — search details, evidence findings, BOLO
- CourtTV / CrimeTV “The National Forest Serial Killer” documentary — Hilton’s interviews, taped-mask ATM footage, timeline details
- YouTube – Real Crime / CrimeTV documentaries:
- Tallahassee Democrat & AP News — Cheryl Dunlap case investigation, trial, autopsy details
- Asheville Citizen-Times & Charlotte Observer — Bryant case, federal charges, sentencing documents
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) press releases — federal plea and sentencing information for John & Irene Bryant
- FBI case summaries & investigative commentary — multi-state linkage, serial offender profile
- Last Hike on Blood Mountain podcast — detailed reporting on Meredith’s disappearance, friends’ actions, timeline, search details
- Georgia & Florida court filings — plea transcripts, sentencing orders, investigative summaries
- National Forest Service reporting & missing hiker case records — environmental context, victim movement, search data
