Gary Hilton is an American serial killer who killed at least four people from 2007 to 2008. On the records, he is known for taking the lives of Cheryl Dunlap, John Bryant, Irene Bryant, and Meredith Emerson. However, many believe that he even murdered four other people – Judy Smith, Jason Knapp, Rossana Miliani, and Michael Scott Lewis.
Officials discovered Judy Smith’s and Michael Scott Lewis’ remains in Pisgah National Forest in 1997 and Florida’s Tomoka River in 2007, respectively. Whereas, Jason Knapp and Rossana Miliani disappeared in 1998 and 2005, respectively. After his disappearance in 1998, officials declared Knapp legally dead.
Currently aged 77, according to Yahoo Finance, Hilton is on death row at the Union Correctional Institute, Florida. He was arrested on January 4, 2008, after murdering his final victim, Meredith Emerson.
Gary Hilton and his brutal crimes are showcased in detail in a Hulu documentary, titled Wild Crime: Blood Mountain. This documentary was produced by ABC News Studios and released on November 30, 2023.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the synopsis of Wild Crime: Blood Mountain reads, “After experienced hiker Meredith Emerson goes missing, a massive search-and-rescue operation begins; when investigators learn of two other missing hiker cases that ended in murder, they are left wondering if a serial killer took Meredith.”
It further states, “Serial killer Gary Michael Hilton has killed two women in national forests across the southeast; Hilton has escaped twice so far, leaving his victims without justice; but as police search a dumpster full of bloody clothes, Hilton is spotted nearby.”
Gary Hilton’s victims: Blood Mountain murders of Meredith Emerson & Others
Gary Hilton’s last victim was a 24-year-old woman named Meredith Emerson. In the aforementioned Hulu documentary, Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agents, John Cagle and Clay Bridges, got candid about this murder.
They said that when Emerson disappeared, her friends were astonished because she was not new to hiking. The police even received several tips from witnesses who saw Emerson with her dog. Furthermore, several witnesses even revealed that they saw a mysterious man behind her.
Bridges said, “The guy he described was a man in his 50s or 60s. He was wearing high-end hiking gear, he had a police-style baton and he had a bayonet knife on his belt. What [one witness] couldn’t shake was the fact that he had duct tape on his shoes. Somebody is a very experienced hiker; why would you have duct tape on your shoes?”
On New Year’s Day 2008, Gary Hilton forced Emerson to camp with him. When the killer failed to get any money from her, he took her life. Furthermore, he decapitated her body and hid it in the jungle.
On October 21, 2007, 80-year-old John Bryant and his 84-year-old wife Irene disappeared after a hike in Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. Officials discovered Irene’s bludgeoned and severed corpse two and a half weeks later on November 10, 2007. John’s skull was discovered near Nantahala National Forest in February 2008.
Another victim of Hilton, Cheryl Dunlap, disappeared on December 2, 2007. According to All That’s Interesting, the killer captured Dunlap when she visited Florida’s Apalachicola National Forest. He held her captive for two days and then he ended her life.
