Monsters In Our Midst

This article was first published in Going South Sportsman magazine in March 2008. Thanks to Roger for letting me get this off my chest. Since this was written, Gary Micheal Hilton has been indicted for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap, and is fighting extradition to Florida. It has not yet been decided whether the John & Irene Bryant case will be prosecuted by the state of North Carolina or whether it will be federally prosecuted.


Monsters In Our Midst

I know this is not the usual type of article that Going South usually prints, but I think this kind of affects us all. I also know this is a difficult topic -it’s the kind of stuff nightmares are made of. We are all outdoorsmen, and there are real life monsters in our midst.

The day is January 1, 2008. It’s a brand-new year. The weather is nice, but cool. It’s a perfect day to go hiking in the mountains of North Georgia, a perfect way for Meredith Hope Emerson and her beloved dog, Ella, to start the New Year. She leaves her home in Gwinnett County, Georgia and heads to Vogel State park in Union County, Georgia. She is never seen by her family or friends again. A “person of interest” was soon listed.

The person of interest was found January 4 and arrested on an unrelated charge in Dekalb County, Georgia. On January 7, her body was found in a wooded area in Dawson Forest in Dawson County, Georgia, which is about 50 miles from where she was last seen. The “person of interest” led law enforcement to her body in exchange for them not seeking the death penalty against him. According to the released information from the autopsy a few days later, she was alive approximately three days after being kidnapped and had died on January 4 from blunt force trauma to the head, with decapitation following her death.

The monster that is currently in jail for this horrible crime, is a 61 year old monster named Gary Michael Hilton. He had apparently been a drifter for quite some time. I won’t go into all the timeline details of this case, as that information can easily be found by anyone with access to a computer. Believe me, just Google the names involved and there are hundreds of sites, from newspaper articles, television news programs and open public forums full of everything from speculation and rumors, to actual good information.

Hilton has been seen by many visitors along both the hiking trails and in the wilderness areas that he and his dog, Dandy, frequented. On October 26, 2007, he had been given a warning ticket by a deputy in Cherokee County, Georgia for trespassing/camping on private land. The deputy ran his usual checks, found nothing, and released him. On November 17, a U.S. Forestry agent in the Apalachicola National Forest ran his tags. Another Forestry agent in the Osceola National Forest ran them on December 28. Hilton was obviously quite the traveler. Many of the people who had seen Hilton at various locations described him as “creepy”.

On January 31, Hilton pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of Meredith Emerson. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years. In 2038, Hilton would be 91 years old. The medical problems Hilton supposedly has, along with his age, pretty much means he’ll never again walk our streets. But, it also means we, the taxpayers, will be paying for any of his medical needs, his food, clothing, shelter and protection, for as long as this monster lives.

After much investigation, it seems this monster is connected to and will be possibly charged in at least a few other murders as well. Law enforcement agencies in four states have tracked his travels since October 2007, and have him linked to the murders of at least four hikers from North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Yet even more agencies are looking to see if there are more connections that can be made in other unsolved murder cases, some going back many years. The most publicized connected cases at this time are John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina and Cheryl Hodges Dunlap in Florida.



A retired, but very active couple, John (80) and Irene (84) Bryant, a North Carolina couple, were last seen alive on October 20 in the Pisgah National Forest located in western North Carolina. Mrs. Bryant’s body was found 3 weeks later about 50 paces from where their vehicle had been parked. She died from blunt force trauma to the head and her body was covered with leaves. The remains of her husband, John, were found on February 2, 2008 by a hunter in the Nantahala National Forest. Sheriff Mahoney from Transylvania County, NC stated on (or about) January 17 at an afternoon news conference that “This investigation has resulted in the investigative team being able to establish a positive link between Gary Michael Hilton and Transylvania County and, more specifically, to the case involving John and Irene Bryant.” They are now trying to resolve whether the state or the federal government will prosecute Hilton.


Cheryl Hodges Dunlap (46) of Crawfordville, Florida went missing on December 1. Her body was found by hunters on December 15 in the Apalachicola National Forest. Even though the law enforcement officials in this case have not officially released definite details, speculation is that Ms. Dunlap was also decapitated; possibly even her hands had been removed.







As I stated above, the body of Ms. Emerson was found due to the “deal” made with Gary Hilton – You take us to her body and we won’t seek the death penalty. I am sure that her family wanted to find her body, to have her body available to them for proper burial and perhaps a slight amount of closure. My question is, at what cost should a deal be made? Emotions can often make someone say or do things they normally would not in normal circumstances. Don’t you think the law enforcement involved should have considered this fact, rather than jumping so very quickly to cut a deal with such a monster?

What about the recent “deals” made for the person(s) responsible for the Christopher Barrios murder? This poor six year old little boy was abducted, raped, murdered,by strangulation, put into a trash bag then dumped into a small wooded area not too far from where he (and the killers) lived. Donald Dale – “Guilty but mentally retarded” and a few years in a mental institution and that’s it? Peggy Edenfield – No death penalty in exchange for her testimony against her husband, her son, and Donald Dale? You’ve got to be kidding me! Just how many more “deals” will be made for any of the monsters currently in the news before we say enough is enough?

How many “deals” have been made by law enforcement personnel that have allowed monsters such as Gary Hilton to be possibly released back into society or be given ridiculously reduced sentences? How many monsters get away with horrible crimes because some idiot feels sorry for them because they have a low IQ? How many of these monsters will we, the tax payer, have to feed, clothe, provide medical care, and house for the rest of their lives? How many monsters have to be treated with kid gloves, guarded by the authorities “for their own protection”? Who the hell was “protecting” their victims? We’ve simply got to make some changes people.

As for protecting yourself from these predators, most anyone with common sense knows they need to be aware of their surroundings. Many of us may even have what is known as a “Concealed Weapons Permit”. Now here’s what is funny – did you know that even if you have a permit, you ARE NOT allowed to carry on either State Park or National Park lands? It’s true, just look it up. If you have access to a computer, go to www.GeorgiaPacking.org. This site kind of takes the “legalese” of the laws and makes them easier for us regular folks to understand. Unless the new bills currently proposed pass, (www.georgiapacking.org/bills.php ) , according to Georgia Code 12-3-10, it is unlawful for any person to use or posses in any park, historic site or recreational area any firearms, bows and arrows, spring guns, air rifles, slingshots, or any other device which discharges projectiles by any means, unless the device is unloaded and stored so as to be not readily accessible or unless such use has been approved within restricted areas by prior written permission of the commissioner of natural resources or his authorized representative. According to National Parks Federal Regulation 35 CFR 2.4, it is unlawful to carry a firearm in a National Park unless it is unloaded and secured.

That’s right; you can’t even carry a slingshot! What this means is that if you are one of the many people who happen to enjoy just being in the great outdoors, or you enjoy hiking or walking on our state or nationally owned nature trails, you’re on your own, buddy. The State of Georgia does NOT provide guaranteed protection for you or your family if you are in a remote area on any of the many trails that are in our state. Yet, the state prevents us from protecting ourselves. The State of Georgia will provide law enforcement to search for our murdered bodies, they will pay the GBI to investigate our murder, they will pay the prosecutors to convict the criminal (providing they are even caught), but they won’t allow us to protect ourselves. This law needs to change. It needs to change NOW!

Now I realize there are many people who are totally against the death penalty. Some of the reasons might even make a little bit of sense to me. Even though I have weighed the pro’s and con’s myself, I still think the death penalty is the only way justice can or will ever be served when it comes to monsters such as these. There is a part of the brain that makes us human. Somehow, that part of their brain is missing or defective. If you have a dog that goes mad or is especially vicious, the dog is put down, either by a veterinarian or by someone simply taking the dog out and shooting him. Either way, the mad/vicious dog is just as dead. It will never again be a menace, it will never again cause harm to another. I feel the same way about the vicious beings that are lurking out in public or sitting in prisons across the nation. Get rid of the problem, make it permanent, and do it as quickly as possible. No more twenty or thirty years worth of appeals sitting on death row while we, the taxpayers, are paying for their upkeep. According to my research, the average cost for housing an inmate in a maximum security prison is between $25,000 & $28,000 per inmate, per year.

We, the people, simply have to start the needed changes. We need to bombard our law making officials with letters, phone calls, and anything else it takes to make them understand our needs, our wants and our beliefs. We need to let them know that we are tired of the way things are, tired of paying taxes that support the things we don’t believe in or want. We are tired of not being allowed to protect ourselves. We are tired of the justice system that allows pure evil to continue. Case in point is a quote from a friend of mine that lives in Blairsville. She told me to quote this:

“Just how many chances should a murderer get? With all of the advances in DNA and evidence technology, there are no more issues of wrong identity. Why do murderers get 7 appeals? Why should they get to choose how humane it is when given the death penalty? Why should a low IQ factor be figured in when a criminal commits murder? We are all taught right from wrong as little children. If they run, then they know it was wrong. When people choose not to live by the same rules and laws as the rest of us do, then they need to be punished, severely. If they commit murder then they are broken and cannot be fixed.”

The fact is the general public is tired of the way our justice system is working. They are tired of seeing more and more violent crimes being punished with the equivalent of a slap on the wrist and seeing these monsters released back into society.

Let’s take a quick look at some government crime statistics. This info can be found at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
• Fifty-three percent of jail inmates were on probation, parole or pretrial release at the time of arrest.
• Four in 10 jail inmates had a current or past sentence for a violent offense.
• Of the 272,111 persons released from prisons in 15 States in 1994, an estimated 67.5% were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within 3 years
• State courts sentenced 28% of convicted felons to straight probation with no jail or prison time to serve.
Of the defendants who had State felony charges filed against them in the Nation's 75 most populous counties during May 2002 --
• An estimated 62% were released by the court prior to the disposition of their case. Thirty-eight percent were detained until case disposition, including 6% who were denied bail.
• Of the 22% of released defendants who had a bench warrant issued for their arrest because they did not appear in court as scheduled, about a fourth, representing 6% of all released defendants, were still fugitives after 1 year.
These numbers tell a chilling tale. It really lets us know just how messed up things have become. They also let us know what things we need to change. If you have a computer, take the time to visit www.georgia.gov . Here you can find the listings, the phone numbers and the addresses of your elected officials, both State and Federal. You can also find this information at your local library. Take a few minutes to write a letter or make a phone call. It’s going to be up to us to see that changes are made and the cost of a stamp or the time for a phone call seems well worth it to me.

The Silver Lining
Sometimes, there can be a “silver lining” in even the most horrid and terrifying of stories. The story of Meredith Emerson is no exception. Meredith was a student at the University of Georgia between 2001 and 2005. The University of Georgia has established a fund in her honor. When the fund is fully endowed, The Meredith Hope Emerson Memorial Fund for Study Abroad will go to one student each year for study abroad in French speaking countries. Friends, family and UGA professors have stated it will be a fitting remembrance to Meredith as she was an outstanding student of the French Language, Literature, and Culture.

The Atlanta based duo, Indigo Girls, will donate the proceeds from the eBay auction of autographed, hand written lyrics to one of their hits - “Power of Two”. The proceeds of the auction will be donated to Paws Atlanta in memory of Meredith and her dog Ella.

On January 8, Winton Porter, owner of Mountain Crossings, received a phone call from Candis Jones, a customer that had been touched deeply by the events of the past week. She pitched the idea of a memorial walk and a Cherokee Smudging Ceremony. Winton like the idea and agreed to post the information on the Mountain Crossings Website. Candis emailed a couple of news stations and the walk was mentioned at Meredith’s Memorial Service in Athens on Friday. Margie, Winton’s wife posted the upcoming event on local forums. At first, Winton thought there may be 50 or so people to show up, but with the publicity, he quickly realized it was going to be bigger – much bigger. He said “The little snowball….was getting big.” The event was moved to Meeks Park. On January 20th, despite the frigid 12 degree temperatures, over 300 people turned out in Meeks Park in Union County for the Meredith Emerson Memorial Walk.

Coffee, hot chocolate, donuts and camaraderie were available to all. There were several speakers and the Cherokee “smudging” ceremony was performed. The Humane Society’s Mountain Shelter in Union County, Georgia not only provided neckerchiefs that said “Remember M. E.” for all the dogs in attendance, but also offered free microchip implants to all dogs at the event. The microchips allow the animals to be tracked if lost.

Winton told me “I was walking with a woman who drove 200 miles to participate in the event on that cold 12 degree day… she described the mood perfectly…A walk of frozen tears. I spoke with one reporter… who said that he has covered many murders over his 35 year career and he has never seen one have such an effect on him and his colleague as this incident with Meredith. His message echoed from many of the people I spoke to throughout the week. What, I heard through those conversations was that people needed this ceremony... it offered some closure and a path for healing. ”
Winton also told me “We have had over twice as many people in January on the trail hiking then what is normal. They are coming together mostly, some in single, many who simply feel it is necessary to reclaim.”
His personal feelings – “It is unfortunate that we cannot put up a magic curtain against evil. This man was a human predator, of the worst kind. I lie awake thinking about it, a fall asleep… I dream about it … what could I have done differently. In one instant we all have the ability to change an outcome.”
You can read more from Winton Porter, including the elegy, (the use of “elegy” vs. “eulogy” will be explained on the website) at http://mountaincrossings.zenfolio.com/p207145984/

This article has been difficult to write. Not only with the research involved, but having to scan through and read the horrible details of these and other cases. It will make anyone with a heart feel sadness and makes you hug your loved ones a little closer. It will make you angry to know that the very places we consider safe are not so. I hope this article has opened a few eyes. I hope it will start the process of changes needed in our judicial system. I also hope it makes it hard for us to ever forget the people who have died needlessly at the hands of monsters. The monsters in our midst.