Man charged in missing hiker case
BLAIRSVILLE, Georgia (CNN) — Gary Michael Hilton has been charged with kidnapping in the case of missing hiker Meredith Emerson, a spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Saturday.
He was the last person seen with Emerson in the north Georgia mountains.
Hilton, 61, was detained Friday night after a police officer spotted his van at a convenience store in suburban Atlanta.
Hours earlier, Ella — Emerson’s black Labrador retriever that had been with her as she hiked through the north Georgia mountains — was found when the dog walked into a Kroger grocery store about 50 miles from where she disappeared.
The animal was positively identified through an implanted microchip. Watch how the dog was discovered
Police found items belonging to Emerson in a trash bin near the store where dog turned up and where Hilton was spotted on a surveillance camera, CNN affiliate WSB reported.
Investigators searched the area Saturday looking for more possible clues, the station said.
Emerson was last seen hiking along the Freeman Trail on Blood Mountain on New Year’s Day.
Witnesses saw Hilton and his reddish dog with Emerson on multiple occasions Tuesday before she disappeared, Union County sheriff’s investigator Kimberly Verdone said.
A dog that accompanied Hilton when he was detained Friday night is being kept at a DeKalb County, Georgia, animal shelter.
Emerson was reported missing Wednesday. Her parents flew from Colorado to Georgia the same night, a family spokeswoman said. Watch what police know so far
At one time, they were seen talking and let the dogs run loose; the dogs ran up the mountain, and they followed them afterwards, Verdone said of Hilton and Emerson. Watch Verdone describe scope of Friday’s search
A witness noted the license plate on a 2001 Chevrolet Astro minivan registered to Hilton in DeKalb County, Georgia, Verdone said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a second white 1996 Astro van is registered to Hilton, also in DeKalb County, where Hilton was picked up.
On Thursday, Verdone said police confirmed that a water bottle and a leash found in the area belonged to Emerson. The young woman’s vehicle also was found at the head of the 6-mile Freeman Trail — which is part of the Appalachian Trail — Verdone said Wednesday.
Emerson’s roommate, Julia Karrenbauer, said Thursday that Emerson’s sunglasses and mittens were found in the area, as was a baton. Watch as roommate describes Emerson
Verdone did not confirm those reports. She said Emerson, whom she described as familiar with hiking, had been dressed for the cold weather Tuesday.
Peggy Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Emerson family, described the blond, 5-foot-4, 120-pound woman as athletic, feisty and level-headed.
Meredith Emerson could do anything, she said. I’m praying hard.
Emerson’s parents are devastated and frightened, Bailey said. They’re waiting as we all are.
Verdone urged people with information about Emerson to call (706) 439-6066.
found here.
