Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The National Forest Serial Killer” Gary Michael Hilton Pt. 2

Episode Date: April 20, 2023

Being outside with nature is where he felt most comfortable. That’s why Gary Michael Hilton targeted avid hikers in peaceful, wooded areas. But while he chose his victims carefully, he didn't give the same type of thought to getting away with his crimes. If you’d like to take action on the climate or learn more about the topics covered in “Dark Green: Earth Crimes and Conspiracies,” visit www.spotify.com/darkgreenresources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi, Parcast listeners. I'm Vanessa. And I'm Greg. Welcome back to dark green, earth crimes and conspiracies. For this event, Parcast is investigating the shadowy corners where crime and the environment meet. And telling those stories. Because climate change affects all parts of society, including crimes and conspiracies. If you're enjoying our Earth Day episodes and would like to learn more or take action on the climate, visit www. dot Spotify.com slash dark green resources.

Due to the nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of violence, assault, and murder. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. Even in the dead of winter, the Florida panhandle was never cold. It wasn't even noon yet, but the air was already thick with humidity. Ronnie Rence felt himself beginning to sweat as he trudged through the woods, searching for game. Suddenly, he saw something flashed through the cypress and magnolia trees ahead of him. A bright white shape stood out against the browns and greens of the forest floor.

Ronnie stared at it for a long time. Finally, he realized he wasn't looking at an animal. Before him lay the decomposing body of a woman, half concealed under a clumsy pile of leaves. Her head was nowhere to be found. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're continuing our look at Gary Michael Hilton, the National Forest Serial Killer. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson.

Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. Last time, we discussed Hilton's unstable childhood and its first act of violence committed at the young age of 13. We followed Hilton as his mental health declined with age, and he turned from a drifter to a murderer in his later years. Today, we'll explore Hilton's brutal killing spree across national parks in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. In the end, an anonymous hero helped the police corner the murderer once and for all. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by

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may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort, which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. In October of 2007, 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton was looking for a new place to call home. He'd spent the last few weeks living out of his van in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest, a beautiful stretch of woodland in the Appalachian Mountains. He loved it there, but he knew he needed to leave. The body of his first murder victim, 84-year-old Irene Bryant, lay just a few feet from the forest path where he'd slain her on October 21st.

He also murdered Irene's husband, 80-year-old John Bryant, and left his body in the Nantahalan National Forest about 70 miles away. Hilton worried it was only a matter of time until someone found at least one of the bodies. The safest option was to flee the state fast. He headed south towards his home state of Georgia. Along the way, he replayed the murders in his mind. The memories didn't bring him satisfaction exactly, but they did make Hilton feel in control, like a man with a skill set.

After years of drifting, he welcomed that feeling. Now that he knew just how easy it was to kill, he was already thinking about his next victim. Eventually, he came to a stretch of woodland in Cherokee County, Georgia, about 70 miles south of John's body. Hilton decided this was as good a place as any to settle. He pulled his van into a clearing, unloaded his camping gear, and began setting up. By now, making himself at home in the wilderness was second nature, but unbeknownst to Hilton, he'd set up camp on private property, and on October 26th, after he'd been there for a day or two, somebody called the sheriff to complain. Within hours, a deputy was dispatched. When Hilton saw him

approach, panic flooded through him. For a moment, he was sure the North Carolina authorities had already found John and Irene's bodies. But he took a second to collect himself. If the police thought he was a murderer, surely they would have sent more than one deputy to arrest him. so he kept his cool. When the deputy explained he was trespassing on private property, Hilton relaxed. They had no idea what he'd done. Of course they didn't. Adopting an air of friendly confusion, Hilton explained that he'd gotten lost during a long drive and pulled over for some rest.

He even found a way to bring up his past in the military, describing his stint as an army paratrooper in the 1960s. He also told the deputy he had multiple. sclerosis and that spending time outdoors helped relieve his symptoms. He said, what I call this is camping therapy, and I do it just like the Army, subjecting yourself to hardship. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. It seems like Hilton was hoping to get sympathy from the deputy by telling this

story, and there was probably at least some truth in it. What Hilton called camping therapy is a real psychological phenomenon, usually known as therapeutic camping or wilderness therapy. It's proved to be an effective treatment for a wide range of issues, including substance use disorder and self-harming behavior. Importantly, though, a key part of wilderness therapy is building relationships, both with peers and with a counselor or therapist. What Hilton was actually doing the wilderness was the exact opposite. He was becoming more isolated and more dangerous. But to the deputy, Hilton seemed like an open book, almost too talkative. He even admitted he carried an expandable baton for self-defense. He was a 61-year-old veteran who claimed to have

a chronic health condition and was seemingly living out of his van. So the deputy had no reason to see Hilton as a threat. He had no way of knowing that just days ago, the baton had become a murder weapon. After checking Hilton's ID and verifying there were no outstanding arrest warrants, the deputy told him to move on by the end of the day. Hilton breathed a sigh of relief, packed up his supplies and started planning his next move. Soon he was back out on the open road heading south. Meanwhile in Texas, Bob, one of John and Irene Bryant's sons, was getting worried. His parents hadn't put it. picked up the phone in days, and his emails went unanswered. It just wasn't like them to be out of

touch for this long. When he finally managed to get through to neighbors, they told him newspapers were piling up outside the Bryant's front door. Bob lived over a thousand miles away in Texas and had no idea what to do. His parents were avid hikers and were sometimes gone for days while traveling on one of their adventures. So at first, he probably tried convincing himself everything was fine. But by early November, he knew something was wrong. He reported his parents missing and flew to North Carolina to check on his parents' house. Aside from the pile of unclaimed newspapers and the overflowing mailbox, everything looked normal at first. But John and Irene's hiking backpacks were missing, along with their car. Dread curdled in Bob's stomach. His worst fears were

confirmed. Shortly afterward, he formed a search party with a few of his parents' close friends. They discovered the couple's abandoned car, about 30 miles from their home, parked on a service road in the Pisga National Forest. There were no signs of foul play, and nothing was missing from the vehicle. So far, it seemed like the Bryant set out on their hike just as planned. Whatever happened must have occurred on the trail. Authorities combed the area with search church dogs, focusing on the hiking trails. Detectives discovered someone had used the Bryant's debit card to withdraw money from an ATM in Tennessee. They contacted the bank hoping there was security footage of the incident.

Then on November 9th, Irene's body was found just 25 yards from the car. To officers on the scene, it was clear that she'd been murdered. The coroner soon confirmed she'd died from repeated blows to the head. As the search for John continued, news of the horrific. attack made local headlines. Police released a surveillance photo from the bank in Tennessee, which showed a tall, thin person in a raincoat using the Bryant's debit card. The suspect's face was obscured, and it's unclear how far the news traveled. Hilton may have heard nothing. By the time the cops found Irene, he was already making his way to the Florida panhandle. In the second week of

November, he parked his van at a picturesque campsite 10 miles outside Tallahassee, though the city was close by, the place felt peaceful, next to a popular local fishing spot. For a while, Hilton stalked the families coming and going in camper vans. He never felt rushed. He was willing to wait as long as it took to find the right victim. On the afternoon of Saturday, December 1st, 46-year-old nurse Cheryl Dunlap was on the road in Tallahassee. She just finished running by the bank, Walmart, and the library. After finishing her errands, she pulled over at the park next to the Leon Sinks geological area.

It was a beautiful spot to hike with trails leading to narrow caves and pristine creeks. Cheryl tricked down one of the trails and settled down on a bench near the boardwalk to read a book. As far as she knew, she was alone. She had no idea that Hilton was watching her from afar, waiting to strike. Coming up, Hilton throws caution to the wind. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound terseptitide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to help adults with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems to lose excess body weight and keep the weight off. Zepbound is approved as a 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 milligram injection.

Zephound contains terseptide and should not be used with other terseptide containing products or any GLP1 receptor agonist medicines. It is not known if Zepound is safe and effective for use in children. Don't share needles or pens or reuse needles. Don't take if allergic to it, or if you or someone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer, or if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. Stop Zepbound and call your doctor if you have severe stomach pain or a serious allergic

reaction. Severe side effects may include inflamed pancreas or gallbladder problems. Tell your doctor if you experience vision changes before scheduled procedures with anesthesia if you're nursing, pregnant, plan to be, or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepbound with a sulfonelioria or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99-79 or visit Zepbounds. about lily.com. Transport your senses with Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume mist collection. At Sephora, spritz on lush notes of rainforest orchid and crisp sea breeze with

fresco paraizzo. Embrace a floral and fruity scent inspired by Rio's nude beach with cheeky bikini or capture sun-kissed bliss with limonada gelada, where zesty Brazilian lemonade accord meets coconut milk and golden brown sugar. Don't miss Sol de Janeiro's limited edition perfume misconduct. collection only at Sephora. Now back to the story. On the afternoon of December 1st, 2007, 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton had his third victim in his sights. 46-year-old Cheryl Dunlap sat on a bench near the boardwalk, engrossed in a book. The Leon Sinks geological area was just a few

miles from Hilton's campsite where Hilton was staying. And as soon as he caught sight of Cheryl, he saw her as prey. He likely ambushed Cheryl with his baton. He likely ambushed Cheryl with his baton, just as he'd likely done with the Bryant's. But rather than kill her there, Hilton abducted Cheryl. He held her captive in the woods for two days. Given what we know about Hilton's history, it's possible he was forcing Cheryl to act as some kind of companion. As a child, he felt unseen and unloved by his mother.

Later on, failed relationships hammered home that sense of rejection. Eventually, his feelings crystallized into a misogynistic rage toward women. As we try to make sense of Hilton's actions, it's also worth noting that some accounts suggest he exhibited manic symptoms. In the last episode, we mentioned that Hilton was taking Ritalin. According to later testimony, he also took a fexer, an antidepressant that increases levels of the neurotransmitters, serotonin, and norepinephrine. This can improve the moods of people with depression, but may also increase the likelihood of a manic episode in people with bipolar disorder. For most people, taking both of these medications will not lead to any complications.

But Hilton shouldn't have been prescribed Ritalin, and when combined with a fexor, it may have increased symptoms of mania, irritability, and impulsivity. This is different from the mania that might be experienced by a person with bipolar disorder, which Gary Michael Hilton did not have. However, because of Hilton's existing mental health issues and his history of violence, the drug interaction may have played a role in pushing him

over the edge. Cheryl was trapped. Sometime in the first week of December, Hilton murdered her. This time he was determined not to leave any evidence. He partially dismembered Cheryl's body, cutting off her head and hands and attempting to burn them in a fire pit seven miles away. On December 10th, a witness spotted Hilton at a nearby convenience store. This may have been another indication that Hilton was no longer thinking clearly.

After killing the Bryant's, he made a point of escaping as soon as possible. Now, he seemed to throw caution to the wind. One of the many possible signs of a manic episode is known as Flights of Ideas. It's a type of disordered thought process where a person jumps rapidly from one subject to the next in a way that feels logical to them but can be hard for anyone else to follow. It often manifests during conversation, but can also be an internal process. If he was experiencing flight, lights of ideas, this could explain why Hilton seemed so indecisive. One moment he was taking pains to dispose of Cheryl's body, hours later he openly withdrew money from her bank account.

For whatever reason, Hilton didn't seem worried about getting caught, but he should have been. Because back on December 3rd, one of her friends had reported her missing. A few hours after that, a deputy sheriff found her car abandoned on the shoulder of the Crawfordville Highway. The vehicle had a flat tire that looked like it had been purposefully punctured. Cheryl's friend started searching the woods west of the highway. Soon, police discovered that someone had used her ATM card recently to withdraw several hundred dollars. But when they looked at the security footage, they were disappointed to see the suspect always covered his face. He wore glasses and a hat, and in one withdrawal, a mask made of what looked like surgical tape.

Hope dwindled as days went back. by without any sign of Cheryl. In the end, a member of the public finally made a breakthrough. On December 15th, two weeks after her disappearance, Ronnie Rent spotted Cheryl's body in the undergrowth while hunting. Because her head and hands were missing, the medical examiner had to use a sample of muscle tissue from her thigh to confirm her identity. Although the examiner couldn't determine the exact cause of death, he concluded Cheryl was a victim of violent homicide. and that her body had lain in the woods for seven to ten days before it was found. There wasn't much to go on.

Though the cops received dozens of tips after releasing their description of the suspect, none led to Hilton. At least, publicly, no links had been drawn between Irene Bryant's murder and Cheryl's death so far. The two crime scenes were 500 miles apart, and there was no clear similarity between them. But still, rumors spread that a serial killer. was on the loose. If Hilton caught wind of the gossip, it didn't concern him. On the contrary, he might have been delighted to know he was building a reputation. After years on the fringes of society, he'd finally become impossible to ignore.

Criminologist Eric Hickey, who discussed the case with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, argued that while Hilton didn't necessarily want to be caught, he did want to be noticed. Hickey said, I suspect he wanted his victims to be found. He wants to be heard. He wants to frighten people. He wants to show his power. To him, it's really about having a voice. Anne Hilton had no intention of disappearing quietly. In late December, he drove through the streets of Tallahassee. We imagined him surrounded by the twinkling of Christmas lights, watching happy families celebrating the holidays.

It was everything he lacked. But, Rather than look inward, Hilton directed his rage outwards. When he tried sleeping that night, it was impossible. Perhaps all he could think about was claiming another victim. But he was starting to feel uneasy about staying in Florida. On December 28th, a forest ranger gave him a warning for driving on a closed road, camping in an unauthorized area, and having an expired driver's license. Although the ranger had no connection with law enforcement and didn't know anything about Hilton's crimes,

The interaction made the killer nervous. So he set off again back toward Georgia. No matter how often Hilton tried leaving his home state, he never stayed gone for long. After driving a full day, he arrived at one of the most popular hiking spots in North Georgia, the ominously named Blood Mountain. He'd been thinking about this spot for a long time. He'd hiked there as a younger man. Now he saw it as the ideal place to hunt.

He knew the trail would be packed for New Year's Day. All he had to do was wait. On January 1st, around 11 a.m., 24-year-old Meredith Emerson arrived at Blood Mountain. She started her trek at the Byron Herbert Rees Trailhead, accompanied by her Black Labrador Mix puppy, Ella. She had no idea that she'd already caught a killer's eye. Early on in the hike, Hilton approached her with his own dog, Dandy, and struck up a conversation. The two walked together for a while before eventually splitting up, but Hilton waited for her at the end of the trail. As she finished her trek, he drew a weapon out of nowhere.

Meredith fought back, but eventually Hilton managed to subdue her. It seems surprising that Hilton wasn't spotted attacking Meredith in broad daylight on a busy hiking trail, But before the attack began, at least one person noticed a petite young woman and a dog walking beside a thin, older man and his dog. One way or another, Hilton abducted both Meredith and her dog. He dragged them through the parking lot with him, then forced her and Ella into his van. The doors locked, and he started driving. Coming up, Hilton seals his own fate.

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You in? Must be 21 to enter. Now back to the story. On January 1st, 2008, 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton abducted Meredith Emerson from a busy hiking trail, along with her Labrador Ella. But after that, it seems he didn't have much of a plan for what to do next. He made several unsuccessful attempts to withdraw money using Meredith's debit card. According to lead investigator, John Kagle,

who chronicled the case in his book Those Days in January, The attempts failed because Meredith repeatedly gave Hilton the wrong pin number. She was trying to buy herself time. By the third day of the kidnapping, Hilton was getting desperate. He used a restaurant phone to call his old landlord and employer, John Tabor. In a bizarre move, Hilton once again pleaded with John for money, saying he needed his old job back immediately. Clearly, he wasn't acting completely rationally. That said, money was part of Hilton's goal.

since he always tried to get cash from his victims. It just wasn't his main motivation. Criminologist Eric Hickey suggested to the Atlanta Journal Constitution that money was secondary for Hilton, almost a bonus. He said, this was about power. When you consider his comfort in the woods, that is where he felt most powerful, and that's why he killed them where he did.

The forest was the place Hilton felt he belonged. killing his victims in the woods was like murdering them in his own home. But according to Hilton's account, he held her captive in his van and at the campsite for three and a half days. Meanwhile, Meredith's roommate had already raised the alarm when she didn't return from her hike. On January 2nd, a family friend reported her missing. After they found her car in the Blood Mountain Trailhead parking lot, search efforts began. By the next day, the trail had been closed entirely, as the last day, the trail had been closed entirely,

as law enforcement combed the area with hundreds of volunteers. The police put out a notice to the public for any information about Meredith. The trail had been busy that day, so they hoped that somebody saw something. Sure enough, multiple witnesses reported that Meredith was on the trail with Ella. Several recalled seeing a strange-looking man walking close to her. They all described Hilton, but the authorities had no way of knowing the culprit's name. Then, on January 3rd, another call came in. It was John Tabor.

Badgering his old employer for money turned out to be an even stupider idea than Hilton imagined. After the bizarre phone call, Hilton had been at the forefront of John's mind, so when he heard a description of the suspect on the news, he made the connection right away. John told the police about Hilton's increasingly volatile behavior and threats of violence. He also mentioned Hilton's habit of carry a lot of. weapons, including an expandable baton. He gave the authorities a detailed description of the white van, including the license plate number. By the afternoon of January 3rd, Hilton's photograph was all over the news.

More and more witnesses called in to confirm he was the man they'd seen with Meredith. The next day, a woman called to report that she'd spotted Meredith's dog Ella at a grocery store parking lot and coming. Officers rushed to the scene and recovered Ella, but they couldn't find any trace of her owner. They worried time was running out. Hilton knew from the local newspaper that the police were hot on his trail. By January 4th, Meredith had spent three days with Hilton. She had fought for herself repeatedly until she was too tired to continue. She did everything she could to stay alive. But by the time Ella was recovered, Hilton, had already bludgeoned Meredith to death with a carjack.

He decapitated her in the hopes that it would make her body harder to identify. He left her remains in Dawson Forest, an area of dense woodland about 60 miles north of Atlanta. Then he drove an hour south, stopping first at a convenience store to dispose of some evidence. He then parked at an Atlanta gas station. At around 8 p.m., a witness spotted Hilton, tossing some items in the dumpster. At this point, Hilton's name and photo had been released to the press, and the man immediately recognized him as the kidnapping suspect. He called 911.

Hilton might as well have walked right to a police station and turned himself in. Within moments, officers had descended on the gas station and arrested him. Though it was a huge breakthrough, the police were still looking for Meredith. Hilton kept his mouth shut while he waited for his public defender. In the meantime, thanks to another called-in tip, detectives recovered Meredith's wallet and clothing. There was too much blood on the clothing to hope she was still alive, but they were determined to bring her body home. Soon, the Georgia police connected Hilton to his other victims. The killer knew the game was up, but he refused to say anything unless the authorities gave him something in return.

So after some negotiation, prosecutors struck a deal. They would take the death penalty off the table if he told them where to find Meredith's body. On the evening of January 7th, detectives recovered her remains using the directions Hilton gave them. After days of agony, her family and friends had a semblance of closure. They were at least spared the ordeal of a lengthy trial. As part of his deal to avoid the death penalty, Hilton agreed to plead guilty. In January 31st, 2008, a judge sentenced him to life in prison for the murder of Meredith Emerson. Part of the reason for the fast-tracked trial might have been because there were two other states waiting to charge him with homicide, too.

In early February, John Bryant's remains were finally found. In the Antahala National Forest by a hunter. After they'd been positively identified, investigators in North Carolina charged Hilton with the murders of Irene and John Bryant. They discovered a photograph of Hilton using the Bryant's bank card shortly after their disappearances. Later that month, a grand jury in Florida indicted him for murdering Cheryl Dunlap. Hilton was extradited to Florida to stand trial. He pled not guilty. And this time, prosecutors had every intention of pursuing the death penalty.

In April of 2011, he was found guilty and sentenced to die. A few months later, he was indicted for the kidnapping, robbery, and murder of Irene and John Bryant. He pled guilty, and in 2013, was given four life sentences. As of March 2020, 73, 77-year-old Hilton was one of nearly 300 prisoners awaiting execution in Florida. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back next time with another episode. For more information on Hilton, amongst the many sources we used, we found John Cagle's book, Those Days in January, and Fred Rosen's Trails of Death,

extremely helpful in our research. You can find all episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Stay safe out there. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Our head of programming is Julian Boarro. Our supervising sound designer is Russell Nash, with Nick Johnson as our head of production, and quality control by...

by Spencer Howard. Stacey Nemick is our supervising editor, and Derek Jennings is our writing lead. This episode of serial killers was written by Emma Dibdin, edited by Robert Tyler Walker and Terrell Wells, fact-checked by Claire Cronin, researched by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, produced by Bruce Kitovich, and sound design by Michael Motion. Our hosts are Greg Poulson and me, Vanessa Richardson. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting up. ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hixed. You might

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