Known as the National Forest Serial Killer, Gary seemed like any ordinary man.
But unknown to everyone, he was secretly stalking and killing hikers across Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina.
His crimes were brutal, and his methods were cold and calculated.
Gary Hilton's arrest ultimately exposed a predator who saw nature’s beauty as the perfect cover for murder.
Let's get into the details.
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| Gary Hilton |
Who is Gary Hilton?
Gary Michael Hilton is a convicted serial killer who is currently on death row.
He is responsible for at least four murders across three different states in the U.S., between 2007 and 2008.
Gary Hilton was born on November 22, 1946, in Atlanta, Georgia.
He was raised by his mother and stepfather, and people who knew him said he had a bad temper.
According to Gary's interview with Court TV, he became fascinated with guns, death, and violence as early as age 6.
At age 14, he fired a shotgun at his stepfather and nearly killed him.
After the incident, he was sent to see a psychiatrist, who diagnosed him with psychophilia.
This is a mental disorder where someone is strongly attracted to sex and violent behaviour.
"That's one of the reasons I am a killer. I have strong, strong, psychophilia," he said in his interview with court TV
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Gary Hilton's adulthood was marked by a series of failed marriages and odd jobs.
By middle age, he was alone, broke, and homeless, so he began to live a transient lifestyle.
He often traveled between national parks and forests in his green 2001 Chevrolet Astro van, which also served as his home.
He loved animals and owned a dog named Dandy, who went everywhere with him.
Soon, he used his skill as an outdoorsman to find and kill his victims, while hiding in plain sight.
His unassuming appearance - average height and build, often seen hiking with his dog - helped him blend in with outdoor enthusiasts.
Authorities believe Hilton may have started killing before his confirmed crimes, possibly as early as the 1990s, according to Wikipedia
The full extent of his crimes is still unknown because investigating cases in vast forest regions is very difficult.
Before the murders, Hilton's criminal history included minor offenses such as theft and fraud.
He didn't have a violent criminal record, which made it easier for him to carry out his killings undetected.
Gary Hilton's Known Victims: A Trail of Terror Across National Forests
Gary Hilton was 60 years old when he committed his confirmed murders.
Between 2007 and 2008, he killed at least four people in three different states in America.
His method typically involved meeting hikers in national forests, killing them, and stealing their belongings.
After killing his victims, he carefully hid their bodies in the large forests to cover his tracks.
His known victims include:
1. John and Irene Bryant (October 2007): This retired couple from Horse Shoe, North Carolina were Hilton's first known victims.
On October 21, 2007, the Bryants vanished after they parked their car to go for a hike in Pisgah National Forest.
Irene’s badly beaten body was later found on November 10, while John’s remains were found months later in a different Forest.
They were brutally murdered during what was meant to be a simple and peaceful hike.
Hilton later admitted to killing Irene on the spot, and holding John captive to get his ATM PIN before killing him to.
After killing John, he went to an ATM to withdraw money from their bank accounts.
Investigators also found out that John tried to call 911, but the call didn’t go through because of poor signal in the area.
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| John and Irene Bryant |
2. Cheryl Dunlap (December 2007): This 46-year-old Sunday school teacher from Crawfordville, Florida disappeared on December 3, 2007.
She had gone to visit the Leon Sinks Geological Area in Apalachicola National Forest before she went missing.
Her white Toyota Camry was found abandoned, and her disappearance quickly raised concerns.
Thirteen days later, a hunter discovered Dunlap's decapitated body in the forest.
Criminal investigations later showed that Hilton had held her captive for two days.
He then murdered her and attempted to destroy evidence by burning her head and hands in a fire pit.
Surveillance footage later captured Hilton using her ATM card in Tallahassee during this period.
During his 2025 interview with Court TV, he also admitted to killing Cheryl.
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| Cheryl Dunlap |
3. Meredith Emerson (January 2008): This 24-year-old University of Georgia graduate became Hilton's final known victim.
She mysteriously disappeared during a New Year's Day hike at Blood Mountain in Vogel State Park, Georgia.
Emerson's car was found two days later with many disturbing contents, including a bloody car seat belt.
During the investigation into her disappearance, authorities quickly identified Hilton as a suspect based on witness descriptions.
Several witnesses said they saw Hilton following Emerson and her black dog, Ella.
After his arrest, Hilton later led authorities to Emerson's decapitated body in Dawson Forest.
His known murders, which took place within just three months across multiple states, showed Hilton’s cold and calculated approach to killing.
Thankfully, after Emerson's case, authorities were able to connect the dots with other murders.
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| Meredith Emerson |
Suspected Victims: The Dark Shadow of Gary Hilton's Possible Crimes
Beyond his four confirmed murders, Gary Hilton remains a prime suspect in several other disappearances and killings that fit his brutal pattern.
Investigators believe his criminal activity may have started years earlier, with victims scattered across the same national forests he later used as hunting grounds.
Some of the most compelling cases linked to him include:
1) Judy Smith: She was a 51-year-old hiker whose skeletal remains were found in Pisgah National Forest in September 1997—nearly a decade before Hilton’s confirmed murders.
Smith had vanished five months earlier while hiking near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The condition of her remains—scattered and hidden in a manner eerily similar to Hilton’s later victims—led authorities to re-examine the case after his arrest.
Witnesses recalled seeing a man matching Hilton’s description in the area at the time, but no concrete proof has tied him to the crime.
2) Rossana Miliani: Another haunting disappearance possibly linked to Gary Hilton is that of Rossana Miliani.
She is a 26-year-old Miami woman who was last seen in December 2005 at a hotel in Cherokee, North Carolina.
She had told her father she was planning to hike the Appalachian Trail.
A store clerk later came forward after Hilton’s arrest, reporting that she had sold camping gear to Miliani and an older white man resembling Hilton just days before she vanished.
Despite extensive searches, Miliani was never found, and the circumstances of her disappearance align disturbingly with Hilton’s later methods.
3) Patrice Endres: In Georgia, the 2004 disappearance of Patrice Endres was revisted by detectives after Garys arrest.
Endres was a 38-year-old hairdresser who mysteriously vanished from her salon in Cumming.
Hilton was known to frequent the area, and witnesses reported seeing a man matching his description near the salon around the time of her disappearance.
Endres’ remains were found in Dawson County in 2005, but the case remains unsolved.
Notably, Hilton later admitted to visiting salons to beg for money from employees.
This made detectives suspect that he may have encountered Endres before she went missing.
However, no concrete evidence has tied him to this particular murder.
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| Gary Hilton wearing a mask at the ATM while stealing from his victims |
Other potential victims include Michael Scot Louis, a 27-year-old South Daytona man.
His dismembered remains were found in Florida’s Tomoka River in December 2007—just weeks after Hilton had been in the area.
Although there is no direct connection, the brutality of the crime and Hilton’s presence at the time make him a person of interest.
Similarly, the 1998 disappearance of Jason Andrew Knapp, a Clemson University student, has been re-examined by detectives.
His car was found abandoned near Table Rock State Park in South Carolina, and there are similarities with Hilton’s later abductions.
It is hard to positively link Hilton to these cases because of his constant movement and the wide, isolated areas where he committed his crimes.
Without physical evidence or witnesses, many of these disappearances remain officially unsolved.
However, the similarities in these cases suggest that a serial killer may have been active for much longer than what is known.
As one investigator noted, "Hilton didn’t start killing in his sixties. He just got better at it."
It’s unclear if more victims will ever be confirmed, but investigators strongly beleive he may have killed more than the four people he was convicted of.
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| Gary Hilton during his 2025 Interview with Court TV. |
Justice for the Victims: Gary Hilton's Arrest, Trial, and Convictions Across Three States
During the investigation into Meredith Emerson's disappearance in Georgia, two witnesses reported seeing a man who looked like Hilton.
They spotted him cleaning his green Chevy Astro van near the crime scene which looked suspicious.
The police in Georgia quickly arrived and arrested Hilton after they discovered blood evidence and Emerson's belongings in his vehicle.
Due to the overwhelming evidence against him, Hilton made a deal with Georgia prosecutors.
He led authorities to Emerson's body and pleaded guilty to her murder to avoid the death penalty in Georgia.
He was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
After he was done with Georgia authorities, Florida authorities charged Hilton with the murder of Cheryl Dunlap.
Forensic evidence, including ATM surveillance footage, positively linked him to the crime, in Apalachicola National Forest in Florida.
Despite Hilton's attempts to fight extradition, he was transferred to Leon County in June 2008, where prosecutors built an airtight case against him.
After just four hours of deliberation, a Florida jury convicted him on three counts and recommended the death penalty.
On February 22, 2011, a judge formally sentenced Hilton to death, according to Wikipedia.
North Carolina closed the trilogy of prosecutions in 2012 for the murders of John and Irene Bryant in Pisgah National Forest.
Facing another potential death penalty, Gary Hilton again negotiated a plea deal.
Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg sentenced Hilton to life without parole, making it his final conviction.
This showed how authorities from three different states worked together to bring him to justice.
While Hilton avoided execution in two states, Florida's death sentence ensures he will never walk free.
This has provided some measure of justice for victims' families who endured years of legal proceedings across multiple state lines.
Gary Hilton is currently on Florida's death row at Union Correctional Institution.
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