Meredith Emerson
| Meredith H. Emerson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 20, 1983 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 4, 2008 (aged 24) Dawson County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia (B.A., French, 2005) |
Meredith Hope Emerson (June 20, 1983 – January 4, 2008) was a 24-year-old woman who was murdered in January 2008 by drifter Gary Michael Hilton. She was last seen alive hiking with her dog on Blood Mountain in northern Georgia on New Year's Day 2008. Witnesses claimed to have seen her with an older man on the Spur Trail connecting the Appalachian Trail with the Byron Herbert Reece Parking Lot (Georgia). When she did not return home on January 2, 2008, her friends began to search for her, without success. Her dog, Ella, was found on January 4, 2008, in Cumming, Georgia, approximately 60 miles away.
At the time of her disappearance, Emerson lived in Buford, Georgia.
Emerson was born in Charleston, South Carolina. She was raised in Holly Springs, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and in Longmont, Colorado. Emerson graduated from Niwot High School. In 2005, she graduated with honors from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor's degree in French and was given the Cecil Willcox Award for Excellence in French.
On January 4, 2008, two days after Emerson was last seen, a witness at a Chevron gas station called DeKalb police and stated that "the guy you are looking for is cleaning out his van." The police quickly arrived on scene and were able to stop the accused before he could bleach the interior of the van. Crime scene analysts obtained blood evidence that was matched to Emerson's DNA. Gary Michael Hilton was subsequently arrested and charged with Emerson's murder.
The prosecution agreed to take the death penalty off the table if Hilton would lead investigators to her body. Hilton agreed and successfully led investigators to Emerson's body. Hilton claimed he had asked Emerson for her debit card PIN and that when she failed to give him the correct number, he kept her for four days before killing her. Hilton stated he could not bring himself to kill her dog and that when it came to the woman herself, "It was hard ... you gotta remember we had spent several good days together."
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