Investigators return to woods where hiker's body found

DAWSONVILLE - Investigators continued Tuesday to examine the wooded north Georgia site where missing hiker Meredith Emerson's body was found, and authorities said they planned to explore similarities between Emerson's death and a Florida case.<br /> <br /> The body of Emerson, 24, was found around 7:30 p.m. Monday nearly a week after she disappeared while hiking with her dog.<br /> <br /> Gary Michael Hilton, 61, who is charged in the case, led authorities to the body, John Cagle, special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Field Division in Cleveland, Ga., said.<br /> <br /> Emerson's body was brought to the GBI's crime lab where an autopsy was done Tuesday morning.<br /> <br /> Authorities met Monday in Cleveland in north Georgia to discuss possible links with a North Carolina case involving John and Irene Bryant. The body of Irene Bryant, 84, was found covered with leaves in November. John Bryant, 80, is still missing, and authorities said he may have been kidnapped to provide the couple's bank account security number. GBI Director Vernon Keenan said no conclusion has been reached.<br /> <br /> Georgia officials also plan to meet with Florida investigators about the death of a woman there, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said Tuesday.<br /> <br /> The body of Cheryl Hodges Dunlap was found Dec. 19 in the Apalachicola National Forest, southwest of Tallahassee. Authorities say a masked person suspected in Dunlap's death used her ATM card three times after her disappearance Dec. 1.<br /> <br /> Sgt. Rob Reisinger, spokesman for Leon County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, said his agency has requested information about the Georgia case. But he said he did not know anything about a meeting between Florida investigators and the GBI. Reisinger said it is too early to determine whether there is a connection.<br /> <br /> Other missing persons cases have been discussed, but GBI officials say those are the only two cases they're considering linking to Hilton at this point.<br /> <br /> The discovery of Emerson's body came hours after a judge denied bond for Hilton, who remains at the Union County jail. He is charged with kidnapping with intent of bodily injury.<br /> <br /> Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Stan Gunter said Hilton could face additional charges. Authorities declined Monday night to say whether Hilton, 61, would face murder charges.<br /> <br /> Dawson County Sheriff Billy Carlisle said once they finish with the scene, investigators would share their findings with prosecutors. Only then, he said, will they know if Hilton will face additional charges.<br /> <br /> Authorities also would not describe how Emerson had died.<br /> <br /> Hilton was detained Friday. He had tried to use Emerson's credit card, according to an arrest warrant.<br /> <br /> Local residents had reported seeing Hilton's van in the Dawson Forest Management Area, where the body was found. A search of the area had been planned, miles from where Emerson was last seen, before Hilton told authorities where to look, Cagle said.<br /> <br /> Three bloody fleece tops and a bloodstained piece of a car's seat belt were found in a trash bin beside a convenience store where Hilton had used a pay phone, the warrant stated. Hilton had tried to vacuum and wash portions of his 2001 Chevrolet Astro van, which was found without the rear seat belt, according to the document.<br /> <br /> Union County Sheriff Scott Stephens said Hilton was a drifter well-known in the area, and was often seen with his dog, Dandy, and police-style baton. Since he was identified as a person of interest in Emerson's disappearance, Stephens said his office has gotten thousands of calls from people saying they recognized his wiry frame.<br /> <br /> Peggy Bailey, a spokeswoman for Emerson's family, told Atlanta television station WAGA that the family was taking the news of her body being found "as you would expect."<br /> <br /> But Bailey said the family was glad to now know what had happened to Emerson.<br /> <br /> "This is what we wanted," she said. "We wanted finality to help us move on."

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