iNews Source info re: Gary Hilton's murders [Archive]

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Frolicking Dinosaurs

01-05-2008, 17:18

This thread is to share new information only.

spike79

01-05-2008, 17:23

I want to thank all that are posting updates! Living in Ohio, I'm getting nothing on the news except dam election coverage.:mad:

cathleen

01-05-2008, 17:29

Glad to be back, i'll definitely try to write positive and news coverage info....Kirk..it does make you wonder..huh???

Tin Man

01-05-2008, 17:43

I want to thank all that are posting updates! Living in Ohio, I'm getting nothing on the news except dam election coverage.:mad:

www.cnn.com (http://www.cnn.com) and www.wsbtv.com/index.html (http://www.wsbtv.com/index.html)

are continuing to cover the story

spike79

01-05-2008, 17:46

Thanks for the links! I can't stop thinking about this disturbing situation.

RITBlake

01-05-2008, 18:17

self edit

dixicritter

01-05-2008, 18:19

RITBlake and others... This thread is to stay on topic. Leave your personal feelings about that other thread elsewhere.

ATSeamstress

01-05-2008, 18:24

I want to thank all that are posting updates! Living in Ohio, I'm getting nothing on the news except dam election coverage.:mad:

I second that. Nothing but rabbit ears for me.

MamaCat

01-05-2008, 18:24

www.wsbtv.com updated the story at 4:59 EST Looks like updates pertained to how they are searching. Didn't see anything else new.

FatMan

01-05-2008, 18:27

:(

Link added: http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109094

"A Union County Superior Court Judge has issued an arrest warrant for Gary Michael Hilton. He will be charged with kidnapping with bodily injury in the disappearance of Meredith Emerson.

A Georgia Bureau of Investigations spokesperson said authorities have found considerable evidence that leads them to believe Emerson is no longer alive. The search and rescue efforts currently underway will transition to a search and recovery effort."

Mercy

01-05-2008, 18:28

Fox news is coming up NOw... said the guy has been charged

Lilred

01-05-2008, 18:28

just heard on the news. the guy's been charged with kidnapping and attempted bodily harm

spike79

01-05-2008, 18:30

Just heard on FOX news channel that the POI is being charged with her kidnapping. Can anyone confirm?

Mongoose2

01-05-2008, 18:31

yes....I just saw the report

Lone Wolf

01-05-2008, 18:32

Just heard on FOX news channel that the POI is being charged with her kidnapping. Can anyone confirm?

watching it now. they have evidence she is dead. it is a matter of recovery now

Sly

01-05-2008, 18:35

Fox just said it's no longer a search and rescue but a search and recovery. That he was being charhed with kidnapping.

OregonHiker

01-05-2008, 18:37

CNN Story
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/05/missing.hiker/index.html

MamaCat

01-05-2008, 18:48

I know this is not the facts. But oh my -- a tear and compassion goes to her family and friends. I believe she is well now, but the living will not be well for a while.

weary

01-05-2008, 18:57

Terrible news. Terrible for the family, the victim, and for the increasingly rare freedom from fear that trails have provided.

BMRisko

01-05-2008, 19:09

Stuff like this just isn't supposed to happen, especially while out enjoying the wilderness we all love... :(

wrongway_08

01-05-2008, 19:09

Rotten SOB. I still hope and pray that she is only hurt and having a hard time getting back to safety.

RITBlake

01-05-2008, 19:12

not speculating here, just asking, but have they posted what the evidence of her death is?

Lone Wolf

01-05-2008, 19:14

not speculating here, just asking, but have they posted what the evidence of her death is?

no they have not

spike79

01-05-2008, 19:17

Rotten SOB. I still hope and pray that she is only hurt and having a hard time getting back to safety.

right with ya on that one!

BMRisko

01-05-2008, 19:20

Latest blurb from 11alive.com

A spokesperson for the Union County Sheriff’s Office said the recovery efforts for Hilton’s body would focus on areas close to roadways Sunday.

TOW

01-05-2008, 19:28

Man, ole man......................

take-a-knee

01-05-2008, 19:33

Stuff like this just isn't supposed to happen, especially while out enjoying the wilderness we all love... :(

No, it isn't supposed to happen, but it does, and wishing otherwise won't change that reality.

wrongway_08

01-05-2008, 19:34

If its true I hope they broom stick his old a$$ in prison.... a fitting way to die for him.

Still keeping the hope.......

Darwin again

01-05-2008, 19:37

Here: (http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/05/missing.hiker/index.html#cnnSTCVideo) http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/05/missing.hiker/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
is a link to video of GBI spokesman Bankhead describing the value of "public input" to he case. (Source is CNN.)

amstar

01-05-2008, 19:45

As a person who joined to get up-to-date information on Meredith, I would just like to extend my gratitude to all of you for this informative forum.

Although there are indications that we will not have the resolution we had all wished for, I know that I am grateful that the perpertator has been caught and that, given time, Meredith will "come home" to all those who love and care about her. This would not have happened so quickly if it had not been for the concerned hikers who acted on instinct by taking down a license plate number and turning in important evidence found near her car.

From reading all your posts I belive that you are all would have done the same and I thank your hiking community for its caring and compassion.

TNjed

01-05-2008, 19:47

have they said if there is any evidence that links him to the couple in NC?

Phreak

01-05-2008, 19:47

My heart and prayers go out to her family and friends. A very sad day.

trlhiker

01-05-2008, 19:53

have they said if there is any evidence that links him to the couple in NC?

The authorities are looking into it from what I have read.

Trail_hound

01-05-2008, 19:56

have they said if there is any evidence that links him to the couple in NC?

Earlier today I read that they do not think the 2 cases are related even though he was seen in a yellow jacket and the person who used the elderly couple's ATM was also in yellow. The GBI says they dont think the cases are related.

Frolicking Dinosaurs

01-05-2008, 19:59

Praying for the Emerson family. It appears GBI as determined she is not alive from the lastest press conference.

Israel

01-05-2008, 20:10

been out all day and just read the news...very, very sad outcome.

Smile

01-05-2008, 20:12

Thoughts and prayers to her family from here as well. Very sad, my heart is heavy tonight.

Roots

01-05-2008, 20:19

This is very saddening news. We are very upset with this outcome and hope her family and friends know that our thoughts and prayers are coming their way. This really makes my heart hurt!

HappyGoLucky

01-05-2008, 20:29

Latest blurb from 11alive.com

A spokesperson for the Union County Sheriff’s Office said the recovery efforts for Hilton’s body would focus on areas close to roadways Sunday.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/styles/wb_style/buttons/quote.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=492031) http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/styles/wb_style/buttons/multiquote_off.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=492031) http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/styles/wb_style/buttons/quickreply.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=492031)

It's too bad it's not Hilton's body they're trying to recover. Still holding out hope for the scenario I speculated on earlier. Family and friends of Meredith reading this, we suffer and grieve with you.

Flotsam

01-05-2008, 20:36

They said they found a huge amount of evidence today. My guess is mainly from his van, but also prob survelillance cameras.

They have to be 100 % sure she's dead if they said that in the press conference. He probably confessed but they can't say that yet.

River Runner

01-05-2008, 20:39

Since this thread is supposed to be only for news, those wanting to show support or sympathy should post elsewhere.

I started a support thread for loving thoughts for her family here:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31415

Flotsam

01-05-2008, 20:57

I have some experienced hiker friends who live about 10 hours from the search area. They are thinking of heading there to help. Any word on whether the recovery search will be needing civilian volunteers? It would suck to drive all that way only to be told "no thanks".

Flotsam

01-05-2008, 21:01

They just announced that they and convinced that she's dead after finding "three blood-soaked shirts". Geez...

Skidsteer

01-05-2008, 21:07

Just got back from Vogel.

It is search and recovery from here on. Word is that the search will intensify in a five mile radius around where Meredith's vehicle was found(Byron Reece parking lot).

Volunteers from today were told to report back at 0800 tomorrow but with no guarantee that we would be used.

We were allowed to help search today.

River Runner

01-05-2008, 21:10

They just announced that they and convinced that she's dead after finding "three blood-soaked shirts". Geez...

Do you have a link?

eArThworm

01-05-2008, 21:12

Do you have a link?

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/05/newmissing_0106_web2.html

SawnieRobertson

01-05-2008, 21:13

They just announced that they and convinced that she's dead after finding "three blood-soaked shirts". Geez...

The knife.

If stabbibg is the method he used, that doesn't match the blugeoning of Mrs. Bryant.

Maybe though, if he is involved in that heinous crime, he will just spill out the details.

And maybe we had better be as vigilant as some have been about people who just did not seem "right" on the trail. If they are fair about it, perhaps those who share their observations should be thanked for the heads up.--Kinnickinic

River Runner

01-05-2008, 21:21

The knife.

If stabbibg is the method he used, that doesn't match the blugeoning of Mrs. Bryant.

Is there info on a knife found somewhere? I didn't read anything about a knife on the latest link.

P.S. Thanks earthworm for the link.

bearbait2k4

01-05-2008, 21:24

Is there info on a knife found somewhere? I didn't read anything about a knife on the latest link.

P.S. Thanks earthworm for the link.

Can we please start posting links when new information comes out? Otherwise, this thread will be filled with "where did you get that info" posts.

Thanks.

ed bell

01-05-2008, 21:28

................ the blugeoning of Mrs. Bryant.

Maybe though, if he is involved in that heinous crime, he will just spill out the details.

And maybe we had better be as vigilant as some have been about people who just did not seem "right" on the trail. If they are fair about it, perhaps those who share their observations should be thanked for the heads up.--KinnickinicI'm sure if the baton GMH always carried was involved in the Bryant case, the LEO's will make the connection. I hope he is the culprit. That will ease the minds of family/friends and many others here in the SC/NC border area.

AlwaysHiking

01-05-2008, 21:30

have they said if there is any evidence that links him to the couple in NC?

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109062

SawnieRobertson

01-05-2008, 21:46

Is there info on a knife found somewhere? I didn't read anything about a knife on the latest link.

P.S. Thanks earthworm for the link.

RE: The Knife. In numerous articles describing Mr. Hilton, his wearing a sheathed knife was mentioned. Am I wrong?--Kinnickinic

MakoCSH

01-05-2008, 21:47

The knife.

If stabbibg is the method he used, that doesn't match the blugeoning of Mrs. Bryant.

From http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/05/newmissing_0106_web2.html

"There were no signs of trauma to the clothing, but it was covered with blood," Paxton said.

There probably wasn't a knife involved.

I'm up there all the time. From now on I'll keep a better eye out for anything unusual. Everyone should.

Sad.

River Man

01-05-2008, 21:52

AJC reports no evidence of trauma to the three blood soaked fleece shirts. Bludgeoning can cause a great deal of blood. Walking back to the vehicles and then striking her as she was bent down attempting to put the collar back on her dog then dropping the baton while putting her into the van would explain the how and artifacts left. There is alot of road between Vogel and highway 306 down GA 19/400. Doubtful that she was placed right along the highway as this is a busy stretch unless he did it late at night. Should anyone think they spot her or anything suspicious, do not touch anything...call authorities. Any evidence is crucial and justice must be served in this matter. All God's blessings to her family and friends in their time of grief and to all that have put an continue to put their hearts into this search. I am from Buford and we grieve for our adopted daughter.

Hikerhead

01-05-2008, 22:00

RE: The Knife. In numerous articles describing Mr. Hilton, his wearing a sheathed knife was mentioned. Am I wrong?--Kinnickinic

What I remember, they only said he had a sheath but didn't know what was in it.

River Runner

01-05-2008, 22:09

RE: The Knife. In numerous articles describing Mr. Hilton, his wearing a sheathed knife was mentioned. Am I wrong?--Kinnickinic

If I remember correctly they said he had a sheath on his leg, but not that there was a knife in it. It almost sounded like the sheath was for the baton.

MOWGLI

01-05-2008, 22:11

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22513150/

Rentman

01-05-2008, 22:23

Have been following the story here on Whiteblaze and on T.V. It is so sad and my heart and prayers go out to the family.

Monkeyboy

01-05-2008, 22:28

Personally, I think they should check the roadsides between the parking lot and the convenience store.

If the MO matches the NC slayings, he took the woman away from the scene and left her beside the road, if I remember correctly.

Skidsteer

01-05-2008, 22:33

AlwaysHiking

01-05-2008, 22:47

FatMan

01-05-2008, 22:50

River Runner

01-05-2008, 23:04

Hey guys,

We've been asked repeatedly not to speculate. Please give it a break, and allow this topic to remain only for news.

I, as many others, am extremely interested in any news, and I really don't want to see this thread locked too.

Frolicking Dinosaur and DixieCritter are doing their best to let everyone be informed, but at the same time not allowing things to be posted that might be upsetting if read by family and friends of Meredith.

Let's respect that. I'd hate to see the whole site shut down over it.

Lilred

01-05-2008, 23:09

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109062

That's an old article from yesterday morning. They have since found a lot more evidence.

TOW

01-05-2008, 23:09

Just watched CNN, there now no speculation as to what has happened.

Almost There

01-05-2008, 23:14

ABC News in Atlanta has stated that the police no longer believe that she is alive. That is all that was said during commercial break of the debates, so that is all I will type. More is to come at 11pm.

AlwaysHiking

01-05-2008, 23:19

That's an old article from yesterday morning. They have since found a lot more evidence.

Do you have a more recent link discussing that particular angle cuz I haven't been able to find one. If and when you do, please post it. Until then, unfortunately, that's all I have.

AlwaysHiking

01-05-2008, 23:21

That's an old article from yesterday morning. They have since found a lot more evidence.

Oh, also, timestamp says after 10:30 PM last night, not yesterday morning.

RITBlake

01-05-2008, 23:24

Bilko

01-05-2008, 23:27

I live a mile from where they picked up the S.O.B. He had been cleaning out his van in front of the gas station for 2 hours. He was found using bleach inside of his van. He had his dog with him. I don't think he had any idea that people had been looking for him.

Earlier in the day he was photographed trying to use Meridith's credit card at an ATM up in Cumming, close to where they found the dog. He was also seen cleaning out his van next to a QuickTrip (gas station). Police have found the blood soaked belongings at that site. He also discarded a seat belt covered in blood up there in a dumpster. He made a phone call from the same location and police have his finger prints there. (Don't know who he called).

Local residents have ID the S.O.B. as someone that would walk his dog in a nearby park and quite frequently get into fights with others walking their dogs. However, one lady said that he was a very friendly guy and could talk your ear off.

You can go to this site and get a time line of events:

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/

There is little doubt that they have the right guy. They have the evidence with her belongings and blood in his van. They do not need to have a body to convict him.

hopefulhiker

01-05-2008, 23:28

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/05/missing.hiker/index.html

Bilko

01-05-2008, 23:43

Timeline of the Meredith Emerson Search

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 – Emerson takes her black Labrador retriever, Ella, for a hike on Blood Mountain, off Highway 129.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008 – Emerson fails to show up for work, her roommate, Julia Karrenbaur gets worried and calls Emerson's phone. When Karrenbaur doesn't get through, she and a group of friends go and search for Emerson.

-Authorities find two water bottles and a leash belonging to Emerson.

-Police find Emerson's white Chevy Cavalier at the base of Blood Mountain.

Thursday, January 3, 2008 – Search for Emerson intensifies and helicopters are brought in to aid the search.

-Police name a person of interest in the case who witnesses said was seen talking to Emerson right before she disappeared. Person of interest named as 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation declined to specify how investigators learned Hilton’s name and other details about him.

Friday, January 4, 2008 –Emerson's dog, Ella is found near a Cumming grocery store. The dog is identified by an implanted microchip.

-Fifteen professional search and rescue teams searched for Emerson throughout the day as volunteers traveled across north Georgia and parts of North Carolina to post fliers of with pictures of Emerson.

-Hilton is stopped at a gas station in the 3500 block of Ashford-Dunwoody Road in DeKalb County. Hilton was detained without incident and was turned over for questioning by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Saturday, January 5, 2008 - Authorities opened a second area of investigation at least 40 miles away from the state park where Emerson disappeared. The GBI focused on a 5-mile area of rugged mountain territory about 90 miles north of Atlanta in the Chattahoochee National Forest, near where Emerson’s car was discovered.

-Investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Hilton was charged with kidnapping with intent to do bodily injury. Hilton was transported to the Union County jail.

-Authorities said that based on evidence collected, they believed that Emerson is no longer alive and the search for Emerson is no longer a recovery effort. The search for Emerson was suspended.

To my knowledge they will continue to search for Meridith on Sunday.

Lilred

01-05-2008, 23:52

Oh, also, timestamp says after 10:30 PM last night, not yesterday morning.

yup you're right. Sorry bout that, these old eyes saw am.

Jan LiteShoe

01-05-2008, 23:55

This Denver Post article has been referenced on a couple of forums:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5587358

Read toward the end.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 00:04

I live a mile from where they picked up the S.O.B. He had been cleaning out his van in front of the gas station for 2 hours.[/B]

Cleaning his van in plain sight for TWO HOURS?? What? I mean, he must have at least seen a newspaper, the story was front page in that area, right? How could he not know how suspicous he looked?

Any news on how he acted when the police showed upP

River Runner

01-06-2008, 00:06

In the arrest warrant, among other evidence, police revealed that surveillance photos taken at a Regions Bank in Canton showed "an individual attempting to use a credit card belonging to Emerson. The individual was determined to be Gary Michael Hilton."

AJC.com

Link to some of this new info:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/05/missing.hiker/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

RITBlake

01-06-2008, 00:07

This Denver Post article has been referenced on a couple of forums:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5587358

Read toward the end.

not good, not good.

its a symptom of our court system but he'll prob be heading for a mental hospital and not a prison :mad:

FatMan

01-06-2008, 00:08

This Denver Post article has been referenced on a couple of forums:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5587358

Read toward the end.If that is the same Hilton it only makes this more tragic, if that is possible.:mad:

Sly

01-06-2008, 00:09

In the arrest warrant, among other evidence, police revealed that surveillance photos taken at a Regions Bank in Canton showed "an individual attempting to use a credit card belonging to Emerson. The individual was determined to be Gary Michael Hilton."

AJC.com

That's more coincidental than evidence. It would be better if he were the same guy, as the trails would be safer, but I wouldn't count on it just yet.

Bilko

01-06-2008, 00:29

Jan, great research.

Flotsam, it is hard to believe but people had seen his van there for about 2 hours. A gentleman walking by the van struck up a conversation and while they were talking the S.O.B. called out the name of his dog. That is when the gentleman contacted the police.

I know the S.O.B. had mental problems. But it actually seems that he had no clue that people were out looking for him. He killed someone, had their blood in his van and decides to clear the van in plan view of thousands of people driving by that busy intersection.

The news that Jan found this is a tragic story. On top of it all, Meridith is from that area in Colorado. What a small world. What a sad world.

4eyedbuzzard

01-06-2008, 00:58

This Denver Post article has been referenced on a couple of forums:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5587358

Read toward the end.

Again, good research Jan,

Does anyone know for sure if the man charged in this incident is the same actual person, or someone else(perhaps someone hiding/running from other crimes) who assumed his SS# and identity? A long shot, but the article doesn't say if the GMH in Colorado was ever released or not.

trippclark

01-06-2008, 01:13

This Denver Post article has been referenced on a couple of forums:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5587358

Read toward the end.

Thia article appears to be gone now. I was able to back trace it to the Denver Post main page. The lead in is still there:

Tax-fraud case at mental hospital
2007-04-04...A former recreational therapist at the state mental hospital and felons he supervised there have been implicated in an alleged federal tax-fraud scheme that netted $25,000 a month. Although not...

But the article is removed. Did anyone copy the text or can you summarize?

trippclark

01-06-2008, 01:14

Thia article appears to be gone now. I was able to back trace it to the Denver Post main page. The lead in is still there:

Tax-fraud case at mental hospital
2007-04-04...A former recreational therapist at the state mental hospital and felons he supervised there have been implicated in an alleged federal tax-fraud scheme that netted $25,000 a month. Although not...

But the article is removed. Did anyone copy the text or can you summarize?

Never mind . . . found the cached article via Google.

Sly

01-06-2008, 01:16

Never mind . . . found the cached article via Google.

Other alleged members
Other alleged members of the enterprise include:
Gary Michael Hilton, committed to the institute in 1989 after he was found not guilty by reason of impaired mental condition of charges of robbery and kidnapping, among others.

Roots

01-06-2008, 01:19

WLOS news in Asheville reported at 11pm that Transylvania county sheriffs dept.-Brevard, NC (where Mrs Bryant was found)- was helping the GA police however they can with information they have on the Bryants case. They are recognizing the similarities with the two cases and are still not saying the two cases are connected.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 01:28

Flotsam, it is hard to believe but people had seen his van there for about 2 hours. A gentleman walking by the van struck up a conversation and while they were talking the S.O.B. called out the name of his dog. That is when the gentleman contacted the police. That's just beyond bizarre.

He had DAYS to get the hell out of Dodge...and he does this right near the crime scene in the very city that is buzzing with the info on the drime?

Hell, he could have made it all the way to Mexico in that time frame. Instead, he cleans out his conspicious van for 2 hours right there in Atlanta in plain sight of thousands of citizens? Where he also let the dog loose an hour or so earlier?

River Runner

01-06-2008, 01:35

That's just beyond bizarre.
Where he also let the dog loose an hour or so earlier?

The dog was found further northeast in the Cummings area.

Montego

01-06-2008, 01:40

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 01:45

The dog was found further northeast in the Cummings area.
Yeah but still in the Atlanta area. Dog was found in Cummins, he was a bit futher south towards downtown Atlanta. I mapped it out in Street Atlas, straight shot down from Neel's.

Big question is, where was he Wed and Thursday and early Friday? He obviously let the dog go and dumped the stuff Friday late afternoon.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 01:50

Don't really know if he released the dog or the dog escaped. If the dog escaped from the van, then he may have decided he better get rid of any evidence and clean up his van sooner than he planned on, knowing that the dog would be found sooner or later IMO.
Yeah I thought of that too. But still, where has he been the last 4 days? Why stick around, he could have been a thousand miles away by now.

ed bell

01-06-2008, 01:50

That's just beyond bizarre.

He had DAYS to get the hell out of Dodge...and he does this right near the crime scene in the very city that is buzzing with the info on the drime?

Hell, he could have made it all the way to Mexico in that time frame. Instead, he cleans out his conspicious van for 2 hours right there in Atlanta in plain sight of thousands of citizens? Where he also let the dog loose an hour or so earlier?Mental illness is bizarre and impossible to understand. I'm glad that he is in custody. One less dangerous person on the loose.

River Runner

01-06-2008, 01:53

Yeah but still in the Atlanta area. Dog was found in Cummins, he was a bit futher south towards downtown Atlanta. I mapped it out in Street Atlas, straight shot down from Neel's.

Right. I was just pointing out the dog wasn't found where the van was. The dog was found about 36 miles northeast (via road distance) according to my Street Atlas software.

Montego

01-06-2008, 01:59

Right. I was just pointing out the dog wasn't found where the van was. The dog was found about 36 miles northeast (via road distance) according to my Street Atlas software.

That's what makes me think the dog either escaped from the van earlier or it took a couple of days for the dog to "bushwack" from Mt. Blood to where it was found.

Frosty

01-06-2008, 02:01

Internet forums are the modern equivalent of the water cooler, or the porch of the general store, or the barber shop, or where ever people meet to discuss things.

I do not think it is unreasonable to discuss an event touching the hiking community, and I find the restriction to only link to news sources absurd.

I support the removal of offensive/gruesome posts, and the effort to be sensitive to family members who might have joined this site for news, but we are hardly the prime SOURCE of news, and anyone who joins an internet discussion group must expect it to behave as an internet discussion group. That is, members discuss things.

This thread is an excellent idea for people who want news but not discussion. The shutting down of the discussion thread was ridiculous and unnecessarily heavy-handed.

The creation of the straight-forward forum was an excellent idea to help people who wanted serious discussion without topic drift, but using it in conjuntion with shutting down the other discussion group is devious and under-handed.

My 2 cents.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 02:04

That's what makes me think the dog either escaped from the van earlier or it took a couple of days for the dog to "bushwack" from Mt. Blood to where it was found.No, the current report is that the dog AND the personal effects in the dumpster (wallet, drivers lic, bloody clothing) were all found within a block or so. The suspect was found 20 or 30 miles away from both.

River Runner

01-06-2008, 02:12

That's what makes me think the dog either escaped from the van earlier or it took a couple of days for the dog to "bushwack" from Mt. Blood to where it was found.

According to the news they also found some of Meredith Emerson's items in a convenience store dumpster across from the Kroger store the dog was found at.

Mr. Hilton's van was found 36 miles southwest.

We don't really know whether the dog was let out or escaped.

I'm not speculating, just trying to clear up any misunderstandings about the reported events.

Montego

01-06-2008, 02:15

No, the current report is that the dog AND the personal effects in the dumpster (wallet, drivers lic, bloody clothing) were all found within a block or so. The suspect was found 20 or 30 miles away from both.

Oh, gottcha. I thought the items found in a dumpster was near where Mr. Hinton was trying to clean out his van at the car wash. My mistake.

I wonder then if it would be more likely that the dog escaped from Mr. Hinton/his van while he was disposing of the items in the dumpster, then, since the dog escaped, he decided he better look for the nearest car wash to do a thorough cleaning of his van to get rid of any other 'evidence'?

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 02:21

The shutting down of the discussion thread was ridiculous and unnecessarily heavy-handed.

The creation of the straight-forward forum was an excellent idea to help people who wanted serious discussion without topic drift, but using it in conjuntion with shutting down the other discussion group is devious and under-handed.

Agreed. I protested strongly when this ocurred. My posts and threads were deleted and/or locked and I was personally threatened via PM by a mod with banning.

I don't understand it either. We are a family here. One of our own has, apparently, been murdered on OUR Trail. Why are we being muzzled and punished for our need to share our questions and grief?

OregonHiker

01-06-2008, 02:31

River Runner

01-06-2008, 02:42

Guys are you trying to get this thread locked too? Give it up. This is not the place for this discussion.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 02:54

Guys are you trying to get this thread locked too? Give it up. This is not the place for this discussion.
Well, where IS the place for it? Obviously there are a LOT of members of the AT hiking community who want and need to talk about this.

Banning, thread-locking and other attempts at silencing a hurting community isn't the answer.

ed bell

01-06-2008, 02:57

Agreed. I protested strongly when this ocurred. My posts and threads were deleted and/or locked and I was personally threatened via PM by a mod with banning.

I don't understand it either. We are a family here. One of our own has, apparently, been murdered on OUR Trail. Why are we being muzzled and punished for our need to share our questions and grief?You don't get it. Your thread(s)? was deleted(?) because you publicly questioned a moderator's decision before privately consulting the admin. How many of your posts were deleted? If your posts contained graphic speculations about the fate of Meredith, then the were deleted. Rightfully so. The owners of this site recognize that this event drew many more to our site. In a highly charged, developing situation such as Meredith's disappearance, many new people begin to observe our close knit, small message board. The administrators have decided to keep a close eye on threads that involve missing persons or death of hikers involving the Appalachian Trail. This is out of respect of those who will most likely read the threads involving their loved ones. There are plenty of ways to frame the conversation one is looking for without involving the current situation at hand. Let the admins keep our site moving foreward, while respecting those who need our compassion. Anything you wish to discuss relative to this event can happen on this site. Keep it in the proper thread. I am off topic here, but I could not help but attempt to get this across.

Sly

01-06-2008, 03:00

Well, where IS the place for it? Obviously there are a LOT of members of the AT hiking community who want and need to talk about this.

Banning, thread-locking and other attempts at silencing a hurting community isn't the answer.

Try Tha Wookies thread, it's not in straight forward.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=492555#post492555

ed bell

01-06-2008, 03:14

Well, where IS the place for it? Obviously there are a LOT of members of the AT hiking community who want and need to talk about this.

Banning, thread-locking and other attempts at silencing a hurting community isn't the answer.Considering all that has happened, all that has been disclosed, all the issues that have been raised and all the discourse we have had, start a new thread.

Tha Wookie

01-06-2008, 03:18

Considering all that has happened, all that has been disclosed, all the issues that have been raised and all the discourse we have had, start a new thread.

see post above

TOW

01-06-2008, 05:57

You don't get it. Your thread(s)? was deleted(?) because you publicly questioned a moderator's decision before privately consulting the admin. How many of your posts were deleted? If your posts contained graphic speculations about the fate of Meredith, then the were deleted. Rightfully so. The owners of this site recognize that this event drew many more to our site. In a highly charged, developing situation such as Meredith's disappearance, many new people begin to observe our close knit, small message board. The administrators have decided to keep a close eye on threads that involve missing persons or death of hikers involving the Appalachian Trail. This is out of respect of those who will most likely read the threads involving their loved ones. There are plenty of ways to frame the conversation one is looking for without involving the current situation at hand. Let the admins keep our site moving foreward, while respecting those who need our compassion. Anything you wish to discuss relative to this event can happen on this site. Keep it in the proper thread. I am off topic here, but I could not help but attempt to get this across.
That explains much, thankyou. I certainly agree with that philosophy.

I too have been upset with the closing of the main thread but refrained from saying anything because of the spanking I recieved and deserved for getting mad at FD and saying so here on a "public thread." And in the end she was right.

We are a tight knit community here. Speculation is not bad, but I have witnessed on more than one occasion where speculation turned into slamming another for an assumed statement.

I back up FD's decision on this matter. Besides this is not about me here. I do not own anything here and therefore I can either go along with their decisions or move along and find another site to discuss my "speculations."

Furthermore, this site is the best website on the world wide web, IMO.

BMRisko

01-06-2008, 07:35

Not really news, just some new pictures of Merideth and Ella.

http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/metro/trainingdog/#homepage_tab_newstab

I've said this before and I'll say it again...such a shame that something like this has to happen to another young person who seems so happy and full of life. Truely tragic for her friends and family. :(

Machine

01-06-2008, 07:43

Well, where IS the place for it? Obviously there are a LOT of members of the AT hiking community who want and need to talk about this.

Banning, thread-locking and other attempts at silencing a hurting community isn't the answer.

Internet forums are the modern equivalent of the water cooler, or the porch of the general store, or the barber shop, or where ever people meet to discuss things.

I do not think it is unreasonable to discuss an event touching the hiking community, and I find the restriction to only link to news sources absurd.

I support the removal of offensive/gruesome posts, and the effort to be sensitive to family members who might have joined this site for news, but we are hardly the prime SOURCE of news, and anyone who joins an internet discussion group must expect it to behave as an internet discussion group. That is, members discuss things.

This thread is an excellent idea for people who want news but not discussion. The shutting down of the discussion thread was ridiculous and unnecessarily heavy-handed.

The creation of the straight-forward forum was an excellent idea to help people who wanted serious discussion without topic drift, but using it in conjuntion with shutting down the other discussion group is devious and under-handed.

My 2 cents.

This site and forums are a privilege, not a right. Respect the rules or go elsewhere.

Angel Ray

01-06-2008, 09:03

Has anyone here tryed to get into websleuths last few days? Sorry I know off topic but didnt want to start a new thread with just a question.. Thanks

dixicritter

01-06-2008, 10:05

Well, where IS the place for it? Obviously there are a LOT of members of the AT hiking community who want and need to talk about this.

Banning, thread-locking and other attempts at silencing a hurting community isn't the answer.

I understand that you could have misunderstood what was said. No one was threatened with banning... what was said was you would be placed in moderated post status. Which means you could still post here but all your posts would have to be approved first. Just wanted to clear that up, and normally I would do that via PM, but since I've been accused publicly (again) of something false I figured it best to do this here.

Has anyone here tryed to get into websleuths last few days? Sorry I know off topic but didnt want to start a new thread with just a question.. Thanks

Now to try and get this thread back on track... Your question Angel Ray is most certainly on topic as I see it. That site has probably been down because of all the traffic it was getting, it probably exceeded it's bandwidth capabilities. At least that would be my guess. :)

gypsy

01-06-2008, 11:03

This entire situation makes me deeply sad. My heart is broken for her and her family. :(

Just Jeff

01-06-2008, 11:04

CaseyB

01-06-2008, 11:10

Wow, about 100 new post since I last checked here. Where can I get a quick update....last I heard they charged the guy with kidnapping and GBI said it didn't look good.

4eyedbuzzard

01-06-2008, 11:12

Has anyone here tryed to get into websleuths last few days? Sorry I know off topic but didnt want to start a new thread with just a question.. Thanks
It's been down since Thursday. I was checking there for news links as well.

BMRisko

01-06-2008, 11:14

Wow, about 100 new post since I last checked here. Where can I get a quick update....last I heard they charged the guy with kidnapping and GBI said it didn't look good.

http://www.ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/) and http://11alive.com (http://11alive.com/) seem to have the most up to date information now. It looks like you now have to register at 11Alive, so I've been monitoring AJC. AJC posted Hilton's mugshots...he looks pretty creepy.

dixicritter

01-06-2008, 11:24

As of this morning, just a few links I found to articles...

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109105

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/06/missing_0107_web.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/01/05/missing.hiker/

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320309,00.html

CaseyB

01-06-2008, 11:40

Thanks for the links. Sad.

dixicritter

01-06-2008, 12:28

Someone OWNS this site - therefore THEY get to choose the rules. Saying otherwise is like me getting mad that I can't make the rules in YOUR house. It's not about freedom of speech or what happens at the water cooler - it's about what kind of community the administration wants to create. They make the rules, just like you do in the spaces you own.

I just created a yahoo group to discuss things that the admins won't allow here. It's unmoderated and all you need is a free yahoo login. Use it if you want to, ignore it if you want to - I'm not gonna read it. Just please don't get this thread closed.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wbmissinghiker/

Actually JJ... I've been explaining to folks via PM that they are more than welcome to start a thread in the Sensitive Trail Topics Forum with my blessing, yet I've been ignored on that point. That forum was created for just these sorts of threads, it is not searchable by outside search engines like google so the family and friends of the victim would not be able to find it by accident. It is a subscription forum our members must join via their userCP just like the Political Area, and the Non-AT area.

Thank you for going to the trouble of setting up a Yahoo Group for this though since no one here seems interested in taking my suggestion of starting a thread in the proper forum.

Thanks for the links. Sad.

You are welcome CaseyB. I agree this is very sad indeed.

RITBlake

01-06-2008, 13:16

Anyone know why it took TWO hours before someone called the police. A white astro van isn't exactly common and people should have been on the look out in full force. He's there at a busy store, in plain sight, nobody calls? come on

Kirby

01-06-2008, 13:18

I am not sure if any of the links provided above provide the information I am about to give, if they do, I apologize.

There was a article in my loval paper today stating, sadly, the hiker "is presumed dead", and that the POI has been charged with kidnapping with intent to do bodily harm.

Quite upsetting,
Kirby

Sly

01-06-2008, 13:22

I think everyone should make an effort to sign the support thread for Meredith's family and friends in a respectful, straight forward way. In a few days maybe we can print it out and send it to the family.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31415

Sly

01-06-2008, 13:24

A white astro van isn't exactly common and people should have been on the look out in full force.

White vans are very common and some people don't watch TV or read Whiteblaze.

Angel Ray

01-06-2008, 13:27

Thanks for the info on WS.. I just found out maybe back up Monday.. Thank goodness...

It's been down since Thursday. I was checking there for news links as well.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 13:31

Actually JJ... I've been explaining to folks via PM that they are more than welcome to start a thread in the Sensitive Trail Topics Forum with my blessing, It's too bad that folks weren't told that yesterday afternoon. Instead, there was a sudden spasm of post-deleting and thread-locking. If the mod responsible for all that had simply moved the discussions over to the Sensitive Trail area, there wouldn't have been an issue. Hopefully that's the way things will be handled in the future.

Water under the bridge now. Thanks for allowing this discussion here.

dixicritter

01-06-2008, 13:34

It's too bad that folks weren't told that yesterday afternoon. Instead, there was a sudden spasm of post-deleting and thread-locking. If the mod responsible for all that had simply moved the discussions over to the Sensitive Trail area, there wouldn't have been an issue. Hopefully that's the way things will be handled in the future.

Water under the bridge now. Thanks for allowing this discussion here.

Flotsom please drop it already. Folks were told that yesterday as I stated already. If I recall correctly you were one of the people I told via PM. However, it is time to move on and let this drop.

Angel Ray

01-06-2008, 13:43

Has anyone heard any updates on how the search is going or if they are searching today?

Dances with Mice

01-06-2008, 13:46

(From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/06/missing_0107_web.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab )

Search for hiker resumes on grim note
Suspect reportedly cooperating

By JEFFRY SCOTT ([email protected])
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/06/08

Blairsville — Day broke Sunday without the hope friends and family and searchers clung to for four days as they looked for missing 24-year-old Buford hiker, Meridith Emerson. Teams that began assembling at Vogel State Park after sunrise faced a grimmer task: looking for evidence of Emerson's whereabouts — or her remains.
On Saturday afternoon authorities charged Gary Michael Hilton, the 61-year-old man police say was the last person seen with Emerson, with kidnapping and bodily injury after investigators found three bloody fleece garments and her wallet and Georgia driver's license and University of Georgia ID in a dumpster in Forsyth, about 50 miles south of Vogel State Park, on Friday afternoon.

(http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/06/83224514_missing.html)

Police say Gary Michael Hilton, 61, was the last person seen with Meridith Emerson and have charged him with kidnapping and bodily injury.

Across the street from the dumpster in the parking lot of a Quik Trip , they also found Emerson's dog Ella, whom she had gone hiking with on New Year's day, wondering in a Kroger Parking lot. The dog was confirmed to be Emerson's through a microchip implant.

On Sunday morning TV crews were still stationed at Vogel as teams search for the fifth day. Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported that Hilton was cooperating with investigators and has requested a court-appointed attorney for his first court appearance, which is set for Monday, Union County Officer Gayle Bachelor said Sunday. She declined to allow The Associated Press to speak with Hilton by phone.
Hilton could be arraigned Monday afternoon in Union County court in Blairsville.

Other possible locations for finding Emerson are in Forsyth County, where police found the garments, and in DeKalb County, where Hilton was arrested Friday night when he was found at a business on 3500 Ashford Dunwoody Road. "attempting to vacuum" and clean out his 2001 Chevy Astro van, according to a police affadavit attached to his arrest warrant.

Investigators on Saturday tried — and failed — to connect Emerson to the crime scene by reviewing video surveillance tapes from the Quik Trip and Kroger, said Forsyth County sheriff, Ted Paxton. "He [Hilton] is not on the tape, his van is not on the tape, and the dog is not on the tape," said Paxton.

GBI spokesman John Bankhead told reporters Saturday afternoon press conference announcing the charges against Hilton that, from now on "this is a search and recovering mission." When asked whether he believed Emerson was still alive, he said "it does not look favorable."
Members of Emerson's family and friends who had gone virtually sleepless for days as they participated in searches and handed out missing person fliers with Emerson's photograph over a 100-square mile area, broke into tears. They huddled together, crying and consoling each other.

Before the announcement, family members were told by authorities Saturday "the chances are slim to none that she's alive," said Peggy Bailey, a spokeswoman for Emerson's family.

Emerson, a sales manager for a Winder packaging company and avid hiker, went missing New Year's Day after she told friends she was taking her black Labrador mix, Ella, to Freeman Trail, a popular hiking trail that leads to the Appalachian Trail.

The case gained national attention when other New Year's Day hikers reported seeing Hilton walking with Emerson, and her black lab Ella, along the trail the day of her disappearance.

Hilton also had a dog with him at the time. Two water bottles, a dog leash, and dog treats, all believed to belong to Emerson, were later found near the trail, along with police-style baton which, according to the arrest warrant, "Hilton was known to carry" while hiking.

In a dumpster beside the QuikTrip convenience store, near Kroger at Ga. Highway 306 and Freedom Parkway, they also made four key discoveries, according to the arrest warrant:

• A portion of an automobile seat belt "with apparent blood transfer stains." According to the warrant, the rear seat belt in Hilton's 2001 Chevrolet Astro van had been cut out. The warrant also stated, "Hilton was attempting to vacuum the vehicle and wash portions of it with a bleach and water solution."

• Emerson's black leather wallet, which included her driver's license and University of Georgia student ID card.

• Agents determined Hilton had placed a call from a pay phone at the QuikTrip on Friday.

• Three fleece tops, "found to contain substantial amounts of human blood."

It was a cold day when Emerson went hiking. Snow had fallen. Friends said she'd been wearing warm clothes, including a fleece jacket. Sheriff Paxton said Saturday: "It looks like she was dressed in layers, which she would, as an experienced hiker."

Paxton said it won't be known for certain whether the garments found in the dumpster belong to Emerson until blood tests come back from the GBI. Authorities felt confident in proceeding with charges because Emerson's wallet, which had her driver's license and University of Georgia student ID inside, was in the same dumpster as the blood-stained clothes.

"There were no signs of trauma to the clothing, but it was covered with blood," Paxton said.

Little is known about Hilton. He has been convicted of two felonies — one for the possession and distribution of marijuana, another for theft by taking. The address listed for Hilton on the warrant is 4169 Clairmont Road in Chamblee.

A Union County Superior Court judge signed the arrest warrant for Hilton late Saturday afternoon. The GBI picked him up at Fulton County Jail about 7 p.m. and drove him to the Union County Jail in Blairsville, where he was booked at about 9 p.m.

Earlier Saturday, Hilton was taken into the custody of U.S. Marshals on an outstanding bench warrant. The warrant was issued several months ago when Hilton did not appear in federal court on a charge of abandoning property in a national park.

His transfer to Union County most likely means Hilton will face the state charges before he is taken to federal court to answer the bench warrant. His first hearing will be Monday before a judge in Blairsville, said Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Stan Gunter.

Meanwhile, the search continues. Bailey said Emerson's family was "devastated" by Saturday's developments, but, "They still want to find her. They're not going to have any closure until she's found."

Searchers have covered 401 square miles since Wednesday but spent most of Saturday afternoon concentrated in a five-square-mile area of rugged terrain in the Chattahoochee National Forest, near where Emerson's 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier was discovered Wednesday.

"We haven't seen anything," said Denny Little, 54, one of the professional searchers. "We're not sure what we're looking for. It's one of those things where you'll know it when you see it."

Sunday is day 5 of their hunt, which has turned from hopeful to somber.
Said Bailey, the family spokeswoman: "It hits home that this has turned into a recovery effort."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 13:47

Has anyone heard any updates on how the search is going or if they are searching today?Are they letting civilians search now? I have some friends who want to go help but they are not sure if they'll be allowed into the search area.

Angel Ray

01-06-2008, 14:00

I wish we knew where they where seaching, maybe others could be searching places they arnt..guess I am hoping she is somewhere and just hurt..

Are they letting civilians search now? I have some friends who want to go help but they are not sure if they'll be allowed into the search area.

eArThworm

01-06-2008, 14:09

This Denver Post article has been referenced on a couple of forums: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5587358 Read toward the end.

Probably no connection between the Gary Hilton in the Emerson case and the Hilton referenced in the above article ("Gary Michael Hilton, committed to the institute in 1989 after he was found not guilty by reason of impaired mental condition of charges of robbery and kidnapping, among others."). I found that the person in the article is probably in his 40's now: http://tinyurl.com/2ocf68 , so not the same Hilton.

Sly

01-06-2008, 14:19

Probably no connection between the Gary Hilton in the Emerson case and the Hilton referenced in the above article ("Gary Michael Hilton, committed to the institute in 1989 after he was found not guilty by reason of impaired mental condition of charges of robbery and kidnapping, among others."). I found that the person in the article is probably in his 40's now: http://tinyurl.com/2ocf68 (http://tinyurl.com/2ocf68), so not the same Hilton.

Super Sleauth! :D That's actually good to know. Hopefully, the guy they have will do some real time in prision, rather than a few years in a hospital.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 14:24

I wish we knew where they where seaching, maybe others could be searching places they arnt..guess I am hoping she is somewhere and just hurt..I did a quick map in SA, here it is:
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20877&c=

Such a huge area. He was all over the place.

Miss Janet

01-06-2008, 15:05

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 15:13

I am very visual and seeing this helps me to understand the huge scope of the search. I have driven around in that area for days... so many little roads. I hope and pray for the family that she is found soon. Then the real work of healing can begin.Yeah, when I read that he was seen trying to use her credit card in Canton, and looked it up in Street Atlas, that's when I realized the scope of this thing. Apparently, he was driving all over the area between Atlanta and Blood Mtn. Thousands and thousands of miles of roads. God help us.

Angel Ray

01-06-2008, 15:20

Thank you very much:)

I did a quick map in SA, here it is:
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20877&c=

Such a huge area. He was all over the place.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 15:30

I just can't understand how the perp could not know that he was being hunted. I mean, wasn't his pic on the front page of every newspaper in Georgia by Thurday? He had to stop for food and stuff, woudn't he have seen the paper in a convenience store or overheard people talking about it? Yet he blithely drives all over the place, and even drives down into a heavily populated Altanta suburb and spends 2 hours in plain sight cleaning up his van during Friday night rush hour?

Jan LiteShoe

01-06-2008, 15:36

Probably no connection between the Gary Hilton in the Emerson case and the Hilton referenced in the above article ("Gary Michael Hilton, committed to the institute in 1989 after he was found not guilty by reason of impaired mental condition of charges of robbery and kidnapping, among others."). I found that the person in the article is probably in his 40's now: http://tinyurl.com/2ocf68 (http://tinyurl.com/2ocf68), so not the same Hilton.
Good digging. I used your key words and also came up with this article:
http://tinyurl.com/ysqj8h

The similarities are uncanny. Drugs, theft, young woman murdered, kidnapping charges. Wrong age.

Jan LiteShoe

01-06-2008, 15:37

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 15:41

Rentman

01-06-2008, 16:22

It said in one of the articles that Hilton was cooperating, he knows he's been caught, why doesn't he just tell them where she is????

Pedestrian

01-06-2008, 16:26

Another similarity. He drove out of his way to Canton to use the ATM card. The NC Killer drove out of his way to Ducktown to use that poor couples card.

I hope that the two crimes are related.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 16:39

It said in one of the articles that Hilton was cooperating, he knows he's been caught, why doesn't he just tell them where she is????Hopefully that is what they are negotiating right now.

ATSeamstress

01-06-2008, 16:43

Another similarity. He drove out of his way to Canton to use the ATM card. The NC Killer drove out of his way to Ducktown to use that poor couples card.

I hope that the two crimes are related.

Did the perp in the NC case actually get any money? How can you get money without knowing the PIN number? Unless he bullies his victims into giving the information.

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 16:55

Did the perp in the NC case actually get any money? How can you get money without knowing the PIN number? Unless he bullies his victims into giving the information.
Yes, he got $300, which is typically the maximum that can be withdrawn at a time.

Pedestrian

01-06-2008, 16:56

Did the perp in the NC case actually get any money? How can you get money without knowing the PIN number? Unless he bullies his victims into giving the information.

The Perp. in NC did get $300 (I'm guessing the max allowed). In the NC case it was an eldrly couple that no one knew was missing for several days so the accounts didn't get frozen as quickly as with the Emerson case. Yes he had the PIN. I'm not going to speculate futher. I'm sorry I brought it up.

(zipping my mouth)

So very sad. My daughter is the same age as Miss Emerson. She used to hike there all of the time by herself before she moved away. My whole family used to hike that area almost weekly when they where smaller.

Much Love for the Emerson family and friends. My heart goes out to you. I pray for closure in bothof these cases.

Angel Ray

01-06-2008, 17:05

4169 Clairmont Road in Chamblee. is the address he gave when arrested..

Flotsam

01-06-2008, 17:12

BTW, another WB'er just PM'ed and reminded me that there were reports of Hilton living out of his van at Murphy Candler park. That park is less than a mile due north of where he was arrested while cleaning up the van. That's why he was at that particular gas station - it was his home stomping grounds.
Here is a google earth image showing the park in relation to where he was arrested: Looks like a 5 minute drive:
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20927&c=536

KD4QOY

01-06-2008, 17:36

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22513150/

CaseyB

01-06-2008, 17:41

Another similarity. He drove out of his way to Canton to use the ATM card. The NC Killer drove out of his way to Ducktown to use that poor couples card.

I hope that the two crimes are related.
Maybe Ducktown was not out of the NC perp's way. You are assuming they are related.

Pedestrian

01-06-2008, 18:16

Maybe Ducktown was not out of the NC perp's way. You are assuming they are related.

True, true. Here again, sorry for the speculation.

malamute

01-06-2008, 19:14

New info:

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14987205/detail.html

MamaCat

01-06-2008, 21:27

New AP article update (1/6/08 7:54PM):
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109105

interview with Peggy Baily (godmother) & Julia Karrenbauer (friend)
http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109114

TOW

01-06-2008, 21:56

It said in one of the articles that Hilton was cooperating, he knows he's been caught, why doesn't he just tell them where she is????
Because he is upset about being caught. When one gets busted, especially red handed it just makes them mad and one of the best ways to get rid of some of that aggresion is by telling the authorities where to get off or simply clam up and smile.

After some time has elasped and the criminal has had time to think things over a lot of the time they just go ahead and admit to the crime and therefore they become a bit more cooperative. Most of the time they are not totally truthful at the start of their cooperation, but usually after they have been questioned repeatedly and everyone of their loopholes pointed out the LEO is able to get to the root of the truth.

This process may take some time. And I garuntee you the law has as much time as the subject has but if they are able to persuade the POI that time is running out they will most likely find out very shortly as to her where abouts. I put "if" there because the POI may not give them anymore than "I did it, I'm caught" for awhile. In very rare cases the POI never gives in more than they have.

The criminal mind enjoys the "sensalism as much as the media enjoys dishing it out."

envirodiver

01-06-2008, 22:27

Thanks to the moderators for trying to control this very emotionally charged situation.

I think that for all of us this type of thing is our worst nightmare. Bless this lady.

gumball

01-06-2008, 22:50

Because he is upset about being caught. When one gets busted, especially red handed it just makes them mad and one of the best ways to get rid of some of that aggresion is by telling the authorities where to get off or simply clam up and smile.

After some time has elasped and the criminal has had time to think things over a lot of the time they just go ahead and admit to the crime and therefore they become a bit more cooperative. Most of the time they are not totally truthful at the start of their cooperation, but usually after they have been questioned repeatedly and everyone of their loopholes pointed out the LEO is able to get to the root of the truth.

This process may take some time. And I garuntee you the law has as much time as the subject has but if they are able to persuade the POI that time is running out they will most likely find out very shortly as to her where abouts. I put "if" there because the POI may not give them anymore than "I did it, I'm caught" for awhile. In very rare cases the POI never gives in more than they have.

The criminal mind enjoys the "sensalism as much as the media enjoys dishing it out."

Criminals such as this are very arrogant. They only get caught because they become complacent in their actions--if they've committed multiple crimes as heinous as this might end up being, they perceive themselves more powerful with each one. But they are human. Evil, but human. And they slip up and, hopefully, are caught. If this individual has done what is suspected, it is likely not the first time.

HIKER7s

01-06-2008, 23:22

This is all very sad. I hope they find her soon. I think I got a post here deleted for some goofy reason so I am not going to go on.

it just tugs at the heart, what a world we live in. you mind your business and get killed for it.

Lugnut

01-07-2008, 00:38

They are scaling back the search starting tomorrow, whatever that means. Doesn't sound like he's giving out much info. It would seem reasonable to assume that the area should be open to independent searches if they do that.

Lellers

01-07-2008, 00:43

They're scaling back by not using volunteers. Only trained search and rescue individuals and law enforcement will be involved on Monday. I hope they can find her and bring some sort of peace to the family. This is just too horrible.

Hyway

01-07-2008, 01:04

Since this is now a crime scene and not a search and rescue the use of unskilled volunteers would most likely contaminate any evidense that may still be out there to find.

KD4QOY

01-07-2008, 02:37

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22504769/

River Runner

01-07-2008, 03:54

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22504769/

That report is a couple of days old. But it would be interesting to know if they found the yellow jacket in Hilton's effects and if it has the same type front as that in the ATM surveillance photo.

Pedestrian

01-07-2008, 08:44

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22504769/

Ummm...They must have the jacket right? They've got a real good detailed picture of the jacket of the perp. in NC. If they are relooking at a posible connection the the jackets must be very similar. Right?

Sly

01-07-2008, 08:51

Yellow rain jackets are about as common as they come. Of course if they could prove it was John Bryants...

dixicritter

01-07-2008, 08:52

Ummm...They must have the jacket right? They've got a real good detailed picture of the jacket of the perp. in NC. If they are relooking at a posible connection the the jackets must be very similar. Right?

That news article was from Jan 4th y'all.

Pedestrian

01-07-2008, 08:56

That news article was from Jan 4th y'all.

The news (radio WSB 750) said this morning (1-7-08) that NC officials are coming to Union County to discuss similar evidence in the two cases.

dixicritter

01-07-2008, 09:03

Pedestrian

01-07-2008, 09:05

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/07/georgia.hiker/index.html

Updated news containing the cooperation between GA and NC investigators.

Thoughtful Owl

01-07-2008, 10:18

News links I've found for this morning...

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=7586284

http://www.wsav.com/midatlantic/sav/news.apx.-content-articles-SAV-2008-01-07-0012.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/07/georgia.hiker/

Dixicritter,
Thanks for the news updates. It's been a busy morning, nonetheless Meredith and here family are still in my thoughts and prayers...so the quick links are appreciated.

AlwaysHiking

01-07-2008, 10:18

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/07/georgia.hiker/index.html

Updated news containing the cooperation between GA and NC investigators.

Good find, been waiting to see if any updates would come out about the connection. I know it doesn't give any new info about it, but at least it does say they are still looking into it.

My hope is it is the same guy.

eArThworm

01-07-2008, 11:56

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109140

A link to a news item from today. Don't think it's been posted yet.

Jan LiteShoe

01-07-2008, 13:15

"Forsyth County authorities are investigating the possibility that the man suspected of kidnapping hiker Meredith Emerson may be linked to the disappearance and murder of a Forsyth County hairdresser nearly four years ago.
"We're not leaving any stone unturned," said Capt. Frank Huggins, spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department."

From the AJC:

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/2008/01/07/Forsythkidnap_0107.html

Sly

01-07-2008, 13:16

As best they can under the circumstances, the GBI seems to be doing a great job in the investigation. Hats off.

Jan LiteShoe

01-07-2008, 13:17

AJC Video link:
http://www.ajc.com/multimedia/content/multimedia/video/index.html?clip=55130

Roots

01-07-2008, 13:19

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109140

A link to a news item from today. Don't think it's been posted yet.

At least now they are saying that the two 'could be' linked. The report on our local news the other day said Transylvania Sheriff's office would be helping GA authorities, but never stated a connection. Hopefully they are on to something here!!

Jan LiteShoe

01-07-2008, 13:23

At least now they are saying that the two 'could be' linked. The report on our local news the other day said Transylvania Sheriff's office would be helping GA authorities, but never stated a connection. Hopefully they are on to something here!!

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/01/07/ap/us/d8u156oo2.txt

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 13:40

saimyoji

01-07-2008, 13:43

I keep wondering how they knew to look in that dumpster.

Probably the guy who called it in said something like "I saw him loading bags of bloody clothes into the dumpster, and he's trying to wash blood out of his van." :-?

Dances with Mice

01-07-2008, 13:48

I keep wondering how they knew to look in that dumpster. I mean, stray dogs aren't all that uncommom, and they had to take it to a vet and everything and get the chip read. Seems like everything happened all at once, dog found, dumpster searched, perp located. All in a span of 4 or 5 hours...

Does anyone have a link to the pic they took of the van w/the Kroger sign behind it?The pup was found by a good samaritan at a Kroger parking lot who took it to a vet office where someone there recognized it and it was microchipped. The county sheriff's office was called, they went to the Kroger and started interviewing potential witnesses and searching every dumpster and trashcan in the vicinity. Good police work by the Forsyth County boys.

The perp being located was independant of all that.

I don't believe there is a picture of the van at the Kroger. The Forsyth Cty sheriff secured all security videotapes from stores in the area and the perp doesn't appear on any of them. The van was located at a gas station.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 13:51

Probably the guy who called it in said something like "I saw him loading bags of bloody clothes into the dumpster, and he's trying to wash blood out of his van." :-?
No, the dog/dumpster area and where he was arrrested are over 40 miles apart. No one saw him throw anything into any dumpster. The dog was just suddenly noticed by someone, wandering around the Kroger parking lot. That's it. Yet somehow, in an incredibly short time, the cops were in the dumpster across the street, finding her belongings...

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 13:53

I don't believe there is a picture of the van at the Kroger. Yeah there was one. It showed the van parked next to the carwash vacuum, all the doors open. In the background was the neon Kroger sign...I recall it clearly.

Dances with Mice

01-07-2008, 14:04

Yeah there was one. It showed the van parked next to the carwash vacuum, all the doors open. In the background was the neon Kroger sign...I recall it clearly. This one? (http://www.11alive.com/assetpool/images/0814215548_hilton0104a%5B1%5D.jpg)

HIKER7s

01-07-2008, 14:08

I wonder with all the driving he did ...

Alot of were they say he was driving is pretty sparsely populated, isnt it?

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 14:10

Yeah there was one. It showed the van parked next to the carwash vacuum, all the doors open. In the background was the neon Kroger sign...I recall it clearly.

Different Kroger...the Kroger where the dog was found is around 45 minutes away if I recall and the dog was found about 3 in the afternoon. Mr. Hilton was discovered at the gas station in another part of town (that just happens to be near a Kroger) much later in the afternoon / early evening.

Whats so weird to you about searching dumpsters? They noticed her dog in the area, so instinct would tell me you would want to start searching around there and dumpsters are common places for criminals to dispose of evidence.

Sly

01-07-2008, 14:12

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 14:13

For those who keep asking about areas / timelines / distances, here is a good map I found from AJC.

http://projects.ajc.com/maps/metro/gwinnett/sites-emerson-case/?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Sly

01-07-2008, 14:19

Bluebearee

01-07-2008, 14:19

For those who keep asking about areas / timelines / distances, here is a good map I found from AJC.

http://projects.ajc.com/maps/metro/gwinnett/sites-emerson-case/?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Thank you for the link to the map, I am also very visual like Miss Janet and needed to see where all these things took place, not knowing North GA that well.

I am following this as closely as everyone else and am just sick over it.

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 14:27

Times would be nice. And I think they have it wrong. I believe the dog was found before the belongings.

You're right...I wasn't aware this didn't include specific times, but rather a rough order of events. Sorry about the misinformation. Regardless it is good for visualizing the areas that are included in the current investigation.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 14:30

Different Kroger..Yeah I know there's two Krogers, one where the dog was found and the other coincidentlly adjacent to the gas station where Hilton was arrested.

DWM, thanks for the pic, but no, that's not the one. Similar, but not it.

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 14:36

Yeah I know there's two Krogers, one where the dog was found and the other coincidentlly adjacent to the gas station where Hilton was arrested.

DWM, thanks for the pic, but no, that's not the one. Similar, but not it.

Should be the 1st picture in this slideshow...

http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/metro/gwinnett/0104missing/

eArThworm

01-07-2008, 14:37

Yeah I know there's two Krogers, one where the dog was found and the other coincidentlly adjacent to the gas station where Hilton was arrested.

DWM, thanks for the pic, but no, that's not the one. Similar, but not it.

I also remember that shot. It may have been in one of the videos disussing the events. But, yes, they were two different Krogers--one where the dog was found, and one where Hilton was captured.

eArThworm

01-07-2008, 14:38

Should be the 1st picture in this slideshow...

http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/metro/gwinnett/0104missing/

Yes, that's it. We both were posting at same time. Thanks.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 14:45

Should be the 1st picture in this slideshow...

http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/metro/gwinnett/0104missing/
Yes, thank you, that's it.

Israel

01-07-2008, 14:49

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 15:03

not sure if it's been posted here or not (scanned the thread but didn't see it) but...
local news channel report last night showed that the van they found him cleaning no longer had it's original GA license plate on it. He had switched it to an NC plate. I've not seen this reported in the print/online media, but they blew up the video footage they had of the van being towed away and it was very clearly visible the van had NC plates on it.

Thanks for the info...had not seen or heard that. It would be interesting to see who the NC tags are registered to. Props to the citizens recognizing the van and POI and not going on license plate numbers alone.

Pedestrian

01-07-2008, 15:07

not sure if it's been posted here or not (scanned the thread but didn't see it) but...
local news channel report last night showed that the van they found him cleaning no longer had it's original GA license plate on it. He had switched it to an NC plate. I've not seen this reported in the print/online media, but they blew up the video footage they had of the van being towed away and it was very clearly visible the van had NC plates on it.

Very cool catch. I haven't herd that one. That would mean he possibly knew that they were looking for him.

Sly

01-07-2008, 15:08

You're right...I wasn't aware this didn't include specific times, but rather a rough order of events. Sorry about the misinformation. Regardless it is good for visualizing the areas that are included in the current investigation.

Agreed..... and not your fault.

Sly

01-07-2008, 15:10

mriets1

01-07-2008, 15:10

This one? (http://www.11alive.com/assetpool/images/0814215548_hilton0104a%5B1%5D.jpg)

The Kroger where ella (the dog) was found along with the evidence in the dumpster was in Cumming (Forsyth county). Where Hilton was arrested vacuuming his van was in Dekalb county. Where he was trying to use the ATM Card was in Canton in Cherokee County. If look you at these places on a map he would have had to zig zag across Georgia.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109059

HIKER7s

01-07-2008, 15:26

Which appears on a map like you say that he was looking for something Or knew where something was.

If they find out where, this thing may uncover more than what they are speculating

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 15:27

http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=109059

This is really weird, I prepared a map in Street Atlas yesterday and uploaded it. Miss Janet even thanked me for it. Now I am told that I "don't have permission to access it". Can anyone else see it, here is the URL that worked yesterday...?
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20877&c=

MOWGLI

01-07-2008, 15:30

This is really weird, I prepared a map in Street Atlas yesterday and uploaded it. Miss Janet even thanked me for it. Now I am told that I "don't have permission to access it". Can anyone else see it, here is the URL that worked yesterday...?
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20877&c=

I can't see it. Send a PM to Dixiecritter.

One question... Was the info you uploaded copyright protected? Many maps are.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 15:31

I can't see it. Send a PM to Dixiecritter.

One question... Was the info you uploaded copyright protected? Many maps are.
No, not at all. It was a screenshot of street atlas, I'd placed labels on the spots of interest...

mriets1

01-07-2008, 15:31

I cannot see it either

Roots

01-07-2008, 15:41

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/01/07/ap/us/d8u156oo2.txt

Thanks for that link, Jan!! The news station here is not the best at reporting details.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 15:42

I cannot see it eitherDixiecritter is looking into it for me. In the meantime, she suggested I upload it into my post instead of to the gallery. So, here it is:

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 16:22

This is really weird, I prepared a map in Street Atlas yesterday and uploaded it. Miss Janet even thanked me for it. Now I am told that I "don't have permission to access it". Can anyone else see it, here is the URL that worked yesterday...?
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=20877&c=

If it was uploaded to the old thread that was closed, that may be the reason...

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 16:25

I know we aren't supposed to speculate, but does anyone know what bank the card was used at? Canton could have been the closest location for that particular branch, which may explain the zig-zag across the state.

EDIT: The bank was Regions and he also tried to use it at a bank in Gainesville...both on the day Meredith disappeared.

Info compiled from these 2 sources.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14987205/detail.html
http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/case.cfm?id=52035

Although AMW only lists the ATM trying to be used at the Regions in Canton.

EDIT 2: Looks like there are Regions in Cumming, where Ella and the clothing were found, so everyone can disregard my speculation. Sorry...

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 16:27

If it was uploaded to the old thread that was closed, that may be the reason...No, it was uploaded in this one, yesterday. Page 7 I think.

All three maps are definitely gone. Yesterday, I had a "view my gallery" link under my name, you could see them by clicking that. Today, when I was trying to find the images, I noticed that I no longer had a gallery.

If they'd been deleted by a mod/admin/owner I'd at least expect a PM letting me know they'd done so, and why. So, I don't know what happened.

Chaco Taco

01-07-2008, 16:28

So I am hearing that they may be linking this guy to the Bryant disappearances in Nov? I didnt read the whole thread but just heard it on the WRAL news

MOWGLI

01-07-2008, 16:30

Possibly to several cases;

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/2008/01/07/Forsythkidnap_0107.html

RITBlake

01-07-2008, 16:30

No, it was uploaded in this one, yesterday. Page 7 I think.

All three maps are definitely gone. Yesterday, I had a "view my gallery" link under my name, you could see them by clicking that. Today, when I was trying to find the images, I noticed that I no longer had a gallery.

If they'd been deleted by a mod/admin/owner I'd at least expect a PM letting me know they'd done so, and why. So, I don't know what happened.

that's crappy, that map was helpful

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 16:37

that's crappy, that map was helpfulThanks, I thought so.

In any case, the map is viewable in post # 206, above.

Pedestrian

01-07-2008, 16:43

http://www.wsbtv.com/download/2008/0107/14991340.pdf

GMH arrest warrant.

Israel

01-07-2008, 16:49

re: question of which news report showed the NC tag on his van when towed away by police...pretty sure it was on fox 5 news here in atlanta. www.myfoxatlanta.com
I am surprised that it has not been picked up on all the news agencies or highlighted more. But- the video on the news last night clearly showed it had NC plates and the newscasters even talked about the fact it had NC plates on it at the time.

Chris_Asheville

01-07-2008, 16:52

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 16:58

How can they not get any info from this guy?? He seems wicked creepy. I've been following the Bryant's case closely since it broke several months ago and it does seem like there is quite a lot of similarities. The using of the debit card in both cases seems really odd.
Any new details as of 4 et?

Bond has been Denied:

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/07/hilton_0108_web.html

Following the hearing, Gunter said that based on Hilton's and Smith's limited responses, he expects Smith to enter an insanity plea for Hilton.

-What a POS trying to take the easy way out...

Authorities investigating links to 3 more cases:

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/2008/01/07/Forsythkidnap_0107.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newst ab

Phreak

01-07-2008, 17:00

How can they not get any info from this guy??

A public defender spoke for him and said Hilton would invoke his right to remain silent.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 17:00

How can they not get any info from this guy??His right to remain silent, perhaps?

The DA just said that the SOB is expected to plead insanity.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/07/hilton_0108_web.html

RITBlake

01-07-2008, 17:12

His right to remain silent, perhaps?

The DA just said that the SOB is expected to plead insanity.

there's the biggest non-suprise of the century

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 17:14

re: question of which news report showed the NC tag on his van when towed away by police...pretty sure it was on fox 5 news here in atlanta. www.myfoxatlanta.comWow, did anyone notice on their latest video? Toward the end of the vid, they mentioned Hilton using Emerson's credit card, then showed a still image of the yellow-jacketed man from the Bryant murder case ATM footage. I am 99% sure it is the same image...

Sly

01-07-2008, 17:20

Wow, did anyone notice on their latest video? Toward the end of the vid, they mentioned Hilton using Emerson's credit card, then showed a still image of the yellow-jacketed man from the Bryant murder case ATM footage. I am 99% sure it is the same image...

Could you post a link to the video? (not just the page)

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 17:33

Could you post a link to the video? (not just the page)Trying, the site is crashing for me right now. Here is the image they used:

Rentman

01-07-2008, 17:35

Wow, looks like the same yellow jacket, that SOB:mad:

BMRisko

01-07-2008, 17:44

Wow, looks like the same yellow jacket, that SOB:mad:

Yes, b/c its the same footage from the Bryant case...reporter error.

Mad Hatter 08

01-07-2008, 17:58

This is from the wsbtv site saying that investigators are looking into a link to Emerson's disappearance/murder and the disapperances/murders of four other people.

Investigators Looking Into Possible Links

While the search for Emerson goes on, Paxton told WSB-TV Channel 2 that his investigators are looking into possible links between the Patrice Endres murder and the Emerson case.

Endres was abducted in April, 2005 from her hair salon, which Paxton said is close to where Emerson's wallet was found.

Police found Endres' body eight months later in a church yard.

On Sunday Paxton had detectives and deputies checking every church yard in Forsyth County; in case there is a link and Hilton disposed of Emerson in the same fashion.

In Athens, investigators are looking into the possibility Hilton is involved in the disappearance of Cayle Bywater, 29. She has been missing since Dec. 29 when a neighbor found her dog running loose near her S. Milledge Ave. home.

Bywater is described as a white female, 5’3” tall, 113 pounds, with curly brown hair and blue eyes.

Police are also looking into similarities in the case of a missing North Carolina couple. John and Irene Bryant disappeared in October while hiking in the mountains in the Pisgah National Forest. Three weeks later, Irene Bryant's bludgeoned body was discovered. Her husband remains missing.

A man wearing a yellow jacket tried to use their ATM card. Hilton was seen wearing a yellow jacket when talking to Emerson.

Sly

01-07-2008, 18:10

Trying, the site is crashing for me right now. Here is the image they used:

Again, that's not enough. If you took a picture of me with my rain jacket on I'd looked the same. For the most part yellow rain jackets are yellow rain jackets.

However, if they have Hilton's jacket and it can be proved it belonged to Bryan, that would be something.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 18:15

Again, that's not enough. If you took a picture of me with my rain jacket on I'd looked the same. For the most part yellow rain jackets are yellow rain jackets.

However, if they have Hilton's jacket and it can be proved it belonged to Bryan, that would be something.No, my point was that in the video talking about Hilton using Emerson's ATM card being used, they flashed the still shot of the Bryant suspect in the yellow jacket. They were not talking about the similarities in the cases. They used the Bryant suspect still shot as if it were one of Hilton.

Sly

01-07-2008, 18:17

No, my point was that in the video talking about Hilton using Emerson's ATM card being used, they flashed the still shot of the Bryant suspect in the yellow jacket. They were not talking about the similarities in the cases. They used the Bryant suspect still shot as if it were one of Hilton.

Oh, well that's dumb on the media's part. I saw another where they talked about two bodies in the Bryant case when they only have one. The guy is still missing AFAIK

Skidsteer

01-07-2008, 18:52

EDIT 2: Looks like there are Regions in Cumming, where Ella and the clothing were found, so everyone can disregard my speculation. Sorry...

There's a Regions at the corner of 369 and Hwy 9. Not very far at all from the Kroger/Quiktrip.

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 19:03

There's a Regions at the corner of 369 and Hwy 9. Not very far at all from the Kroger/Quiktrip.Here’s something that doesn’t add up at all:

It’s been widely reported that Hilton “attempted to” use Meredith’s credit card at two locations (Canton and Gainesville) on Tuesday, the day she disappeared. “Attempted to” implies “tried but failed”. Another article (sorry I can’t find it again) discusses the Bryant couple murder suspect being able to use the couple’s ATM card successfully “because they hadn’t frozen the accounts yet”, as opposed to Meredith, where, it was claimed, the banks froze hers immediately upon news of her disappearance.

Only one problem: Meredith wasn’t even reported missing until Wednesday. But Hilton “tried to” use her credit cards Tuesday (before anyone was even aware she was missing).

So…why didn’t the credit cards work? Her accounts could not have been locked down on Tuesday…

Creek Dancer

01-07-2008, 19:10

Here’s something that doesn’t add up at all:

It’s been widely reported that Hilton “attempted to” use Meredith’s credit card at two locations (Canton and Gainesville) on Tuesday, the day she disappeared. “Attempted to” implies “tried but failed”. Another article (sorry I can’t find it again) discusses the Bryant couple murder suspect being able to use the couple’s ATM card successfully “because they hadn’t frozen the accounts yet”, as opposed to Meredith, where, it was claimed, the banks froze hers immediately upon news of her disappearance.

Only one problem: Meredith wasn’t even reported missing until Wednesday. But Hilton “tried to” use her credit cards Tuesday (before anyone was even aware she was missing).

So…why didn’t the credit cards work? Her accounts could not have been locked down on Tuesday…

My guess is that he didn't have her PIN number.

Bulldawg

01-07-2008, 19:15

The local (Atlanta) news just reported that Florida Authorities are heading to Georgia tomorrow with a possible link to a murdered woman abducted from a forest trail in North Florida late last year. I hope they fry this guy!

Darwin again

01-07-2008, 19:17

My guess is that he didn't have her PIN number.

Don't ATMs usually eat your card if you screw up the PIN number after a few tries?

Bilko

01-07-2008, 19:20

Just finished watching the 6:00 news here in ATL about Meredith. They are giving the story top billing. It looks like they are trying to tie Hilton with 3 other murders. The Bryants in NC, a women 3 years ago from Cumming, and a young co-ed in Athens that went missing on December 29th. I would imagine that is routine procedure. The authorities are trying to match up and close cases that are still open or have been closed.

Trying to find a body in that area is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I doubt if the body is anywhere near Blood Mountain. I'm guessing somewhere around Dawson County. Dawson County is where Amicalola State Park is located. There are hundreds of dirt roads in that area. Dawson County would be on the way from Union County to Forsyth County. I worked in Dawson County last year. It is a very rural community.

TOW

01-07-2008, 19:30

is there any news that he told them where she was or gave them a general idea?

malamute

01-07-2008, 19:32

Only one problem: Meredith wasn’t even reported missing until Wednesday. But Hilton “tried to” use her credit cards Tuesday (before anyone was even aware she was missing).

So…why didn’t the credit cards work? Her accounts could not have been locked down on Tuesday…

Do you have a link to this? I've been following this all closely and haven't seen them mention any dated or times for when he tried using the her card.

RITBlake

01-07-2008, 19:35

Just finished watching the 6:00 news here in ATL about Meredith. They are giving the story top billing. It looks like they are trying to tie Hilton with 3 other murders.

Sounds like we witnessed the tip of the iceberg.

Execute his ass and be done with it.

Skidsteer

01-07-2008, 19:48

Don't ATMs usually eat your card if you screw up the PIN number after a few tries?

Actually, no.

These days most machines, at least in the South, are 'swipe-thru'. Similar to a hotel key carded door.

CaseyB

01-07-2008, 19:53

Sly

01-07-2008, 19:57

Do you have a link to this? I've been following this all closely and haven't seen them mention any dated or times for when he tried using the her card.

Yeah man you (Flotsam) should start providing links. It's news updates, not WAG's.

MOWGLI

01-07-2008, 19:59

The AJC seems to continue to be the best source for information. They have beem all over this story the past 4 days.

http://www.ajc.com/

dixicritter

01-07-2008, 20:08

Links for this evening...

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/07/hilton_0108_web.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7205746,00.html (International news)

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/07/georgia.hiker/

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iAMqzN5MVUP5W2xvpdifTvBRzRvQD8U17CC80

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/06/missing_0107webupdate.html?imw=Y

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 20:19

Yeah man you (Flotsam) should start providing links. It's news updates, not WAG's.
"Hilton tried to use the missing hiker's credit card at two ATMs, one in Canton and another in Gainesville on the day she disappeared, according to Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton."
Source: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14995289/detail.html

Creek Dancer

01-07-2008, 20:32

Don't ATMs usually eat your card if you screw up the PIN number after a few tries?

Yeah, I think so. Maybe he was unsuccessful at one machine after one or two tries, and he knew it would lock up if he kept trying, so he went to the other bank's ATM. Either that, or he was successful and got out the max and went to the other ATM for more money. Pure speculation, of course.

Creek Dancer

01-07-2008, 20:36

Actually, no.

These days most machines, at least in the South, are 'swipe-thru'. Similar to a hotel key carded door.

I've seen those types of credit cards, but only for purchases from a store. Do they have them for ATM's as well where you don't need a PIN?

Flotsam

01-07-2008, 20:37

Yeah, I think so. Maybe he was unsuccessful at one machine after one or two tries, and he knew it would lock up if he kept trying, so he went to the other bank's ATM. Either that, or he was successful and got out the max and went to the other ATM for more money. Pure speculation, of course.
The arrest warrant specifically says "credit card". Not ATM (debit) card.

Link: http://media.myfoxatlanta.com/PDF/hiltonarrestwarrant010608.pdf

In the Bryant case, the suspect had the victims PIN. In this case, the facts to date indicate that Hilton tried and failed to use her credit card. Not ATM card.

Skidsteer

01-07-2008, 20:40

I've seen those types of credit cards, but only for purchases from a store. Do they have them for ATM's as well where you don't need a PIN?

You still need a PIN but you don't feed the card into the machine. You just swipe it, put it back in your pocket, and type ypur PIN at the prompt. No way the machine can eat your card unless the bank programs the ATM to erase the data from the magnetic stripe after a certain # of failed attempts.

Creek Dancer

01-07-2008, 20:41

The arrest warrant specifically says "credit card". Not ATM (debit) card.

Link: http://media.myfoxatlanta.com/PDF/hiltonarrestwarrant010608.pdf

In the Bryant case, the suspect had the victims PIN. In this case, the facts to date indicate that Hilton tried and failed to use her credit card. Not ATM card.

But you can get money out on a bank credit card through the ATM. At least you can at mine. You need a pin though.

Sly

01-07-2008, 20:47

But you can get money out on a bank credit card through the ATM. At least you can at mine. You need a pin though.

You need a PIN regardless of it's a Debit/Check card or Credit card..