24-year-old
Meredith Emerson was doing what she loved the day she went missing.
New Years Day, she left a note for her roommate saying she was going
hiking with her dog, Ella, and they were spotted on Blood Mountain in
Union County, Ga. But Meredith never made it home, and now police are
looking for a man they're calling a person of interest.
Deputies say witnesses described a man 50 to 60 years old talking to
Meredith along the trail. He's described as about 160 lbs., with
missing teeth and a weathered look about him, as if he'd been hiking
for a while. He had a yellow jacket on, with a large backpack,
and some sort of sheet was on one of his legs. Police say there was an
unknown item inside the sheet.
Several witnesses reported seeing the man and Meredith talking, and
say the man also had a dog, a dark-reddish retriever he called
"Danny". Witnesses say the two let their dogs loose, chasing after
them as the dogs ran ahead.
My Fox Atlanta is reporting officials believe the man is Gary
Michael Hilton of DeKalb County. Police say Hilton owns two vans, both
are white. One is a Chevy Astro van, with license plate 768APZ, the
other is a 2001 van, with tag number AFQ1310.
Her car was found abandoned.
Police
say Meredith's 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier was found abandoned at the base
of Blood Mountain, and a water bottle and dog collar belonging to
Meredith was found near a trail. Her black Labrador retriever, Ella,
hasn't been spotted.
The Georgia State Patrol is using a helicopter with infrared gear to
look for Meredith, and 50-75 searchers are also combing the area.
Friends say Meredith is an experienced hiker from Colorado who knew martial arts.
PRAY SHE IS FOUND SAFE.