Who Is Gary Michael Hilton? The National Forest Serial Killer’s Crimes, Confessions and More

Gary Michael Hilton might not be a household name, but his crimes left a horrifying mark across Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Known as The National Forest Serial Killer, Hilton used hiking trails and national parks as his hunting ground and targeted unsuspecting hikers in a series of brutal murders. With a new confession regarding one of his victims, people want to know more about the killer.

Who Is the National Forest Serial Killer Gary Michael Hilton?

Hilton was born on November 22, 1946. He was arrested on January 4, 2008, and charged with the murder of four people. While Hilton confessed to three of the murders, he pleaded not guilty in the case of one of the homicides. However, in April 2025, Hilton finally admitted to the fourth murder when he sat down for an interview with Court TV.

Hilton received three separate sentences – one each in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

Who Were Gary Michael Hilton’s Victims?

In October 2007, John and Irene Bryant went missing after leaving for a trip to visit Pisgah National Forest. They were a retired couple who loved to spend their free time hiking, and after family members didn’t hear from the Bryants for two weeks, they reported them missing.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Department launched a search for the couple, and in November 2007, authorities discovered Irene’s body, which had been bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument. Three months later, a hunter found a skull in the Nantahala National Forest, and it was later identified as John. In 2013, Hilton received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders.

On December 3, Cheryl Dunlap’s friends and family found it odd when she didn’t show up to teach Sunday School at her church in Tallahassee, Florida, and her family reported her missing the following day. Less than a week later, a search party was formed, but the group came up empty handed.

On December 16, 2007, a hiker named Ronnie Rentz and his dogs were visiting Apalachicola National Forest and came upon the decapitated body of a white woman that was later to be identified as Dunlap. Several tips were received by the local police that claimed a suspicious green truck was driven by a man and his dog and seen in the area around the time of Dunlap’s death. However, at the time, authorities classified the incident as an isolated homicide. Hilton was eventually given the death penalty in Florida in 2011.

Meredith Hope Emerson had a similar story. She left for a hike in Vogel State Park on New Year’s Day in 2008 with her black Labrador Retriever. Several witnesses reported that they noticed Emerson was being followed by a man and his dog, and on January 3, 2008, authorities located her car. The following day, Emerson’s dog, Ella, was found wandering a local parking lot, and some of Emerson’s belongings were discovered inside a dumpster, including some bloodied clothing. Her body wasn’t found until Hilton offered to lead authorities to her remains in exchange for his dog, Dandy, being safely rehomed and for taking the death penalty off the table. In 2008, Hilton was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years by the state of Georgia for the murder of Emerson.

Gary Michael Hilton Finally Confessed to Cheryl Dunlap’s Murder in 2025

In a chilling new interview with Court TV, Hilton gave some never-before-heard details regarding the murder of Dunlap while revealing he doesn’t have long to live due to being in poor health and suffering from congestive heart failure.

“The woman I killed in Tallahassee that I have my current death sentence for, she was a devout Christian and a real wheel in the church,” Hilton told Court TV reporter David Scott in a clip shared by TMZ on April 9, 2025.

When Scott pointed out that Hilton had “never publicly told what happened,” he replied, “No, I haven’t, and that case, currently, is under appeal. It hasn’t been finally adjudicated, but hey, I’m gonna give you a new scoop: I did it. So, there you have it. I’m confessing to her murder on camera that I never have before … and I’ll be glad to tell anyone I did.”

True crime enthusiasts will be able to watch the full interview with Hilton when it premieres on April 13, 2025.