Wild Crime

After experienced hiker Meredith Emerson goes missing on Blood Mountain in Georgia, a massive search-and-rescue operation begins. But when investigators learn of two other missing hiker cases that ended in murder, they are left wondering: Has a serial killer taken Meredith? Can she be rescued in time?

Serial killer Gary Michael Hilton has killed two women in national forests across the southeast — and he has also taken Meredith Emerson. Hilton has escaped twice so far, leaving his victims without justice. But as police search a dumpster full of bloody clothes, Hilton is spotted nearby. Can authorities apprehend Hilton before he kills Emerson?

After police catch Hilton, he offers a chilling confession and confirms Emerson is dead, but he does not disclose the location of her body. Investigators choose to make a deal with the devil, offering no death penalty if he takes them to her. But if the Emerson case is closed, what about the other missing and dead hikers?

After Georgia sentences Hilton to life in prison, Florida tries him for killing Cheryl Dunlap. Experts review Hilton’s childhood for possible new insights into why he became a killer, and a look into other unsolved missing hiker cases raises questions about additional murders he may have committed. Investigators also reflect on Emerson’s legacy and how her case affected them.