July 5, 2025 • 57 mins
In this week's Revisited episode, Brian and Dani pull no punches as they dive into the chilling case of Gary Michael Hilton—the so-called “National Forest Serial Killer.” With his string of murders stretching across state lines and spanning years, Hilton’s case exposes glaring gaps in communication between law enforcement jurisdictions and raises disturbing questions about how someone so unstable could fly under the radar for so long.
Brian brings a procedural breakdown of the timeline, the forensic fumbles, and the legal aftermath, while Dani takes us deep into the psychological shadows—unpacking Hilton’s erratic behaviors, emotional detachment, and obsession with control. The banter is sharp, the insights are real, and the stakes? As high as the Appalachian peaks Hilton once stalked.And because we’re nothing if not ride-or-die for our listeners, we’ve got something special for you at the end of this week’s episode.
Stick around all the way to the end because we’re dropping all three of our subscriber-only bonus segments right here in this very episode as a thank you for powering through our scheduling hiccups this week. You’ll hear The Redacted Report, where Brian exposes the lesser-known files and nearly buried truths.
Then it’s Inside The Mind, where Dani takes you on a psychological deep-dive into what really drives a killer like Hilton.
And finally, Behind The Badge, where both hosts throw off the gloves for an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like navigating cases like this from inside the system.
This is your one-time sneak peek into the bonus content we drop every week for subscribers. If you want more—more insights, more access, and more of The Guilty Files—click the link right here in the show notes to join us on Patreon, or if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, hit that subscribe button to become a Guilty Files Detective. With either subscription, you’ll get early access to every episode, ad-free listening, and all three exclusive bonus segments for every single case.Thanks for sticking with us. Now buckle up—because this one gets dark.
Become A Detective
Brian brings a procedural breakdown of the timeline, the forensic fumbles, and the legal aftermath, while Dani takes us deep into the psychological shadows—unpacking Hilton’s erratic behaviors, emotional detachment, and obsession with control. The banter is sharp, the insights are real, and the stakes? As high as the Appalachian peaks Hilton once stalked.And because we’re nothing if not ride-or-die for our listeners, we’ve got something special for you at the end of this week’s episode.
Stick around all the way to the end because we’re dropping all three of our subscriber-only bonus segments right here in this very episode as a thank you for powering through our scheduling hiccups this week. You’ll hear The Redacted Report, where Brian exposes the lesser-known files and nearly buried truths.
Then it’s Inside The Mind, where Dani takes you on a psychological deep-dive into what really drives a killer like Hilton.
And finally, Behind The Badge, where both hosts throw off the gloves for an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like navigating cases like this from inside the system.
This is your one-time sneak peek into the bonus content we drop every week for subscribers. If you want more—more insights, more access, and more of The Guilty Files—click the link right here in the show notes to join us on Patreon, or if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, hit that subscribe button to become a Guilty Files Detective. With either subscription, you’ll get early access to every episode, ad-free listening, and all three exclusive bonus segments for every single case.Thanks for sticking with us. Now buckle up—because this one gets dark.
Become A Detective
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, before we get into today's episode, I've got
something special lined up. For the first time ever, I'm
including all three of our exclusive bonus segments, the Redacted Report,
Inside the Mind, and Behind the Badge right here in
the public feed immediately following the regular episode. This is
a one time sneak peek at what you've been missing
(00:21):
after we close the case file each week. If you're
new to the Guilty Files bonus content, here's a quick breakdown.
The Redacted Report takes you behind closed doors, into the
overlooked documents, hidden clues, or off the record moments that
didn't make it into the main case file but still matter.
These are the details the public rarely hears. Inside the
(00:45):
Mind is where Danny goes deep into the psychology behind
the case, whether it's the offender, the victim, or the
people caught in the middle. It's about understanding what drives behavior,
what warning signs were missed, and how it all connects.
And Behind the Badge is my personal favorite. It's where
Danny and I share real life stories from our time
(01:05):
in law enforcement. The wild, the emotional, the ones that
still keep us up at night. This is where we
let you in Normally These bonus segments are only available
to our Apple podcast subscribers or Patreon detectives, but today
we're giving everyone a taste. So if you want more insight,
more real stories, and more of the Guilty Files, join
(01:29):
me and Danny on Patreon by clicking the link in
the show notes, or if you're listening on Apple Podcasts,
just tap that subscribe button to become a Guilty Files detective.
With either subscription, you'll get early access to all episodes
ad free, plus all three bonus segments for every case
we cover. Join now and indulge your guilty pleasure with
(01:51):
even more of the Guilty Files. Welcome to the Guilty Files,
(02:11):
a podcast that rips the story open, one crime, two hosts,
and truths that don't fit neatly into the box. It's messy,
it's real, and it's all on the table. Now let's
open this week's file. Welcome back to the Guilty Files Revisited,
(02:47):
where the crimes are real, the insights are raw, and
the commentary well it's anything but polite.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Well, not just here to recap cases, We'll here to
rip them wide open, to argue about the details, and
to drag every broken system and psychological crack into the light.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I'm Brian, former law enforcement officer, former youth detention facility manager,
history junkie, and full time advocate for common sense and
criminal justice.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
And I'm Danny sich nerd street cop turned sociology geek,
wilderness wonderer and professional vibe checker of sketchy ass, motherfuckers
and Broken Systems.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
And if you're new here, welcome. The Guilty Files is
an anthology true crime podcast built around a three part
weekly deep dive. We don't just tell you what happened.
We analyze it, reimagine it, and wrestle with it together
right here Every Friday.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Exactly on Mondays, Brian drops the Uncovered episode, which is
straight facts, no fluff, built like a case file with
historical and procedural insight. And then on Wednesdays I come
in with Rewired, where we take those facts and twist
them into a dark, dramatic, psychological rollercoaster. It's fictional, but
(04:06):
it's rooted and what really went down.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
And today Friday is our favorite day because it is revisited.
We come together co host style to break the case
wide open with two different perspectives, mine being a little
more grounded in spreadsheets and statute books.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
And mine being way more interested in the why behind
the monster. Empathy meets edge baby, and yeah, we'll probably
gonna disagree, but that's what makes it so good.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Before we jump in, I just want to thank everybody
who tuned into Monday's Uncovered episode. On this week's case
y'all showed up, you listened, you shared, and it means
a lot. If you haven't caught up on that one yet,
I highly recommend it because it sets the foundation for
everything we're going to dive into today.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And a huge shout out and major love to everyone
who checked out my rewired episode on Wednesday. Y'all really
let me take this week's case file to a dark
and weird place and I appreciate the ride. If you
missed it, go back. And if this all sounds a
little off to you, well, this week was off. So
we'll doing Gary Hilton today and this is revisited of
(05:16):
last week's case File, not necessarily this Monday and Wednesday,
So check last week's Monday and Wednesday for the Gary
Hilton episodes that we're referencing, because if you miss any
of that, we definitely want you to get it all.
Each episode builds a bigger picture of this week's final
trilogy episode.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
And trust me, next week we'll try to be less
confusing so it'll be easier to keep up with all
this Because we've created this three part format because we
believe one voice just can't tell the truth. You need
the history, you need the psychology, and you need the
debate that comes along with these cases.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Especially with this week's case. Trust me, you want the
full ride. It's not just about what Gary Michael Hilton did,
It's about what we all missed.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
We're talking about predators hiding in plane site, jurisdictional chaos,
outdoor murder scenes, and one very unsettling van.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So stay with us, because if you've been here all week,
thank you. And if you'll just tuning in today, well
you'll write on time.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
All right, let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
This is the Guilty Files revisited.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
All right, Before we dive into the dark woods of
Gary Michael Hilton, it's time to play everyone's favorite forest
flavored freak show game we call Guess that Crime.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Oh my god, you've had way too much coffee and
too much access to weird crime scene databases, haven't you?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Confirmed.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
This is what happens when we record a podcast episode
late in the day. I'm hyped up and we're.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Ready to go.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
So this week's crime comes straight out of Georgia. Picture this.
A man dressed in full camouflage, like head to toe
gilly suit. He walks into a gas station holding what
appears to be a squirrel.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Wait, you mean like a live squirrel?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yep, twitchy, fluffy and alive, not even remotely thrilled to
be there. Our gilly suited friend demands something from the
clerk while brandishing the squirrel like a weapon.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Okay, I'm picturing Rambo meets Ranger Rick. Let me guess
he robs the place using the squirrel as a thrill.
Ding ding ding.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
But it gets better.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
He screams, this is my emotional support assassin and demands
trail mix, three vape cartridges, and a can of unletted.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
No, no, no, no, you've made the shit.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Up, sir, I did not.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Security footage shows him yelling, nobody moves or squeaky gets aggressive.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I've seen a lot of my day. I've written youse
to fourth reports that involve shoe throwing grandma's But this,
this is spiritual.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
And Weirdly, it's on theme for today. We've got disguises,
national forests, unstable men with rodent energy. It's basically Gary
Hilton's origin story.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Honestly, weaponized squirrel feels like something Hilton would have tried
if duck tape hadn't worked.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Moral of the story. If a man and camo offers
you trail mix and makes eye contact with a squirrel,
you should probably fucking run straight.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Into the arms of someone with a badge and a
butterfly net.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
All right, from emotional support squirrels to National forest serial killers,
because nothing says revisited like a sharp pivot from weird
to what the actual hell happened here?
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And trust me, this case is not just strange. It's terrifying.
It's frustrating, and it's a damn master class in missed chances.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
And emotional manipulation social invisibility. Okay, we'll get there. Let's
reintroduce the file. If you haven't caught our uncovered or
rewired episodes earlier this week aka last week, don't worry.
This next part will bring you. Just don't expect us
to be gentle.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
All right, let's talk about Gary Michael Hilton, a drifter,
a predator, and quite possibly one of the most under
examined serial killers of the two thousands. He operated in
the southeastern United States Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida, and
his crimes all shared one key setting, America's forests, national parks, trailheads, campgrounds,
(09:27):
places people go to escape.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
And places where women, solar travelers, and vulnerable folks are
easiest to disappear exactly.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
His victims weren't found in alleyways or locked basements. They
were left out in the open, often stripped of id, burned, dismembered,
dumped like they were nothing. Hilton's killing spree spanned at
least four confirmed victims, Meredith Emerson, Ryl Dunlap, John Bryant,
and Irene Bryant, but there's reasons to believe there were more,
(10:01):
possibly many more.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
And let's not forget they weren't just victims. Meredith was
twenty four, smart, strong, and literally fought for her life.
Cheryl was a Sunday school teacher. John and Irene were
retired outdoors people just out for a walk in the woods.
These were real people with real stories, not just names
on a map.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Hilton didn't use high tech weapons or elaborate plans. He
used fear, a van, a dog, and the assumption that
no one was watching. But what really gets me is
how many procedural cracks he slipped through. There were red
flags years before this killing spree ever started, mental health evaluations,
criminal charges, vagrancy complaints. Yet the system treated him like
(10:45):
background noises.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Which tells you something about how we categorize threats. He
wasn't flashy, he wasn't Hollywood. He was just unstable and overlooked,
and that's sometimes more dangerous than the monsters that we glamce.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
There were so many chances to catch him earlier, especially
in the Meredith Emerson case, surveillance footage, witness statements, timeline
gaps that took too long to close. It took four states,
a media storm, and a dog that wouldn't leave his
side to finally pin him down.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
And even then it was like the system had to
be shoved into seeing the pattern, like it couldn't believe
that someone that mundane could be that monstrous.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
The trial was fast, almost too fast. Plea deals to
avoid the death penalty in some states, while Florida push
for capital punishment, it raises real questions about consistency in
our legal system and whether justice looks the same depending
on geography.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
And honestly, I don't think Hilton cared. He wasn't trying
to be remembered, he wasn't writing manifestos. He was just
unraveling slowly, violently, and the world let him do it.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
So in this episode, we're breaking down that unraveling what
made Hilton tick and what made him invisible? Where did
law enforcement succeed and where did they totally miss the mark?
And what does this case say about how we view
victims who didn't fit the.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Mold Because spoiler alerts, if you'll older, transient, or off grid,
you don't get the man hunt, you get the shrug.
And that's part of the crime too.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
We've got a lot to unpack, so stick with us.
Up next, we're asking a big one. Was Hilton born
a killer? Or did the system make him into one?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
And was starting heavy, So buckle in. Now that we've
opened the file and reintroduced to the story, it's time
to go deeper, way deeper.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
This is the part of the show where we pulled
the threads, expose the patterns, and say the quiet systematic failures.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Out loud, and I get to challenge your spreadsheets with
some real psychological chaos.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Let's start here. Hilton didn't just snap. He was circling
the drain for decades, childhood trauma, military discharge, multiple psyche vows,
and arrests. He wasn't invisible. He was ignored. The red
flags were archived. If someone had bothered to connect those
dots back in the nineteen eighties, we might not be
(13:12):
sitting here today. This wasn't a guy with a clean record.
It was a slow spiral, visible to anyone who cared
to look.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
And that's the problem. No one did care to look.
Hilton wasn't charming or affluent or young. He wasn't a
headline grabber. He was just broken. He was emotionally flatlined,
psychologically unmoored, and left to rot in the margins of society.
People like Hilton become dangerous when the world stops looking
(13:42):
at them, but the urge to matter doesn't go away.
It actually festers.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
So the system dropped him like an overdue library book.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Except overde library books don't come back with zip ties
and duct tape. Speaking of that duct tape, let's talk.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Predator.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Are opportunists.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Was brutal, but basic. He didn't stalk in the traditional sense.
He just waited, observed, and took advantage of isolation. He
operated like a tactical scavenger, low cost, low risk, high brutality.
We're not talking about Hannibal Lecter here, more like a
failed survivalist with a grudge.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
But we don't write him off as simple. He knew
who to approach, women alone, older hikers, people who projected
strength but lacked backup. He read people, and that takes practice,
intuition and a cold kind of empathy. He blended in
by being just pathetic enough to seem harmless. And that's
(14:43):
not luck, that's calculated.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, he weaponized pity. That's the kind of manipulation. Cult
leaders would kill.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Four and he probably tried to join one and got
kicked out for being too weird. But weird or not,
he stayed off the radar for far too long, So
let's look at how he stayed hidden for so long.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Stay tuned for more of the guilty files. We'll be
right back after these messages. Simple National forests are jurisdictional nightmares.
You've got federal, state, county, and seasonal volunteers all trying
to share one map. There's no centralized oversight in places
like that. When a crime scene spans fifty acres in
(15:25):
no sale service, good luck catching a drifter with a
van and a leash.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
And he fit in with the fringe, the transients, the campers,
the loaners. The forest was full of people living off
grid by choice or by necessity, and Hilton didn't stand
out in that world. He disappeared into it. That's camouflage
you can't teach. It's the ecosystem that let him breathe.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
National parks great for wildlife, terrible for interagency cooperation.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Also terrible for trusting men who offer you trail mix
from their van. And when people like that go missing,
we must look at and evaluate do they engage the
system with the same urgency that are more conventional lifestyle might.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Victims who live or travel off grid don't trigger the
same urgency. No fixed addresses, no daily check ins, You
become a low priority file. The lag between last scene
and last cared about can be deadly. Hilton exploited that
gap over and over again.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Yeah, and the worst part is those victims. They were resilient,
adventurous and dependent and society treated them like they were disposable.
The moment you step outside the norm, you become quote
less missing. It's this twisted bias that people who choose
non traditional lives also choose to be forgotten. We act
(16:56):
like solo hikers are asking for it, but they're usually
more prepared than the rest of us.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Hey speak for yourself.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I don't go anywhere without a laminated survival checklist. But
what if Hilton wasn't just hiding. What if he was
cultivating control?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Oh he had the vibes, no question there, nomadic half
spiritual language, disarming manner. I've studied cult grooming tactics, and
Hilton hit the marks. Isolation and trust and urgency equals control.
He didn't need followers, he needed access, and manipulation was
(17:31):
his tool to that access.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
I hear you, but I think you're giving him too
much credit. This wasn't Manson. This was a guy who
fumbled through gas station robberies. His quote charisma was circumstantial
at best. He used what worked, but it was desperation,
not doctrine.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Tell that to the victims who thought they were helping
a lost soul.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And ended up with a monster in a bucket.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Half which praises the question. Would Hilton get away with
it today?
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Not a chance. Ring cams, trail cams, GPS, license plate readers.
He wouldn't last a week today, But back then the
data points weren't talking to each other. Now his Walmart
receipts alone would have nailed.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Him unless he evolved. Because predators can and often do adapt.
I could see Hilton lurking and encryptied forums, deep fake identities,
burner apps. The tech arms race cuts both ways. He
just needs to learn how to stay digitally invisible instead
of physically.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
You think Hilton could have figured out tour browser.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
This man was using stolen dental glue. I rest my case.
Let's talk about how the media and true crime fans
process people like him. Do we romanticize killers like Hilton?
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Yes, and it's dangerous. True crime media walks a tight
rope between storytelling and sensationalism. Hilton wasn't Hannibal. He was
a walking warning label. But you just give him a nickname,
a signature, and suddenly he's mythologized.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
And the worst part that myth often sells even when
the killer is pathetic. I want us to remember the
victims their names. Their lives, not what Hilton wore or
what he drove. So let's stop making monsters marketable because
we act like he's a villain in a prestige series.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
He's more like a guy who'd steal your sandwich and
blame it on the squirrels.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
But how do we punish someone like that? And what
does justice even look like?
Speaker 2 (19:31):
I say, life without parole.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
It's cleaner, less costly, and spares the family's years of appeals.
Florida gave him death, but honestly, writing in prison is
way worse. We're not in the business of creating martyrs.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yeah, I get that, but Hilton inflicted real terror. I'm
not a death penalty fan, but if anyone deserves it,
it's him. That wasn't just murder, it was calculated psychological torture,
and it's hard not to want finality for that. So
we agree he should just disappear, right, just disagree on
how poetic the exit should be. Let's end this segment
(20:08):
by going personal. How do you know when to trust
instincts versus following the rules?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
In policy and detention, we live by procedure. If you
deviated from the protocol, I had an answer for that
paperwork and all but protocol failed this case, no doubt
about it. We need structure, but we also need to
trust in human instinct.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
I ran on instincts because that's what the street taught me.
If I got a vibe, I followed it. A twitch,
a pause, a fake smile. Those things can save lives.
But the system punishes intuition, and that's a flaw that
we still haven't figured out how to fix. I trusted
my gut more than my radio, to be honest, and I.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Trusted my radio more than I trusted most people.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
All Right, we've dug deep into the crimes, the victims,
and the systems that let Hilton rome free. But this
isn't just a story about the past. It's a mirror.
So let's talk about right now.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Because if we think a guy like Hilton couldn't happen today,
we're wrong.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
He could.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
He might already be out there. The difference. We've got
better tools, but whether we're using them right, that's where
the conversation really starts.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
So we've walked you through the forest, the crimes, the victims,
the system. But Hilton's story isn't just some twisted relic
of the mid two thousands. It's a case that echoes
into right now.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
If you think someone like Gary Michael Hilton couldn't pull
this off in twenty twenty five, let me stop you
right there. He absolutely could. The tools might look different,
but the vulnerabilities he exploited they're still wide open.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Agree, So let's get into it how this case ties
into the world we're living in today, because the parallels
are frankly unsettling.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Let's start with the obvious.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
If Hilton were active today, he wouldn't last long, not
in the same way. We've got ring doorbell cameras at
every cabin, licensed plate recognition systems in every small town,
and data sharing platforms that, when used correctly, make interstate
collaboration seamless.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Yeah, when used correctly. Big asterisk there.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah, fair point. This tech is there, but the human
systems still catching out. Hilton operated across Georgia, North Carolina,
and Florida, places with vastly different resources, priorities, and policies.
Back then, the jurisdictions were working in silos. Today, a
plate reader could ping that van within hours, surveillance footage everywhere.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
But even if we could track him with tech, the
question is would we see him before it was too late.
I mean, Hilton wasn't flashy. He was frankly forgettable, low tech.
A man and his dog in a van, no social
media trail, no manifesto, just static.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
And that's exactly why predictive profiling is so important, modern
law enforcement tools that flag certain behavior clusters, past violence,
mental instability, transient patterns. Hilton fits the profile with today's models.
He had likely have been flagged a high risk offender
years before he ever killed anyone.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Flagged, sure, but flagged doesn't always mean stopped, not when
the systems still undervalues emotional nuance. Because let's be real,
Hilton wasn't just dangerous because he was mobile. He was
dangerous because he was eroding quietly, and no one paid
attention until the bodies started stacking up. But you know
(23:36):
what still gives me schills the way Hilton disarmed people.
He didn't jump out of the bushes and a ski mask.
He approached with a leash and a story. He weaponized normalcy.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
He made himself look like a guy who needed help,
a little lost, a little lonely, maybe a little off,
but not threatening, and people bought it. Because we're still
conditioned to not see threats in that package.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Especially if you're a woman, will taught to be kind, accommodating, polite,
even when our gut screams nope, and he'll knew that
he leaned into it. That whole friendly old man with
a hiking story energy. It's manipulative as hell, and.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
We still don't train civilians or even cops in some cases,
to listen for those signals. People like Hilton don't look
like the stereotype. They look like the guy who's offering
to help you with your.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Gear exactly, and that dynamic it hasn't disappeared, it's just
gone digital. Today, the same type of predator shows up
in dms, online forums, and even dating apps. The tools
might change, but the tactics they stay the same.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
And then there's the media. Back in two thousand and eight,
Hilton's case got coverage, but not traction. Today, if Meredith
Emerson vanished now, her case would dominate social media. Timeline
breakdowns on TikTok geomapped leads pressure campaigns, and that pressure
it works. It speeds up investigations, forces agencies to.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Act true, but it also distorts things because the media
loves a villain, and the audience loves a story, and
if we're not careful, guys like Hilton go from monsters
to myth. He wasn't a mastermind. He was miserable. He
was a system of failure with a leash and a
windowless van. That's not a legend, it's a warning.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
The trial would have been live streamed, There would have
been documentaries before the ink dried on his plea deal,
And honestly, I don't know if that helps or hurts justice,
but it definitely changes how it's done.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
And how we process it emotionally. True crime is entertainment now,
and if we don't balance that with empathy, we start
confusing notoriety with significance. But let's pivot and talk about identity.
Hilton didn't just kill people. He targeted people who lived
outside the norm, women who traveled solo, older couples who
(26:03):
hiped together, people living fully but quietly.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
And the system still doesn't prioritize those victims the same way.
If you don't have a nine to five job, a
house in the suburbs, or a spouse waiting on you
at home, Suddenly you're harder to track and slower to search.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
For and on the flip side, Hilton was eroding under
the weight of his own identity crisis. Mental illness, rootless.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Rootlessness, I'm rooting for you, I'm runing.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
That's a RuPaul drag race for any fans out there.
All right, let's back that up and try again. Mental illness, rootlessness,
fractured relationships. He had no idea who he was, and
that lack of self that's fuel for dangerous behavior. It's
not just about evil, it's about disintegration. That all those
(26:55):
lies where it's like, you know, you want to say
a word and it's just really going to take a
lot and you're used a lot, slow it down, but
you get the word, right, So we're going to keep
that in there is.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Just for fun.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Like I knew when the sentence started exactly what I
wanted to say, and I just knew I was gonna
have to really really work on that one.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
That is commitment, all right. The early signs were all there, assaults,
psych holds, vagrancy, complaints, but because he didn't break the
right way, no one took him seriously until it was
too late.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
Yeah, that's what trauma does. It doesn't always explode. Sometimes
it seeps and if we don't address the root cause early, compassionately,
and consistently, we end up with more Hilton's, different packaging,
but the same outcome. The only real shifts. The good
news and all of this is that victim advocacy. It
(27:48):
has changed. Meredith story lit a fire and families have
platforms now. People are pushing for transparency, for reform and accountability.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
And departments are getting better. Missing persons policies are evolving.
Interagency task forces are becoming more common. Some of these
improvements do come from cases like this, but it will
not there yet, not when marginalized folks are still falling
through the cracks, not when you can vanish in plain
(28:18):
sight and be written off as a wanderer. What Hilton
did was horrify, But what the system failed to do,
that's the part we can control. That's the part we
have to keep challenging.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
All right, deep breath, because that was a lot, and honestly,
it should be a lot, because the next Hilton might
not be in the woods. They might be online, down
the street, or already out there in action.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Which is why we keep asking these questions, digging deeper,
and not just telling these stories, but learning from them.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Let's wrap it up with some hypotheticals, tough calls, and
one big question, what would you have done?
Speaker 1 (28:58):
All right, we've trekked through the woods to unpack the behavior,
exposed the failures, and linked it all to right now.
But before we shut this case file for the week,
let's talk about what this case really taught us.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Yeah, not just what Hilton did, but what it says
about us, about how we see danger, how we ignore it,
and sometimes how we invited it in with open arms
and polite smiles.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
For me, this case is a wake up call, not
just about who Hilton was, but about what wasn't done.
It's not just about the monsters in the woods. It's
about the system, failure, policy, inertia, and that phrase we
all hear he fell through the cracks. No, Hilton didn't fall.
He walked straight through the gaps. We knew they were there,
(29:46):
his mental health history, his criminal record, his instability. These
weren't hit They were scattered across agencies. What we didn't
have was cohesion. One department's weird guy was another department's
future killer. That can't happen anymore. Stay tuned for more
of the guilty files. We'll be right back after these messages.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
And what hits me hardest is how unspecial Hilton looked.
He didn't scream evil, he screamed overlooked. He lived on
the fringe, and because he looked disposable, society then shreated
him that way until he proved he could make people disappear.
We don't just fail predators by ignoring them. We fell
(30:31):
the victims by not valuing them until it's too late.
And the people he hurt weren't reckless, they were resilient,
they were independent, and the moment they went missing, we
started blaming their lifestyle instead of looking for them.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
The historical takeaway here is this, our systems are only
as strong as our willingness to adapt, and we haven't
adapted fast enough. We've got better tick, but the same
human blind spot.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
And emotionally psychologically, this case sits heavy because it shows
what happens when someone spends a year's unraveling in silence.
If we can't recognize collapse while it's happening, we'll always
be stuck analyzing it after someone's dead and it's too late.
You always bring it back to policy. Brian and I
(31:22):
swear one day you're going to submit a FOIA request
on your damn self.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
I like a good spreadsheet, but there's comfort in knowing
someone was accountable, if not at the time, then at
least afterward.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
And I'll keep yelling it into the void until people
start listening to their gut and stop calling women paranoid
when they do fair.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Just promise me you won't start handing out pepper spray
with horoscopes.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Only on Thursday. So let's leave you with this. What
does danger look like to you? Is it the creepy
guy in the alley or is it the soft spoken
man in the van with a dog in a smith.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
And if someone like Hilton showed up today, would our
systems catch him earlier or would we still be tracing
the same bloody footprints across state lines.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Hit us up with your thoughts. We really want to
hear from you, because this case isn't just history.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
It's a mirror and sometimes what stares back ain't easy
to look at.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
And that's a wrap on this week's deep dive into
the twisted case of Gary Michael Hilton. If you stuck
with us through, uncovered, rewired, and revisited, thank you you
didn't just listen to a story, You walked the whole
damn trail with us.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Every week we build this trilogy to offer a fuller,
more layered understanding of true crime through facts, fiction and friction.
And if you missed any part of this week's journey,
go back. Monday's Uncovered lays the foundation. Wednesday's Rewired challenges
what you think you know? And today, well, this is
just when the gloves come off.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
And this is where we turn it back to you.
Here's your question for this week's case file. Do you
think someone like Gary Michael Hilton could still operate today?
And if so, where would they hide now?
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Would they be in the woods with a van or
maybe in a comment section, a chat room or a
coworking space, Because when you change the landscape, predators don't disappear,
they simply adapt.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
Let's just hope they would not be operating on our
forty acres in the middle of the woods because we
definitely have no cell phone service and I took the
ring camera battery out yesterday to charge and have it put.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
It back in.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Look, this case reminded me that monsters aren't always the
ones who growl. Sometimes they whisper, and sometimes they smile.
And if we're not paying attention, we miss these warnings
and lose the people that we shouldn't.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
For me, it's about how easy it still is to
overlook the people who fall just outside the frame, the
ones who don't scream for help but need it anyway,
the ones we dismiss as strange or unstable instead of
asking better questions. It's twenty twenty five. We have the tools,
we just need the will.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Next week we'll opening a new file, one that challenges
everything you think you know about motive memory and the
cost of staying silent.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Trust me, you're not gonna want to miss this.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
Until then, keep questioning what you think is safe, keep
challenging the narrative. And hey, watch out for trailhead parking lots.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
And if someone offers you trail mix out of a
windless van, say no and then call someone with a badge.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
I'm Danny reminding you to trust your gut, speak your truth,
and don't ever apologize for walking away from the weird.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
And I'm Brian reminding you that justice isn't just about
catching monsters. It's about fixing the systems that build them.
This is the guilty files revisited. See you next Friday.
Welcome to the Redacted Report, where we don't just revisit
the case, we uncover the parts that were buried, ignored, or.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Quietly filed away.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
If you think you know the story of Gary Michael Hilton,
the so called National Forest serial killer, prepare yourself because
this isn't the version you've seen in documentaries or news specials.
This is the truth pulled from evidence lockers, lost paperwork,
and the bureaucratic cracks that allowed a predator to thrive.
It begins on New Year's Day, two thousand and eight.
(35:32):
Meredith Emerson disappears while hiking on Georgia's Blood Mountain. Search
efforts launch immediately, helicopters, dogs, boots on the ground. To
the public, it looked like a swift and thorough response,
but behind the scenes, something far more troubling was at play.
Gary Michael Hilton had already been on law enforcement radar
(35:53):
for over eighteen months. Back in June two thousand and six,
a North Carolina park ranger filed an incident report about
a suspicious man harassing female hikers. The man matched Hilton exactly.
His red Toyota Tacoma, his dog, his odd approach, the report.
It went into a filing cabinet, no follow up, no
(36:15):
database alert, nothing. Then, just three months before Meredith vanished,
the same ranger saw Hilton again. This time, Hilton asked
how long it took to find missing hikers and whether
dogs could track since after rainfall. The ranger logged it
as odd and walked away. And here's the moment that
still haunts investigators. During the active search for Meredith Emerson,
(36:39):
a tip came in from someone who recognized Hilton. They
knew who he was, they knew what he drove, but
the tip arrived two hours too late. That delay may
have cost Meredith her life. In Florida, Hilton's murder of
Sheryl Dunlap nearly went unsolved, not because of anything Hilton did,
but because of a clerical error. When forensics processed his vehicle,
(37:02):
they found sand in the tires that didn't match Georgia soil.
The lab flagged it as suspicious and requested more tests,
but the request was misfiled under Emerson Cheryl instead of
Dunlap Cheryl. That sample sat for six weeks before anyone
noticed the mistake. When the test was finally run, it
matched the exact area where Dunlap's body had been found.
(37:26):
There's more, a gas station attendant near the crime scene
remembered Hilton, specifically that he paid for gas with a
strange number of crisp sequential twenty dollars bills, the kind
you get from an ATM. Dunlap's bank record showed she
had withdrawn four hundred dollars in twenties just two days
before she disappeared. Same amount, same bill sequence, One sharp
(37:49):
eyed witness, and one lucky paperwork correction were all that
tied Hilton to her murder. Then there's the case of
John and Irene Bryant, an elderly couple murdered hiking in
North Carolina. On the surface, it looked like a tragic,
random encounter, but cell phone data told a different story.
Hilton had been circling the area for days, passing along
(38:11):
their route repeatedly. He wasn't lost, he was stalking them.
Even more chilling, the Bryants had posted their hiking plans
on a public forum. Investigators later discovered Hilton had been
lurking on multiple hiking websites, and he had viewed the
Bryant's posts several times in the week leading up to
their deaths. This wasn't spontaneous. This was a man using
(38:33):
the Internet as his hunting ground. One of the eeriest
incidents came months earlier. In August two thousand and seven,
a Vietnam vet named Marcus Webb shared a campground near
Springer Mountain with Hilton. Webb told fellow campers that Hilton
made him uneasy, said he'd seen him practicing knots at night,
said he planned to report him to a ranger in
(38:54):
the morning. He never got the chance. That night, Webb vanished,
was left behind, so was his gear, and his dog
tied to a tree. Rangers found the scene three days later,
but treated it as a case of a drifter moving on.
Webb's body was never found. No missing person report was filed,
(39:15):
and Hilton never mentioned him, but the timeline fits, and
some believe Webb was Hilton's unconfirmed rehearsal his final dry
run before Meredith. After Hilton's arrest, his campsite was searched.
What they found never made the news. A handwritten inventory
carefully labeled broken down by victim type, rope weights for
(39:36):
different scenarios, blade lengths for specific tasks, even a variety
of dog leashes based on how his dog reacted to
different types of victims. One chilling note read college area
Spring semester circled March two thousand and eight. This wasn't
improvised violence. This was premeditated, methodical killing. Financial investigators uncovered
(40:01):
another layer. Hilton didn't just steal ATM cards and make
random withdraws. He made small transactions, spaced out over days
in different counties, just under the fraud alert thresholds. His
laptop revealed bookmarks and PDFs about financial surveillance ATM limits
and how to avoid detection. He may have looked like
(40:22):
a drifter, but he was studying fraud protocols like a
cyber criminal. And then there was the near miss. In
October two thousand and seven, college student Sarah Chen was
hiking alone when she was approached by Hilton, friendly, smiling,
asking about trail conditions. He suggested they hike together on
a more secluded path. Chen declined something about his eyes
(40:47):
set off in alarm. He was smiling, she later said,
but his eyes were completely cold, like he was looking
through me. When Hilton was arrested months later, she reported
the encounter Hilton had asked if anyone knew she was hiking,
where her car was parked, what time.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
She was expected back.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
It was a script and she had interrupted it just
in time. Here's a detail you probably haven't heard before
his arrest. Gary Hilton actually co produced a low budget
slasher film called Deadly Run. The plot a man abducts women,
releases them into the woods, and hunts them down. One
of the people on the film crew his own attorney.
(41:28):
After his arrest, Hilton eagerly discussed the movie with investigators
like he was promoting a project, not a film, a blueprint.
FBI profilers later called Hilton an enigma, not because they
didn't understand him, but because he didn't fit the mold.
He was older than most serial killers. He lacked a
clear signature, but he was cold, calculated, methodical, a man
(41:53):
who broke the pattern because he didn't need one. His
pattern was adaptability. Gary Michael Hilton wasn't just to killer
hiding in the woods. He was a predator who understood
the landscape, natural and bureaucratic, and used it to his advantage.
He exploited slow communication, jurisdictional blind spots, and digital footprints,
(42:14):
and while investigators scrambled to piece together clues from different states.
He was one step ahead, hunting, calculating, and refining his methods.
The most terrifying part, he may not have been unique,
just the one who finally got caught. Thanks for listening
to the redacted report, and thank you for subscribing to
the Guilty Files bonus content. Your support helps us keep
(42:37):
telling these stories, the ones that almost slipped through the cracks.
Until next time. Stay curious, stay skeptical, and trust your instincts.
Stay tuned for more of the Guilty Files. We'll be
right back after these messages.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
You're listening to inside the mind, where we don't just
ask what happened, We ask why, not to excuse, not
to justify, but to understand. Because the scariest truths aren't
always in the crime, they're in the cracks that led
to it. This is the psychological autopsy, and tonight we're
(43:15):
stepping into the fractured world of Gary Michael Hilton. First up,
Act one, dissolving identity when you don't know who you are.
Hilton didn't kill out of passion. He didn't kill for fame.
He killed because he had no tether. And that's something
we don't talk about enough. By the time of his
(43:36):
first known murder, he was in his sixties, divorced, estranged
from family, mentally unstable, chronically homeless, and disconnected from any
real sense of self identity. Loss is a psychological collapse
that happens slowly. It's like erosion. You don't always see it,
(43:58):
but over time it reshapes the landscape completely. Hilton was
a man without anchors, no job, no role, no community.
And when you lose everything external, your internal world gets
dangerous because the mind starts to redefine purpose in ways
(44:19):
that are often destructive. His van became his world, his
dog became his mirror, and murder became the one thing
that gave him power, control, and attention. But it wasn't rage.
It was reclamation, twisted, delusional, but in his mind restorative.
(44:40):
Let's jump into act two. The predator persona control, camouflage,
and coercion. Hilton's violence wasn't erratic, It was ritualized, predictable.
He isolated victims, he used their trust. He controlled their
final hours with a level of emotional calculation that tells
us something critical. He knew what he was doing, he
(45:04):
just didn't care. This is where we enter the world
of disassociative predation, where the killer mentally splits themselves from
the reality of what they're doing. To Hilton, the victim
wasn't human. They were a symbol, a test, a tool.
His manipulation tactics followed a familiar sequence.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
Appear to be.
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Harmless, establish temporary trust, flip the switch. That's a narcissistic
survival instinct wrapped in predator logic. He wasn't looking to
dominate forever. He was looking to dominate just long enough,
just long enough to feel like he mattered, just long
(45:46):
enough to not feel invisible. Because for men like Hilton,
fear equals presence, and presence equals proof that they still exist.
Let's shift focus, because while we're talking about monster, we
have to talk about who society makes easy targets. Our
final act is the invisible victim. Why we overlook the
(46:09):
ones who matter most Ready, welcome to Act three. Meredith Emerson,
Cheryl Dunlap, John and Irene Bryant. They were all strong, smart,
self reliant. They didn't make mistakes. They were just alone
in a world that devalues certain lives the second they
(46:30):
don't fit the mold, older couples, solo female hikers, people
who choose independence. These aren't bad victims. They're just victims
who weren't prioritized fast enough, and that's not on them.
There's a psychological effect known as invisibility bias, where certain individuals,
(46:51):
because of their lifestyle, age, or gender, are perceived as
less worthy of urgency, and predators like Hilton, they see that,
they exploit it, they rely on it. So this isn't
just about Hilton's brokenness. It's about ours as a culture,
as a system, as people. The truth is, Gary Michael
(47:13):
Hilton didn't come from nowhere. He came from years of
being ignored, from systems that flagged him but didn't follow through,
from a world that saw his unraveling and looked away.
And his victims, they were the kind of people we
say we admire, independent, adventurous, free, But when they vanished,
(47:35):
we hesitated, We assumed, we waited, and in that waiting,
people died. So the question we leave with tonight isn't
just why did he do it? It's why didn't we
stop him when we had the chance. Because behavior doesn't
explode out of nowhere, It whispers first, It fractures quietly,
(47:55):
and if no one's listening, the next crack becomes a
thanks for showing up this week to go even deeper
with me. This has been inside the mind. I'm your host, Danny,
and I will see you next Wednesday when we open
a new case file on the guilty files rewired. All right,
uniforms off filter is gone, and yes we've both had
(48:19):
our coffee. You're inside behind the badge where we talk
about the real culture of law enforcement, what happens off
the record, and what no one else is willing to say.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
And don't worry, there's no brass on this call, just
two ex cops with a podcast, a past, and a
pile of stories we were never allowed to tell in uniform.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
Let's start with the question that everybody's thinking. How the
hell does a guide like Hilton bounce around multiple states,
camping out in national parks, breaking laws, and still avoid
any serious attention until it's too late.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
It's the dirty little secret.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
Most agencies aren't built to talk to each other. It's
not malice, it's red tape, data hoarding and outdated systems.
Hilton wasn't a ghost. He was a glitch, a known
guy who just kept slipping through the gaps. We've both
seen how that looks. You write up someone for trespassing
or loitering and think, huh, nothing major. But behind that
(49:15):
behavior there could be a history five counties deep, and
you wouldn't know anything unless you got the digging for it.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
And let's be honest, he didn't look like a serial killer.
He looked like a sad, old, burnt out man with
a dog. And yeah, that's profiling and reverse. People ignored
their instincts because he seemed pathetic.
Speaker 1 (49:35):
Yeah there's a cultural thing there. Some officers assume he's
just a drifter. He'll move along. But that move along attitude,
it can get people killed.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
Valid point. So Hilton lived out of a van. He
camped in the woods, gave off that weird vibe, and
it reminded me there were people I encountered on patrol
that made my skin krawl, but I had nothing to
charge them with. I once did a welfare check on
a guy who had seventeen locks on his bedroom door
(50:05):
on the inside. He said it was to keep the
voices out, and look, I was scared shitless of him
and concerned for his mental health. But I was also
scared of what I couldn't see. Sometimes you feel like
you're standing in the middle of a true crime documentary,
but no one's rolling the camera yet.
Speaker 2 (50:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
I once had a guy in my youth attention facility
who swore he'd never heard anyone, but he drew graphic
diagrams of escape plans from random neighborhoods, all fantasy until
he snapped one day and tried to abduct a nurse.
That switch doesn't always flip when you're watching. Sometimes it
flips when you're asleep.
Speaker 3 (50:44):
Here's the truth. When you're in the field long enough,
you know when the system isn't gonna do what it
needs to do. So Yeah, sometimes I've bent the rules.
I've hidden a sex worker in the back of my
cruiser so her abusive pimp couldn't spot her. I've lied
to protect a DV victim from a civil welfare check
gone sideways.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
Saying I once pulled a kid off a gang hit
list by staging a fake arrest to get him out
of town. Did it hold up under policy review? Hell no,
Did it save his life? Abs a frickin lutely, And
I'll die on that hill any day. Sometimes doing the
right thing means taking a hit on your file.
Speaker 3 (51:22):
You don't get metals for that kind of thing. You
just get sleep or ulcers, but usually both. Let's pivot
and discuss the cop gut. Would you, Brian, have known?
Speaker 1 (51:33):
Gun to your head? You pull Hilton over, his ID
checks out, he's got the dog in the back, says
he's camping. Would you have known something was off?
Speaker 3 (51:42):
Absolutely? I might not have known what was wrong, but
I would have gotten back up or kept eyes on him.
It's the gut, and you can't teach it, but it
starts screaming when something's not adding upright.
Speaker 1 (51:54):
For me, Yeah, I think I would have checked it.
Not because he looked dangerous, but because of the inconsistent.
It's like reading a glitchy report. You feel it before
you can prove it.
Speaker 3 (52:04):
Yeah, that instinct saves lives, and sometimes it gets you
ridden up or called over reactive. But ignoring it that's
how people like Hilton win. All Right, storytime, Brian, do
you remember that dude in the overalls, the one with
the missing dog flyers?
Speaker 2 (52:22):
You know who I mean?
Speaker 1 (52:23):
Oh? Hell yeah, the shed guy?
Speaker 2 (52:25):
Yeah? How could I forget that?
Speaker 1 (52:26):
That call was like something out of a slow burning
horror movie, except we didn't get the twist until we
had already been in Act three.
Speaker 3 (52:34):
So here's how it all starts. We get a call
about a man going door to door with flyers for
a missing dog. Sounds harmless, right, except he's not knocking.
He's standing across the street, just staring, holding the flyer,
not saying anything. Multiple residents report the same thing that
(52:56):
he wouldn't speak, just pointed out the paper and then
walked away. So Dispatch sends us to check it out.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
Now we show up and this guy looks like every
redneck uncle you've ever seen at a gas station on
a Tuesday. Overall's baseball cap, stained hands, friendly smile. He
tells us his dog Cricket, ran into the woods behind
his property two days ago. But here's the part that
gets weird. He's got zero emotion about the dog, zero,
(53:25):
no panic, no real concern, just a blank, almost performative delivery.
And the flyer it was printed on dot matrix paper,
like a nineteen eighty nine IBMX dot matrix.
Speaker 3 (53:39):
And I was more upset about the dog than he was.
I give him the benefit of the doubts, but something's off.
His hands are shaking, but it's not from nerves it's
from adrenaline. So I ask if we can come by
and walk the perimeter of his property. He says sure,
but he leads us the long way around which there's
(54:00):
a red flag.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
Anyone genuinely looking for help wants you near the search zone.
He takes us away from it, toward a busted up
tool shed behind his house.
Speaker 3 (54:10):
This thing looks like it hasn't been opened since the
Clinton administration. Padlock is rusted shut, but there are fresh
bootprints in the mud. Brian's copgut is screaming in mind
stap dancing.
Speaker 1 (54:23):
And then he says it I keep my dogs in
there sometimes, you know when they're bad. And I remember thinking, sir,
this is a murder shed. That is a shed that
smells like regret and restraining orders.
Speaker 2 (54:36):
So we push.
Speaker 3 (54:38):
We ask to look inside, and he starts stammering, says
the keys are missing. I make like I'm calling animal control,
and he panics, takes off in a dead out run
inside to get water.
Speaker 1 (54:54):
We open the shed without permission. Screw it, I'm not waiting,
and inside there's no dog, just a dirty mattress, a
small cage, a block of hair, and an old polaroid
burnt at the edges.
Speaker 3 (55:07):
We couldn't make an arrest that day. We had nothing concrete,
just implications. We had to lean into our smarts, taking
information that we might have obtained without probable calls, meaning
we could not use it, not officially. But we still
have options if we are willing to engage and outsmart
the system and the bureaucracy of red tape. So I
(55:30):
filed a report that at least put him on the radar.
A report was just information in it. And a month
later he shows up again and a nearby county, and
thanks to our report, another agency was able to network
with us. By simply sharing information, we were able to
set them up to follow through while remaining on the
(55:52):
right side of policy. This time different dogflyer, but same pattern,
and that time they had enough. He's now serving fifteen
for unlawful imprisonment. And that's just what they proved.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
But that's how it works.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
People like Hilton, like the shed guy, they count on you,
hesitating on you, assuming they're just weird, not dangerous, but
your gut, your gut knows, and when you've been on
the job long enough, you don't wait for policy to
catch up.
Speaker 3 (56:20):
That night changed the way I patrolled forever. I stopped
looking for threats every time and started looking for masks, and.
Speaker 1 (56:29):
I started keeping bolt cutters in my trunk.
Speaker 3 (56:32):
That's the kind of story you only hear on behind
the badge, and not because it's secret, but because it's hard.
It's hard to explain, hard to justify, but it's real.
Speaker 1 (56:42):
And if you've ever wondered how many almosts there are
out there, the answer is way too fucking many. We
got lucky that day, someone else didn't.
Speaker 3 (56:52):
We've got more stories, more ghosts, and yeah, more sheds.
So if you'll hear welcome to the real side of
the tape. It in it
Hey everyone, before we get into today's episode, I've got
something special lined up. For the first time ever, I'm
including all three of our exclusive bonus segments, the Redacted Report,
Inside the Mind, and Behind the Badge right here in
the public feed immediately following the regular episode. This is
a one time sneak peek at what you've been missing
(00:21):
after we close the case file each week. If you're
new to the Guilty Files bonus content, here's a quick breakdown.
The Redacted Report takes you behind closed doors, into the
overlooked documents, hidden clues, or off the record moments that
didn't make it into the main case file but still matter.
These are the details the public rarely hears. Inside the
(00:45):
Mind is where Danny goes deep into the psychology behind
the case, whether it's the offender, the victim, or the
people caught in the middle. It's about understanding what drives behavior,
what warning signs were missed, and how it all connects.
And Behind the Badge is my personal favorite. It's where
Danny and I share real life stories from our time
(01:05):
in law enforcement. The wild, the emotional, the ones that
still keep us up at night. This is where we
let you in Normally These bonus segments are only available
to our Apple podcast subscribers or Patreon detectives, but today
we're giving everyone a taste. So if you want more insight,
more real stories, and more of the Guilty Files, join
(01:29):
me and Danny on Patreon by clicking the link in
the show notes, or if you're listening on Apple Podcasts,
just tap that subscribe button to become a Guilty Files detective.
With either subscription, you'll get early access to all episodes
ad free, plus all three bonus segments for every case
we cover. Join now and indulge your guilty pleasure with
(01:51):
even more of the Guilty Files. Welcome to the Guilty Files,
(02:11):
a podcast that rips the story open, one crime, two hosts,
and truths that don't fit neatly into the box. It's messy,
it's real, and it's all on the table. Now let's
open this week's file. Welcome back to the Guilty Files Revisited,
(02:47):
where the crimes are real, the insights are raw, and
the commentary well it's anything but polite.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
Well, not just here to recap cases, We'll here to
rip them wide open, to argue about the details, and
to drag every broken system and psychological crack into the light.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
I'm Brian, former law enforcement officer, former youth detention facility manager,
history junkie, and full time advocate for common sense and
criminal justice.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
And I'm Danny sich nerd street cop turned sociology geek,
wilderness wonderer and professional vibe checker of sketchy ass, motherfuckers
and Broken Systems.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
And if you're new here, welcome. The Guilty Files is
an anthology true crime podcast built around a three part
weekly deep dive. We don't just tell you what happened.
We analyze it, reimagine it, and wrestle with it together
right here Every Friday.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Exactly on Mondays, Brian drops the Uncovered episode, which is
straight facts, no fluff, built like a case file with
historical and procedural insight. And then on Wednesdays I come
in with Rewired, where we take those facts and twist
them into a dark, dramatic, psychological rollercoaster. It's fictional, but
(04:06):
it's rooted and what really went down.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
And today Friday is our favorite day because it is revisited.
We come together co host style to break the case
wide open with two different perspectives, mine being a little
more grounded in spreadsheets and statute books.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
And mine being way more interested in the why behind
the monster. Empathy meets edge baby, and yeah, we'll probably
gonna disagree, but that's what makes it so good.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Before we jump in, I just want to thank everybody
who tuned into Monday's Uncovered episode. On this week's case
y'all showed up, you listened, you shared, and it means
a lot. If you haven't caught up on that one yet,
I highly recommend it because it sets the foundation for
everything we're going to dive into today.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And a huge shout out and major love to everyone
who checked out my rewired episode on Wednesday. Y'all really
let me take this week's case file to a dark
and weird place and I appreciate the ride. If you
missed it, go back. And if this all sounds a
little off to you, well, this week was off. So
we'll doing Gary Hilton today and this is revisited of
(05:16):
last week's case File, not necessarily this Monday and Wednesday,
So check last week's Monday and Wednesday for the Gary
Hilton episodes that we're referencing, because if you miss any
of that, we definitely want you to get it all.
Each episode builds a bigger picture of this week's final
trilogy episode.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
And trust me, next week we'll try to be less
confusing so it'll be easier to keep up with all
this Because we've created this three part format because we
believe one voice just can't tell the truth. You need
the history, you need the psychology, and you need the
debate that comes along with these cases.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Especially with this week's case. Trust me, you want the
full ride. It's not just about what Gary Michael Hilton did,
It's about what we all missed.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
We're talking about predators hiding in plane site, jurisdictional chaos,
outdoor murder scenes, and one very unsettling van.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
So stay with us, because if you've been here all week,
thank you. And if you'll just tuning in today, well
you'll write on time.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
All right, let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
This is the Guilty Files revisited.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
All right, Before we dive into the dark woods of
Gary Michael Hilton, it's time to play everyone's favorite forest
flavored freak show game we call Guess that Crime.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Oh my god, you've had way too much coffee and
too much access to weird crime scene databases, haven't you?
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Confirmed.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
This is what happens when we record a podcast episode
late in the day. I'm hyped up and we're.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Ready to go.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
So this week's crime comes straight out of Georgia. Picture this.
A man dressed in full camouflage, like head to toe
gilly suit. He walks into a gas station holding what
appears to be a squirrel.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Wait, you mean like a live squirrel?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yep, twitchy, fluffy and alive, not even remotely thrilled to
be there. Our gilly suited friend demands something from the
clerk while brandishing the squirrel like a weapon.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Okay, I'm picturing Rambo meets Ranger Rick. Let me guess
he robs the place using the squirrel as a thrill.
Ding ding ding.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
But it gets better.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
He screams, this is my emotional support assassin and demands
trail mix, three vape cartridges, and a can of unletted.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
No, no, no, no, you've made the shit.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Up, sir, I did not.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Security footage shows him yelling, nobody moves or squeaky gets aggressive.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I've seen a lot of my day. I've written youse
to fourth reports that involve shoe throwing grandma's But this,
this is spiritual.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
And Weirdly, it's on theme for today. We've got disguises,
national forests, unstable men with rodent energy. It's basically Gary
Hilton's origin story.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Honestly, weaponized squirrel feels like something Hilton would have tried
if duck tape hadn't worked.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Moral of the story. If a man and camo offers
you trail mix and makes eye contact with a squirrel,
you should probably fucking run straight.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Into the arms of someone with a badge and a
butterfly net.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
All right, from emotional support squirrels to National forest serial killers,
because nothing says revisited like a sharp pivot from weird
to what the actual hell happened here?
Speaker 1 (08:37):
And trust me, this case is not just strange. It's terrifying.
It's frustrating, and it's a damn master class in missed chances.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
And emotional manipulation social invisibility. Okay, we'll get there. Let's
reintroduce the file. If you haven't caught our uncovered or
rewired episodes earlier this week aka last week, don't worry.
This next part will bring you. Just don't expect us
to be gentle.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
All right, let's talk about Gary Michael Hilton, a drifter,
a predator, and quite possibly one of the most under
examined serial killers of the two thousands. He operated in
the southeastern United States Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida, and
his crimes all shared one key setting, America's forests, national parks, trailheads, campgrounds,
(09:27):
places people go to escape.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
And places where women, solar travelers, and vulnerable folks are
easiest to disappear exactly.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
His victims weren't found in alleyways or locked basements. They
were left out in the open, often stripped of id, burned, dismembered,
dumped like they were nothing. Hilton's killing spree spanned at
least four confirmed victims, Meredith Emerson, Ryl Dunlap, John Bryant,
and Irene Bryant, but there's reasons to believe there were more,
(10:01):
possibly many more.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
And let's not forget they weren't just victims. Meredith was
twenty four, smart, strong, and literally fought for her life.
Cheryl was a Sunday school teacher. John and Irene were
retired outdoors people just out for a walk in the woods.
These were real people with real stories, not just names
on a map.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Hilton didn't use high tech weapons or elaborate plans. He
used fear, a van, a dog, and the assumption that
no one was watching. But what really gets me is
how many procedural cracks he slipped through. There were red
flags years before this killing spree ever started, mental health evaluations,
criminal charges, vagrancy complaints. Yet the system treated him like
(10:45):
background noises.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Which tells you something about how we categorize threats. He
wasn't flashy, he wasn't Hollywood. He was just unstable and overlooked,
and that's sometimes more dangerous than the monsters that we glamce.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
There were so many chances to catch him earlier, especially
in the Meredith Emerson case, surveillance footage, witness statements, timeline
gaps that took too long to close. It took four states,
a media storm, and a dog that wouldn't leave his
side to finally pin him down.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
And even then it was like the system had to
be shoved into seeing the pattern, like it couldn't believe
that someone that mundane could be that monstrous.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
The trial was fast, almost too fast. Plea deals to
avoid the death penalty in some states, while Florida push
for capital punishment, it raises real questions about consistency in
our legal system and whether justice looks the same depending
on geography.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
And honestly, I don't think Hilton cared. He wasn't trying
to be remembered, he wasn't writing manifestos. He was just
unraveling slowly, violently, and the world let him do it.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
So in this episode, we're breaking down that unraveling what
made Hilton tick and what made him invisible? Where did
law enforcement succeed and where did they totally miss the mark?
And what does this case say about how we view
victims who didn't fit the.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Mold Because spoiler alerts, if you'll older, transient, or off grid,
you don't get the man hunt, you get the shrug.
And that's part of the crime too.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
We've got a lot to unpack, so stick with us.
Up next, we're asking a big one. Was Hilton born
a killer? Or did the system make him into one?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
And was starting heavy, So buckle in. Now that we've
opened the file and reintroduced to the story, it's time
to go deeper, way deeper.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
This is the part of the show where we pulled
the threads, expose the patterns, and say the quiet systematic failures.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Out loud, and I get to challenge your spreadsheets with
some real psychological chaos.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Let's start here. Hilton didn't just snap. He was circling
the drain for decades, childhood trauma, military discharge, multiple psyche vows,
and arrests. He wasn't invisible. He was ignored. The red
flags were archived. If someone had bothered to connect those
dots back in the nineteen eighties, we might not be
(13:12):
sitting here today. This wasn't a guy with a clean record.
It was a slow spiral, visible to anyone who cared
to look.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
And that's the problem. No one did care to look.
Hilton wasn't charming or affluent or young. He wasn't a
headline grabber. He was just broken. He was emotionally flatlined,
psychologically unmoored, and left to rot in the margins of society.
People like Hilton become dangerous when the world stops looking
(13:42):
at them, but the urge to matter doesn't go away.
It actually festers.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
So the system dropped him like an overdue library book.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
Except overde library books don't come back with zip ties
and duct tape. Speaking of that duct tape, let's talk.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Predator.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Are opportunists.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
Was brutal, but basic. He didn't stalk in the traditional sense.
He just waited, observed, and took advantage of isolation. He
operated like a tactical scavenger, low cost, low risk, high brutality.
We're not talking about Hannibal Lecter here, more like a
failed survivalist with a grudge.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
But we don't write him off as simple. He knew
who to approach, women alone, older hikers, people who projected
strength but lacked backup. He read people, and that takes practice,
intuition and a cold kind of empathy. He blended in
by being just pathetic enough to seem harmless. And that's
(14:43):
not luck, that's calculated.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, he weaponized pity. That's the kind of manipulation. Cult
leaders would kill.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Four and he probably tried to join one and got
kicked out for being too weird. But weird or not,
he stayed off the radar for far too long, So
let's look at how he stayed hidden for so long.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Stay tuned for more of the guilty files. We'll be
right back after these messages. Simple National forests are jurisdictional nightmares.
You've got federal, state, county, and seasonal volunteers all trying
to share one map. There's no centralized oversight in places
like that. When a crime scene spans fifty acres in
(15:25):
no sale service, good luck catching a drifter with a
van and a leash.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
And he fit in with the fringe, the transients, the campers,
the loaners. The forest was full of people living off
grid by choice or by necessity, and Hilton didn't stand
out in that world. He disappeared into it. That's camouflage
you can't teach. It's the ecosystem that let him breathe.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
National parks great for wildlife, terrible for interagency cooperation.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Also terrible for trusting men who offer you trail mix
from their van. And when people like that go missing,
we must look at and evaluate do they engage the
system with the same urgency that are more conventional lifestyle might.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Victims who live or travel off grid don't trigger the
same urgency. No fixed addresses, no daily check ins, You
become a low priority file. The lag between last scene
and last cared about can be deadly. Hilton exploited that
gap over and over again.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Yeah, and the worst part is those victims. They were resilient,
adventurous and dependent and society treated them like they were disposable.
The moment you step outside the norm, you become quote
less missing. It's this twisted bias that people who choose
non traditional lives also choose to be forgotten. We act
(16:56):
like solo hikers are asking for it, but they're usually
more prepared than the rest of us.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Hey speak for yourself.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
I don't go anywhere without a laminated survival checklist. But
what if Hilton wasn't just hiding. What if he was
cultivating control?
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Oh he had the vibes, no question there, nomadic half
spiritual language, disarming manner. I've studied cult grooming tactics, and
Hilton hit the marks. Isolation and trust and urgency equals control.
He didn't need followers, he needed access, and manipulation was
(17:31):
his tool to that access.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
I hear you, but I think you're giving him too
much credit. This wasn't Manson. This was a guy who
fumbled through gas station robberies. His quote charisma was circumstantial
at best. He used what worked, but it was desperation,
not doctrine.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Tell that to the victims who thought they were helping
a lost soul.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And ended up with a monster in a bucket.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Half which praises the question. Would Hilton get away with
it today?
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Not a chance. Ring cams, trail cams, GPS, license plate readers.
He wouldn't last a week today, But back then the
data points weren't talking to each other. Now his Walmart
receipts alone would have nailed.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Him unless he evolved. Because predators can and often do adapt.
I could see Hilton lurking and encryptied forums, deep fake identities,
burner apps. The tech arms race cuts both ways. He
just needs to learn how to stay digitally invisible instead
of physically.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
You think Hilton could have figured out tour browser.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
This man was using stolen dental glue. I rest my case.
Let's talk about how the media and true crime fans
process people like him. Do we romanticize killers like Hilton?
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Yes, and it's dangerous. True crime media walks a tight
rope between storytelling and sensationalism. Hilton wasn't Hannibal. He was
a walking warning label. But you just give him a nickname,
a signature, and suddenly he's mythologized.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
And the worst part that myth often sells even when
the killer is pathetic. I want us to remember the
victims their names. Their lives, not what Hilton wore or
what he drove. So let's stop making monsters marketable because
we act like he's a villain in a prestige series.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
He's more like a guy who'd steal your sandwich and
blame it on the squirrels.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
But how do we punish someone like that? And what
does justice even look like?
Speaker 2 (19:31):
I say, life without parole.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
It's cleaner, less costly, and spares the family's years of appeals.
Florida gave him death, but honestly, writing in prison is
way worse. We're not in the business of creating martyrs.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yeah, I get that, but Hilton inflicted real terror. I'm
not a death penalty fan, but if anyone deserves it,
it's him. That wasn't just murder, it was calculated psychological torture,
and it's hard not to want finality for that. So
we agree he should just disappear, right, just disagree on
how poetic the exit should be. Let's end this segment
(20:08):
by going personal. How do you know when to trust
instincts versus following the rules?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
In policy and detention, we live by procedure. If you
deviated from the protocol, I had an answer for that
paperwork and all but protocol failed this case, no doubt
about it. We need structure, but we also need to
trust in human instinct.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
I ran on instincts because that's what the street taught me.
If I got a vibe, I followed it. A twitch,
a pause, a fake smile. Those things can save lives.
But the system punishes intuition, and that's a flaw that
we still haven't figured out how to fix. I trusted
my gut more than my radio, to be honest, and I.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Trusted my radio more than I trusted most people.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
All Right, we've dug deep into the crimes, the victims,
and the systems that let Hilton rome free. But this
isn't just a story about the past. It's a mirror.
So let's talk about right now.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Because if we think a guy like Hilton couldn't happen today,
we're wrong.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
He could.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
He might already be out there. The difference. We've got
better tools, but whether we're using them right, that's where
the conversation really starts.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
So we've walked you through the forest, the crimes, the victims,
the system. But Hilton's story isn't just some twisted relic
of the mid two thousands. It's a case that echoes
into right now.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
If you think someone like Gary Michael Hilton couldn't pull
this off in twenty twenty five, let me stop you
right there. He absolutely could. The tools might look different,
but the vulnerabilities he exploited they're still wide open.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Agree, So let's get into it how this case ties
into the world we're living in today, because the parallels
are frankly unsettling.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Let's start with the obvious.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
If Hilton were active today, he wouldn't last long, not
in the same way. We've got ring doorbell cameras at
every cabin, licensed plate recognition systems in every small town,
and data sharing platforms that, when used correctly, make interstate
collaboration seamless.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Yeah, when used correctly. Big asterisk there.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah, fair point. This tech is there, but the human
systems still catching out. Hilton operated across Georgia, North Carolina,
and Florida, places with vastly different resources, priorities, and policies.
Back then, the jurisdictions were working in silos. Today, a
plate reader could ping that van within hours, surveillance footage everywhere.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
But even if we could track him with tech, the
question is would we see him before it was too late.
I mean, Hilton wasn't flashy. He was frankly forgettable, low tech.
A man and his dog in a van, no social
media trail, no manifesto, just static.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
And that's exactly why predictive profiling is so important, modern
law enforcement tools that flag certain behavior clusters, past violence,
mental instability, transient patterns. Hilton fits the profile with today's models.
He had likely have been flagged a high risk offender
years before he ever killed anyone.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
Flagged, sure, but flagged doesn't always mean stopped, not when
the systems still undervalues emotional nuance. Because let's be real,
Hilton wasn't just dangerous because he was mobile. He was
dangerous because he was eroding quietly, and no one paid
attention until the bodies started stacking up. But you know
(23:36):
what still gives me schills the way Hilton disarmed people.
He didn't jump out of the bushes and a ski mask.
He approached with a leash and a story. He weaponized normalcy.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
He made himself look like a guy who needed help,
a little lost, a little lonely, maybe a little off,
but not threatening, and people bought it. Because we're still
conditioned to not see threats in that package.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Especially if you're a woman, will taught to be kind, accommodating, polite,
even when our gut screams nope, and he'll knew that
he leaned into it. That whole friendly old man with
a hiking story energy. It's manipulative as hell, and.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
We still don't train civilians or even cops in some cases,
to listen for those signals. People like Hilton don't look
like the stereotype. They look like the guy who's offering
to help you with your.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Gear exactly, and that dynamic it hasn't disappeared, it's just
gone digital. Today, the same type of predator shows up
in dms, online forums, and even dating apps. The tools
might change, but the tactics they stay the same.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
And then there's the media. Back in two thousand and eight,
Hilton's case got coverage, but not traction. Today, if Meredith
Emerson vanished now, her case would dominate social media. Timeline
breakdowns on TikTok geomapped leads pressure campaigns, and that pressure
it works. It speeds up investigations, forces agencies to.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Act true, but it also distorts things because the media
loves a villain, and the audience loves a story, and
if we're not careful, guys like Hilton go from monsters
to myth. He wasn't a mastermind. He was miserable. He
was a system of failure with a leash and a
windowless van. That's not a legend, it's a warning.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
The trial would have been live streamed, There would have
been documentaries before the ink dried on his plea deal,
And honestly, I don't know if that helps or hurts justice,
but it definitely changes how it's done.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
And how we process it emotionally. True crime is entertainment now,
and if we don't balance that with empathy, we start
confusing notoriety with significance. But let's pivot and talk about identity.
Hilton didn't just kill people. He targeted people who lived
outside the norm, women who traveled solo, older couples who
(26:03):
hiped together, people living fully but quietly.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
And the system still doesn't prioritize those victims the same way.
If you don't have a nine to five job, a
house in the suburbs, or a spouse waiting on you
at home, Suddenly you're harder to track and slower to search.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
For and on the flip side, Hilton was eroding under
the weight of his own identity crisis. Mental illness, rootless.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Rootlessness, I'm rooting for you, I'm runing.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
That's a RuPaul drag race for any fans out there.
All right, let's back that up and try again. Mental illness, rootlessness,
fractured relationships. He had no idea who he was, and
that lack of self that's fuel for dangerous behavior. It's
not just about evil, it's about disintegration. That all those
(26:55):
lies where it's like, you know, you want to say
a word and it's just really going to take a
lot and you're used a lot, slow it down, but
you get the word, right, So we're going to keep
that in there is.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Just for fun.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
Like I knew when the sentence started exactly what I
wanted to say, and I just knew I was gonna
have to really really work on that one.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
That is commitment, all right. The early signs were all there, assaults,
psych holds, vagrancy, complaints, but because he didn't break the
right way, no one took him seriously until it was
too late.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
Yeah, that's what trauma does. It doesn't always explode. Sometimes
it seeps and if we don't address the root cause early, compassionately,
and consistently, we end up with more Hilton's, different packaging,
but the same outcome. The only real shifts. The good
news and all of this is that victim advocacy. It
(27:48):
has changed. Meredith story lit a fire and families have
platforms now. People are pushing for transparency, for reform and accountability.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
And departments are getting better. Missing persons policies are evolving.
Interagency task forces are becoming more common. Some of these
improvements do come from cases like this, but it will
not there yet, not when marginalized folks are still falling
through the cracks, not when you can vanish in plain
(28:18):
sight and be written off as a wanderer. What Hilton
did was horrify, But what the system failed to do,
that's the part we can control. That's the part we
have to keep challenging.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
All right, deep breath, because that was a lot, and honestly,
it should be a lot, because the next Hilton might
not be in the woods. They might be online, down
the street, or already out there in action.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Which is why we keep asking these questions, digging deeper,
and not just telling these stories, but learning from them.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Let's wrap it up with some hypotheticals, tough calls, and
one big question, what would you have done?
Speaker 1 (28:58):
All right, we've trekked through the woods to unpack the behavior,
exposed the failures, and linked it all to right now.
But before we shut this case file for the week,
let's talk about what this case really taught us.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Yeah, not just what Hilton did, but what it says
about us, about how we see danger, how we ignore it,
and sometimes how we invited it in with open arms
and polite smiles.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
For me, this case is a wake up call, not
just about who Hilton was, but about what wasn't done.
It's not just about the monsters in the woods. It's
about the system, failure, policy, inertia, and that phrase we
all hear he fell through the cracks. No, Hilton didn't fall.
He walked straight through the gaps. We knew they were there,
(29:46):
his mental health history, his criminal record, his instability. These
weren't hit They were scattered across agencies. What we didn't
have was cohesion. One department's weird guy was another department's
future killer. That can't happen anymore. Stay tuned for more
of the guilty files. We'll be right back after these messages.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
And what hits me hardest is how unspecial Hilton looked.
He didn't scream evil, he screamed overlooked. He lived on
the fringe, and because he looked disposable, society then shreated
him that way until he proved he could make people disappear.
We don't just fail predators by ignoring them. We fell
(30:31):
the victims by not valuing them until it's too late.
And the people he hurt weren't reckless, they were resilient,
they were independent, and the moment they went missing, we
started blaming their lifestyle instead of looking for them.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
The historical takeaway here is this, our systems are only
as strong as our willingness to adapt, and we haven't
adapted fast enough. We've got better tick, but the same
human blind spot.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
And emotionally psychologically, this case sits heavy because it shows
what happens when someone spends a year's unraveling in silence.
If we can't recognize collapse while it's happening, we'll always
be stuck analyzing it after someone's dead and it's too late.
You always bring it back to policy. Brian and I
(31:22):
swear one day you're going to submit a FOIA request
on your damn self.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
I like a good spreadsheet, but there's comfort in knowing
someone was accountable, if not at the time, then at
least afterward.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
And I'll keep yelling it into the void until people
start listening to their gut and stop calling women paranoid
when they do fair.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Just promise me you won't start handing out pepper spray
with horoscopes.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Only on Thursday. So let's leave you with this. What
does danger look like to you? Is it the creepy
guy in the alley or is it the soft spoken
man in the van with a dog in a smith.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
And if someone like Hilton showed up today, would our
systems catch him earlier or would we still be tracing
the same bloody footprints across state lines.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Hit us up with your thoughts. We really want to
hear from you, because this case isn't just history.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
It's a mirror and sometimes what stares back ain't easy
to look at.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
And that's a wrap on this week's deep dive into
the twisted case of Gary Michael Hilton. If you stuck
with us through, uncovered, rewired, and revisited, thank you you
didn't just listen to a story, You walked the whole
damn trail with us.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
Every week we build this trilogy to offer a fuller,
more layered understanding of true crime through facts, fiction and friction.
And if you missed any part of this week's journey,
go back. Monday's Uncovered lays the foundation. Wednesday's Rewired challenges
what you think you know? And today, well, this is
just when the gloves come off.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
And this is where we turn it back to you.
Here's your question for this week's case file. Do you
think someone like Gary Michael Hilton could still operate today?
And if so, where would they hide now?
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Would they be in the woods with a van or
maybe in a comment section, a chat room or a
coworking space, Because when you change the landscape, predators don't disappear,
they simply adapt.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
Let's just hope they would not be operating on our
forty acres in the middle of the woods because we
definitely have no cell phone service and I took the
ring camera battery out yesterday to charge and have it put.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
It back in.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Look, this case reminded me that monsters aren't always the
ones who growl. Sometimes they whisper, and sometimes they smile.
And if we're not paying attention, we miss these warnings
and lose the people that we shouldn't.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
For me, it's about how easy it still is to
overlook the people who fall just outside the frame, the
ones who don't scream for help but need it anyway,
the ones we dismiss as strange or unstable instead of
asking better questions. It's twenty twenty five. We have the tools,
we just need the will.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Next week we'll opening a new file, one that challenges
everything you think you know about motive memory and the
cost of staying silent.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Trust me, you're not gonna want to miss this.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
Until then, keep questioning what you think is safe, keep
challenging the narrative. And hey, watch out for trailhead parking lots.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
And if someone offers you trail mix out of a
windless van, say no and then call someone with a badge.
Speaker 3 (34:37):
I'm Danny reminding you to trust your gut, speak your truth,
and don't ever apologize for walking away from the weird.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
And I'm Brian reminding you that justice isn't just about
catching monsters. It's about fixing the systems that build them.
This is the guilty files revisited. See you next Friday.
Welcome to the Redacted Report, where we don't just revisit
the case, we uncover the parts that were buried, ignored, or.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Quietly filed away.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
If you think you know the story of Gary Michael Hilton,
the so called National Forest serial killer, prepare yourself because
this isn't the version you've seen in documentaries or news specials.
This is the truth pulled from evidence lockers, lost paperwork,
and the bureaucratic cracks that allowed a predator to thrive.
It begins on New Year's Day, two thousand and eight.
(35:32):
Meredith Emerson disappears while hiking on Georgia's Blood Mountain. Search
efforts launch immediately, helicopters, dogs, boots on the ground. To
the public, it looked like a swift and thorough response,
but behind the scenes, something far more troubling was at play.
Gary Michael Hilton had already been on law enforcement radar
(35:53):
for over eighteen months. Back in June two thousand and six,
a North Carolina park ranger filed an incident report about
a suspicious man harassing female hikers. The man matched Hilton exactly.
His red Toyota Tacoma, his dog, his odd approach, the report.
It went into a filing cabinet, no follow up, no
(36:15):
database alert, nothing. Then, just three months before Meredith vanished,
the same ranger saw Hilton again. This time, Hilton asked
how long it took to find missing hikers and whether
dogs could track since after rainfall. The ranger logged it
as odd and walked away. And here's the moment that
still haunts investigators. During the active search for Meredith Emerson,
(36:39):
a tip came in from someone who recognized Hilton. They
knew who he was, they knew what he drove, but
the tip arrived two hours too late. That delay may
have cost Meredith her life. In Florida, Hilton's murder of
Sheryl Dunlap nearly went unsolved, not because of anything Hilton did,
but because of a clerical error. When forensics processed his vehicle,
(37:02):
they found sand in the tires that didn't match Georgia soil.
The lab flagged it as suspicious and requested more tests,
but the request was misfiled under Emerson Cheryl instead of
Dunlap Cheryl. That sample sat for six weeks before anyone
noticed the mistake. When the test was finally run, it
matched the exact area where Dunlap's body had been found.
(37:26):
There's more, a gas station attendant near the crime scene
remembered Hilton, specifically that he paid for gas with a
strange number of crisp sequential twenty dollars bills, the kind
you get from an ATM. Dunlap's bank record showed she
had withdrawn four hundred dollars in twenties just two days
before she disappeared. Same amount, same bill sequence, One sharp
(37:49):
eyed witness, and one lucky paperwork correction were all that
tied Hilton to her murder. Then there's the case of
John and Irene Bryant, an elderly couple murdered hiking in
North Carolina. On the surface, it looked like a tragic,
random encounter, but cell phone data told a different story.
Hilton had been circling the area for days, passing along
(38:11):
their route repeatedly. He wasn't lost, he was stalking them.
Even more chilling, the Bryants had posted their hiking plans
on a public forum. Investigators later discovered Hilton had been
lurking on multiple hiking websites, and he had viewed the
Bryant's posts several times in the week leading up to
their deaths. This wasn't spontaneous. This was a man using
(38:33):
the Internet as his hunting ground. One of the eeriest
incidents came months earlier. In August two thousand and seven,
a Vietnam vet named Marcus Webb shared a campground near
Springer Mountain with Hilton. Webb told fellow campers that Hilton
made him uneasy, said he'd seen him practicing knots at night,
said he planned to report him to a ranger in
(38:54):
the morning. He never got the chance. That night, Webb vanished,
was left behind, so was his gear, and his dog
tied to a tree. Rangers found the scene three days later,
but treated it as a case of a drifter moving on.
Webb's body was never found. No missing person report was filed,
(39:15):
and Hilton never mentioned him, but the timeline fits, and
some believe Webb was Hilton's unconfirmed rehearsal his final dry
run before Meredith. After Hilton's arrest, his campsite was searched.
What they found never made the news. A handwritten inventory
carefully labeled broken down by victim type, rope weights for
(39:36):
different scenarios, blade lengths for specific tasks, even a variety
of dog leashes based on how his dog reacted to
different types of victims. One chilling note read college area
Spring semester circled March two thousand and eight. This wasn't
improvised violence. This was premeditated, methodical killing. Financial investigators uncovered
(40:01):
another layer. Hilton didn't just steal ATM cards and make
random withdraws. He made small transactions, spaced out over days
in different counties, just under the fraud alert thresholds. His
laptop revealed bookmarks and PDFs about financial surveillance ATM limits
and how to avoid detection. He may have looked like
(40:22):
a drifter, but he was studying fraud protocols like a
cyber criminal. And then there was the near miss. In
October two thousand and seven, college student Sarah Chen was
hiking alone when she was approached by Hilton, friendly, smiling,
asking about trail conditions. He suggested they hike together on
a more secluded path. Chen declined something about his eyes
(40:47):
set off in alarm. He was smiling, she later said,
but his eyes were completely cold, like he was looking
through me. When Hilton was arrested months later, she reported
the encounter Hilton had asked if anyone knew she was hiking,
where her car was parked, what time.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
She was expected back.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
It was a script and she had interrupted it just
in time. Here's a detail you probably haven't heard before
his arrest. Gary Hilton actually co produced a low budget
slasher film called Deadly Run. The plot a man abducts women,
releases them into the woods, and hunts them down. One
of the people on the film crew his own attorney.
(41:28):
After his arrest, Hilton eagerly discussed the movie with investigators
like he was promoting a project, not a film, a blueprint.
FBI profilers later called Hilton an enigma, not because they
didn't understand him, but because he didn't fit the mold.
He was older than most serial killers. He lacked a
clear signature, but he was cold, calculated, methodical, a man
(41:53):
who broke the pattern because he didn't need one. His
pattern was adaptability. Gary Michael Hilton wasn't just to killer
hiding in the woods. He was a predator who understood
the landscape, natural and bureaucratic, and used it to his advantage.
He exploited slow communication, jurisdictional blind spots, and digital footprints,
(42:14):
and while investigators scrambled to piece together clues from different states.
He was one step ahead, hunting, calculating, and refining his methods.
The most terrifying part, he may not have been unique,
just the one who finally got caught. Thanks for listening
to the redacted report, and thank you for subscribing to
the Guilty Files bonus content. Your support helps us keep
(42:37):
telling these stories, the ones that almost slipped through the cracks.
Until next time. Stay curious, stay skeptical, and trust your instincts.
Stay tuned for more of the Guilty Files. We'll be
right back after these messages.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
You're listening to inside the mind, where we don't just
ask what happened, We ask why, not to excuse, not
to justify, but to understand. Because the scariest truths aren't
always in the crime, they're in the cracks that led
to it. This is the psychological autopsy, and tonight we're
(43:15):
stepping into the fractured world of Gary Michael Hilton. First up,
Act one, dissolving identity when you don't know who you are.
Hilton didn't kill out of passion. He didn't kill for fame.
He killed because he had no tether. And that's something
we don't talk about enough. By the time of his
(43:36):
first known murder, he was in his sixties, divorced, estranged
from family, mentally unstable, chronically homeless, and disconnected from any
real sense of self identity. Loss is a psychological collapse
that happens slowly. It's like erosion. You don't always see it,
(43:58):
but over time it reshapes the landscape completely. Hilton was
a man without anchors, no job, no role, no community.
And when you lose everything external, your internal world gets
dangerous because the mind starts to redefine purpose in ways
(44:19):
that are often destructive. His van became his world, his
dog became his mirror, and murder became the one thing
that gave him power, control, and attention. But it wasn't rage.
It was reclamation, twisted, delusional, but in his mind restorative.
(44:40):
Let's jump into act two. The predator persona control, camouflage,
and coercion. Hilton's violence wasn't erratic, It was ritualized, predictable.
He isolated victims, he used their trust. He controlled their
final hours with a level of emotional calculation that tells
us something critical. He knew what he was doing, he
(45:04):
just didn't care. This is where we enter the world
of disassociative predation, where the killer mentally splits themselves from
the reality of what they're doing. To Hilton, the victim
wasn't human. They were a symbol, a test, a tool.
His manipulation tactics followed a familiar sequence.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
Appear to be.
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Harmless, establish temporary trust, flip the switch. That's a narcissistic
survival instinct wrapped in predator logic. He wasn't looking to
dominate forever. He was looking to dominate just long enough,
just long enough to feel like he mattered, just long
(45:46):
enough to not feel invisible. Because for men like Hilton,
fear equals presence, and presence equals proof that they still exist.
Let's shift focus, because while we're talking about monster, we
have to talk about who society makes easy targets. Our
final act is the invisible victim. Why we overlook the
(46:09):
ones who matter most Ready, welcome to Act three. Meredith Emerson,
Cheryl Dunlap, John and Irene Bryant. They were all strong, smart,
self reliant. They didn't make mistakes. They were just alone
in a world that devalues certain lives the second they
(46:30):
don't fit the mold, older couples, solo female hikers, people
who choose independence. These aren't bad victims. They're just victims
who weren't prioritized fast enough, and that's not on them.
There's a psychological effect known as invisibility bias, where certain individuals,
(46:51):
because of their lifestyle, age, or gender, are perceived as
less worthy of urgency, and predators like Hilton, they see that,
they exploit it, they rely on it. So this isn't
just about Hilton's brokenness. It's about ours as a culture,
as a system, as people. The truth is, Gary Michael
(47:13):
Hilton didn't come from nowhere. He came from years of
being ignored, from systems that flagged him but didn't follow through,
from a world that saw his unraveling and looked away.
And his victims, they were the kind of people we
say we admire, independent, adventurous, free, But when they vanished,
(47:35):
we hesitated, We assumed, we waited, and in that waiting,
people died. So the question we leave with tonight isn't
just why did he do it? It's why didn't we
stop him when we had the chance. Because behavior doesn't
explode out of nowhere, It whispers first, It fractures quietly,
(47:55):
and if no one's listening, the next crack becomes a
thanks for showing up this week to go even deeper
with me. This has been inside the mind. I'm your host, Danny,
and I will see you next Wednesday when we open
a new case file on the guilty files rewired. All right,
uniforms off filter is gone, and yes we've both had
(48:19):
our coffee. You're inside behind the badge where we talk
about the real culture of law enforcement, what happens off
the record, and what no one else is willing to say.
Speaker 1 (48:29):
And don't worry, there's no brass on this call, just
two ex cops with a podcast, a past, and a
pile of stories we were never allowed to tell in uniform.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
Let's start with the question that everybody's thinking. How the
hell does a guide like Hilton bounce around multiple states,
camping out in national parks, breaking laws, and still avoid
any serious attention until it's too late.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
It's the dirty little secret.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
Most agencies aren't built to talk to each other. It's
not malice, it's red tape, data hoarding and outdated systems.
Hilton wasn't a ghost. He was a glitch, a known
guy who just kept slipping through the gaps. We've both
seen how that looks. You write up someone for trespassing
or loitering and think, huh, nothing major. But behind that
(49:15):
behavior there could be a history five counties deep, and
you wouldn't know anything unless you got the digging for it.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
And let's be honest, he didn't look like a serial killer.
He looked like a sad, old, burnt out man with
a dog. And yeah, that's profiling and reverse. People ignored
their instincts because he seemed pathetic.
Speaker 1 (49:35):
Yeah there's a cultural thing there. Some officers assume he's
just a drifter. He'll move along. But that move along attitude,
it can get people killed.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
Valid point. So Hilton lived out of a van. He
camped in the woods, gave off that weird vibe, and
it reminded me there were people I encountered on patrol
that made my skin krawl, but I had nothing to
charge them with. I once did a welfare check on
a guy who had seventeen locks on his bedroom door
(50:05):
on the inside. He said it was to keep the
voices out, and look, I was scared shitless of him
and concerned for his mental health. But I was also
scared of what I couldn't see. Sometimes you feel like
you're standing in the middle of a true crime documentary,
but no one's rolling the camera yet.
Speaker 2 (50:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
I once had a guy in my youth attention facility
who swore he'd never heard anyone, but he drew graphic
diagrams of escape plans from random neighborhoods, all fantasy until
he snapped one day and tried to abduct a nurse.
That switch doesn't always flip when you're watching. Sometimes it
flips when you're asleep.
Speaker 3 (50:44):
Here's the truth. When you're in the field long enough,
you know when the system isn't gonna do what it
needs to do. So Yeah, sometimes I've bent the rules.
I've hidden a sex worker in the back of my
cruiser so her abusive pimp couldn't spot her. I've lied
to protect a DV victim from a civil welfare check
gone sideways.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
Saying I once pulled a kid off a gang hit
list by staging a fake arrest to get him out
of town. Did it hold up under policy review? Hell no,
Did it save his life? Abs a frickin lutely, And
I'll die on that hill any day. Sometimes doing the
right thing means taking a hit on your file.
Speaker 3 (51:22):
You don't get metals for that kind of thing. You
just get sleep or ulcers, but usually both. Let's pivot
and discuss the cop gut. Would you, Brian, have known?
Speaker 1 (51:33):
Gun to your head? You pull Hilton over, his ID
checks out, he's got the dog in the back, says
he's camping. Would you have known something was off?
Speaker 3 (51:42):
Absolutely? I might not have known what was wrong, but
I would have gotten back up or kept eyes on him.
It's the gut, and you can't teach it, but it
starts screaming when something's not adding upright.
Speaker 1 (51:54):
For me, Yeah, I think I would have checked it.
Not because he looked dangerous, but because of the inconsistent.
It's like reading a glitchy report. You feel it before
you can prove it.
Speaker 3 (52:04):
Yeah, that instinct saves lives, and sometimes it gets you
ridden up or called over reactive. But ignoring it that's
how people like Hilton win. All Right, storytime, Brian, do
you remember that dude in the overalls, the one with
the missing dog flyers?
Speaker 2 (52:22):
You know who I mean?
Speaker 1 (52:23):
Oh? Hell yeah, the shed guy?
Speaker 2 (52:25):
Yeah? How could I forget that?
Speaker 1 (52:26):
That call was like something out of a slow burning
horror movie, except we didn't get the twist until we
had already been in Act three.
Speaker 3 (52:34):
So here's how it all starts. We get a call
about a man going door to door with flyers for
a missing dog. Sounds harmless, right, except he's not knocking.
He's standing across the street, just staring, holding the flyer,
not saying anything. Multiple residents report the same thing that
(52:56):
he wouldn't speak, just pointed out the paper and then
walked away. So Dispatch sends us to check it out.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
Now we show up and this guy looks like every
redneck uncle you've ever seen at a gas station on
a Tuesday. Overall's baseball cap, stained hands, friendly smile. He
tells us his dog Cricket, ran into the woods behind
his property two days ago. But here's the part that
gets weird. He's got zero emotion about the dog, zero,
(53:25):
no panic, no real concern, just a blank, almost performative delivery.
And the flyer it was printed on dot matrix paper,
like a nineteen eighty nine IBMX dot matrix.
Speaker 3 (53:39):
And I was more upset about the dog than he was.
I give him the benefit of the doubts, but something's off.
His hands are shaking, but it's not from nerves it's
from adrenaline. So I ask if we can come by
and walk the perimeter of his property. He says sure,
but he leads us the long way around which there's
(54:00):
a red flag.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
Anyone genuinely looking for help wants you near the search zone.
He takes us away from it, toward a busted up
tool shed behind his house.
Speaker 3 (54:10):
This thing looks like it hasn't been opened since the
Clinton administration. Padlock is rusted shut, but there are fresh
bootprints in the mud. Brian's copgut is screaming in mind
stap dancing.
Speaker 1 (54:23):
And then he says it I keep my dogs in
there sometimes, you know when they're bad. And I remember thinking, sir,
this is a murder shed. That is a shed that
smells like regret and restraining orders.
Speaker 2 (54:36):
So we push.
Speaker 3 (54:38):
We ask to look inside, and he starts stammering, says
the keys are missing. I make like I'm calling animal control,
and he panics, takes off in a dead out run
inside to get water.
Speaker 1 (54:54):
We open the shed without permission. Screw it, I'm not waiting,
and inside there's no dog, just a dirty mattress, a
small cage, a block of hair, and an old polaroid
burnt at the edges.
Speaker 3 (55:07):
We couldn't make an arrest that day. We had nothing concrete,
just implications. We had to lean into our smarts, taking
information that we might have obtained without probable calls, meaning
we could not use it, not officially. But we still
have options if we are willing to engage and outsmart
the system and the bureaucracy of red tape. So I
(55:30):
filed a report that at least put him on the radar.
A report was just information in it. And a month
later he shows up again and a nearby county, and
thanks to our report, another agency was able to network
with us. By simply sharing information, we were able to
set them up to follow through while remaining on the
(55:52):
right side of policy. This time different dogflyer, but same pattern,
and that time they had enough. He's now serving fifteen
for unlawful imprisonment. And that's just what they proved.
Speaker 2 (56:05):
But that's how it works.
Speaker 1 (56:06):
People like Hilton, like the shed guy, they count on you,
hesitating on you, assuming they're just weird, not dangerous, but
your gut, your gut knows, and when you've been on
the job long enough, you don't wait for policy to
catch up.
Speaker 3 (56:20):
That night changed the way I patrolled forever. I stopped
looking for threats every time and started looking for masks, and.
Speaker 1 (56:29):
I started keeping bolt cutters in my trunk.
Speaker 3 (56:32):
That's the kind of story you only hear on behind
the badge, and not because it's secret, but because it's hard.
It's hard to explain, hard to justify, but it's real.
Speaker 1 (56:42):
And if you've ever wondered how many almosts there are
out there, the answer is way too fucking many. We
got lucky that day, someone else didn't.
Speaker 3 (56:52):
We've got more stories, more ghosts, and yeah, more sheds.
So if you'll hear welcome to the real side of
the tape. It in it
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