I have been so bothered by this case. Poor Meredith Emerson went for a hike in the north Georgia mountains with her dog, Ella, on New Years Day. She was kidnapped and killed by a drifter whom they now believe may have been on a serial killing spree for years. She appears to have been a really sweet, special person. She adopted Ella from a shelter. She worked in her church nursery and was loved by all who knew her. She also was very smart, which makes me wonder what this guy said or did to make her trust him enough to have a conversation with him. (She was seen talking with him on the trail, and letting her dog play with his). He held her captive for three days, then bludgeoned her to death and decapitated her body. It is SO awful!

I have been praying for her family. They have so many emotions to sort through. I have become obsessed with this case, to my surprise. I read everything I can online about this case. The killer has been linked to an elderly couple who were killed in the Smoky Mountains of NC in October, among others.

Do any of you live in the Atlanta area, and maybe have information that we didn't get here? I think about Meredith all the time and I don't know why. We hear of horrendous things happening all the time.

By Kaye on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 01:40 pm:

Hol this case has also haunted me. I am not sure why, because as you said horrible things happen every day. I just can't imagine what those three days must of been like. I hadn't heard if they found that location or not.

By Hol on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 01:44 pm:

As with many horrible things, some good has come out of it. Meredith's parents, who also seem to be very special, requested that if people wanted to pay tribute to Meredith, to donate to their local animal shelter. They have taken Ella home to Colorado. She was a shelter pup, rescued by Meredith. The Longmont (Colorado) animal shelter has collected over $31,000. in Meredith's name. I believe that an Atlanta shelter has also received many donations. People have been so touched by this case.

Meredith's mother stated that the person who did this to Meredith is a person "very far away from God". Also interesting is that Meredith recently told her Mom that she didn't feel like she was doing enough to improve the world. So so sad.

By Hol on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 02:17 pm:

Kaye - I read on one of the blogs that they believe that he held her in an abandoned cabin for those three days. He was known to "squat" in hunting cabins and hiking shelters. He knew all of the national parks very well.

He had made a phone call from a restaurant the night before he killed her. He parked his van way away from the restaurant's entrance. It was believed that she might have been in the van then. The police just got to the restaurant too late to save her. He was already gone.

I too get chills when I think of what she might have gone through in those three days. Her boyfriend said that it tortures him to think that she wondered if people were looking for her. I don't know if she was killed in the van. He did cut a section of the back seat belt out because it had blood on it. They found the piece in a dumpster along with her blood soaked fleece tops, and when they caught him, he was trying to clean out his van with bleach.

The waitress in the restaurant, who they say bears a striking resemblance to Meredith, was creeped out by him because he kept staring at her.

By Bellajoe on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - 02:54 pm:

I remember hearing about a girl who was missing, but never heard any more of the story. This must be the same girl. I don't watch the news enough to have followed the story.

How sad for her and her loved ones. I can not imagine how scared she must have felt.

The killer? He sounds like a character in one of those horrible scary movies. "Squatting" in hunting cabins, etc. So scary.

By Jewlz on Friday, February 1, 2008 - 03:40 pm:

he just pleaded guilty and got life for this ... this is just breaks my heart for the girl ..

By Hol on Sunday, February 3, 2008 - 08:29 pm:

I saw the statements that her parents made to the court at his sentencing. It was heartbreaking.

They believe that he is tied to many other murders in NC and FL. If they find him guilty of those, he can get the death penalty in those states. However, as the judge said at his GA sentencing; he is 61 years old. By the time all of the appeals were processed, he will be dead of natural causes.