Police believe missing hiker Meredith Emerson is dead after finding her blood-soaked clothing Saturday in a dumpster.

Shortly after that discovery authorities charged Gary Michael Hilton with her kidnapping.

Officers also found Emerson's driver's license and her University of Georgia ID, as well as part of a blood-stained seat belt in a trash bin outside a QuikTrip convenience store in Cumming. When police searched Hilton's van they found a seat belt with part of it missing.

Police claim surveillance video and other evidence puts Hilton at that QuikTrip.

Hilton was transferred from GBI custody to Union County to face the kidnapping charges.

Emerson has been missing since New Year's Day when she went for a hike with her dog on Blood Mountain in Vogel State Park in Union County.

"A superior court judge in Union County signed an arrest warrant for kidnapping with bodily harm," the GBI's John Bankhead said at a news conference just before 6 p.m.

"It's not looking favorable that she's alive," he added at that same news conference.

As Bankhead spoke, people standing nearby who may have been family and friends of the missing 24-year-old broke into tears. They huddled together, crying and consoling each other, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"This is a search and recovery effort," Bankhead added, changing from a search and rescue and signaling that crews are now searching for Emerson's body.

They will be back on Blood Mountain and in the wooded areas near the QuikTrip searching for Emerson on Sunday.

"A lot of evidence has been uncovered," Bankhead said. "We have received a lot of public input and we've put together a timeline that puts the two of them together."

Police first took Hilton into custody Friday night after callers to 911 said they spotted him at a convenience store off Ashford-Dunwoody Road.

Emerson's Lab mix dog, Emma, wandered into a Kroger store just down the block from the QuikTrip Friday night.

"The dog looked like she hadn't been running in the woods for three days," said Michelle Preston who found Emma.

Little is known about Hilton. He was convicted of two felonies; one for the possession and distribution of marijuana, another for theft by taking, according to public records. His last known address was on 11th Street in Atlanta in 1999, but he appears to have been living in his van, according to Bankhead.

Hilton Acquaintance Says He Always Carried Baton

An acquaintance of Hilton told Channel 2 that she helped Hilton order an expandable baton like one found near the missing hiker's car. She said he always had the baton with him.

Another hiker told officials he saw a man fitting Hilton's description with a similar baton clipped to his belt hiking on the same trail that Emerson took.

Over the years Hilton has moved around quite a bit and had several run-ins with the law. Channel 2 found at least five arrests in DeKalb and Cobb Counties – both misdemeanors and felonies