ATLANTA -- Investigators in North Carolina named Gary Hilton a suspect in the abductions of two hikers, one who was found bludgeoned to death and one who is still missing.

The body of Irene Bryant, 84, was found about a month after she and her husband disappeared while hiking in the Pisgah National Forest near Asheville. She had been beaten to death. John Bryant, 80, remains missing.

"At this point, I do consider Hilton a suspect,” said Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney. “We are following up on all information regarding possible sightings of Hilton. We have not released any other information regarding Hilton at this point.”

The announcement from Mahoney came just hours after a Florida prosecutor said they believe they have enough evidence to get a warrant against Hilton in that state but they do not plan to do that right now since Hilton is already in jail.

William Meggs, the district attorney in Leon County, told WSB-TV that Gary Michael Hilton, 61, is their "prime suspect" in the murder of 46-year-old Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, whose body was found in the Apalachicola National Forest in December.

In the North Carolina case a man wearing John Bryant's yellow jacket tried to use the Bryant's ATM card at a bank in Ducktown, Tenn.

Witnesses said they saw Hilton wearing a yellow jacket when when was talking to Meredith Emerson on Blood Mountain in north Georgia.

Hilton is in custody in Dawson County, Ga., and facing a murder charge in the death of Emerson, the 24-year-old hiker who went missing on New Year's Day in the North Georgia mountains.

Memorial Service Held For Meredith Emerson

Friends and family members of 24-year-old Meredith Emerson attended a memorial service for her Friday in Athens.

Friends set up the service at 2 p.m. at Central Presbyterian Church to honor Emerson -- a University of Georgia graduate and an avid hiker.

ON THE NET: Central Presbyterian Church

"We're just absolutely devastated for them. It's every parent's worst nightmare. Such a wonderful, loving family. We're just absolutely devastated," said Suzanne Trexler.

Besides the family friends like Mark and Suzanne Trexler, besides the family members themselves, there were strangers. Lots of strangers who felt moved to drive to Athens and grieve for Meredith Emerson.

Joe Plymel is a hiker from McDonough who drove up hours early. "She'll be with me, certainly on every visit to Blood Mountain, if not every hiking trip I take from now on," said Plymel.

VIDEO: Friends, Family Remember Meredith Emerson At Memorial Service

Central Presbyterian Church of Athens is the church where Emerson worked in the nursery for three years as a college student at the University of Georgia. Sarah Martinez and Afton Seybold worked with her and the children.

"The kids would run straight in there to her, give her a hug and play with her. She was really great with them," said Martinez.

Three friends and a cousin spoke to the overflow crowd. One said true beauty like hers can never be gone from the lives she touched. Another said a light as bright as Meredith does not burn out. Another thanked Meredith for being her angel, and as she looked at the gathered mourners said, 'I can find peace today knowing Meredith was so very loved.'

Her parents are also planning a smaller service in Colorado.

Gary Michael Hilton is charged with the murder of Emerson, who authorities say was bludgeoned to death three days after she disappeared during a New Year's Day hike.

Florida authorities say the 61-year-old Hilton also is a prime suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found last month in a national forest there.

Attention has been turned to other unsolved killings in the Appalachian mountain region and other parts of north Georgia, as well as Florida.

Duluth Police Encountered Hilton

WSB-TV has learned there are three videotapes of an encounter with Duluth police received by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Friday morning. The encounter happened in July 2006, which gives investigators one more point in their timeline in tracking Gary Hilton’s whereabouts.

“To be that close to someone who is that deadly, it is frightening,” said Bill Taylor. Taylor doesn’t remember seeing Hilton walk past his house or hand out flyers, but knowing Hilton was on his street is bad enough.

“You never know who is going to knock on you door and my mother-in-law does answer the door and she’s pretty helpless so it is scary,” said Taylor.

A neighbor called Duluth police in July 2006 to report Hilton soliciting at the intersection of River Summit Trail and Clearbrooke Way. He was handing out flyers, in which he used his dog Dandy, to advertise for a hardiplank siding business. Police quickly arrived.

“One of the officers thought that Mr. Hilton was extremely uncooperative and would not listen to anything he said. In fact, Mr. Hilton wanted to make a complaint against him,” said Dep. Chief Brian Carney.

WSB-TV Channel 2 obtained part of that complaint from Hilton and he apparently never finished it nor filed it. At least three officers, including a sergeant, were eventually called to the scene.

“He was let go. He was given a verbal warning essentially and told that he wasn’t allowed to solicit in the area and that he’d have to leave the area, which he did,” said Carney.

The entire encounter was captured on three different dashboard cameras, complete with sound from Hilton. The GBI asked Duluth police not to release the tapes to Channel 2.

“The GBI has asked to see those tapes and we have copied them. We kept the masters and sent them to GBI,” said Carney.

The GBI also asked Channel 2 to send them copies of the flyers and the partial complaint letter, which we did. Hilton referred to delivering leaflets as his job, which means he was likely in many north Georgia neighborhoods over the years.

Emerson's Parents Will Adopt Her Dog

The parents of 24-year-old hiker Meredith Emerson will adopt her dog Ella and take her back to their home in Longmont, Colorado.

The black Labrador retriever mix was with Emerson when she disappeared while hiking at Vogel State Park in north Georgia on New Year's Day. Authorities charged 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton with murder in the woman's death after he led them to her body Monday night in a wooded area of Dawson County.

Emerson family spokeswoman Peggy Bailey said during a telephone interview yesterday it was an easy decision for Emerson's parents, Dave and Susan Emerson, to decide to adopt the dog. In Bailey's words the dog is, "a part of Meredith that they'll always have."

The dog was found last Friday wandering around a Kroger parking lot in Cumming. Bailey says she spent a few days being checked out by a veterinarian.

The future of Hilton's dog, Dandy, a reddish Irish Setter, is less certain. He was taken into custody the same day that Ella was found. DeKalb County police officers found the dog with Hilton at a gas station.

Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish says the dog has been staying at a DeKalb County animal shelter in a separate area from the other animals because the dog is considered to be evidence. She says the dog is not eligible to be adopted while the case is being investigated.

Former Employer Set Trap

A former employer of the suspect said Thursday he helped set a trap that may have led to the capture of Gary Michael Hilton.

Hilton called his former boss from a Huddle House in north Georgia just hours before authorities arrived at the building.

John Tabor, who owns a siding company, said Hilton used the restaurant's phone to call him on January 3, shortly before authorities asked employees and customers at the restaurant whether Hilton had been there.

Tabor said that he had already tipped off authorities that he thought Hilton might be Meredith Emerson's kidnapper. When Hilton called, he said he helped set up a trap.

He said Hilton told him he was ready to come back to work and needed some money to get started. Tabor told him he would leave him a check at the office on Clairmont Road in DeKalb County that he could retrieve the following day.

WSB-TV Channel 2 has learned the office was under surveillance.

He said that was the last time he had talked to Hilton, who may have been on his way to the office the next day when he was arrested at a service station cleaning out his van.

The GBI would not comment on the conversation between Hilton and Tabor.