Cheryl Dunlap, disappeared from Leon Sinks Geological area, December 1, 2007. Remains found Apalachicola National Forest, December 15, 2007.

Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, 46, disappeared on December 1, 2007, from the Leon Sinks Geological Area in the Apalachicola National Forest, the largest U.S. National Forest in Florida, covering 632,890 acres. She had gone there for a day hike and to read a book, something she did regularly.

Her headless and handless torso was found by hunters on December 15, 2007, in the Apalachicola National Forest. Bone fragments were later recovered from a fire pit.

After the arrest of 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton for the murder of Meredith Emerson following her kidnapping on a hike on Georgia’s Blood Mountain and subsequent death at Hilton’s hands, he was connected with the kidnapping and murder of Cheryl. The cases had very similar profiles - kidnaps whilst hiking, an elderly toothless man spotted in the vicinity, numerous withdrawals from bank ATM and the discovery of headless torsos in nearby forests.

In 2011, Hilton was tried for Cheryl Dunlap's murder and was sentenced to death. He is still on death row at the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida after unsuccessful appeals.

Who was Cheryl Dunlap?

Cheryl Hodges Dunlap, 46, had grown up and lived in Crawfordville, south of Tallahassee, and was a State Registered Nurse.

She had divorced two decades before, so her son Michael went to live with his father, and her other son Jake stayed with her when she moved to the Pensacola area.

Before Cheryl disappeared, she had recently got a job at the Thagard clinic on the Florida State University (FSU) campus, so she moved back to Crawfordfordville while Jake joined the Army. She inherited a shed in Crawfordville from her father, William J “Buddy” Hodges, which she lived in. As money was tight, she rented out a house she owned in another part of town. She lived in the shed with her Chihuahua dog, also called Buddy.

She was a devoted member of the evangelical Christian River of Life Church and taught Sunday School. She has gone on mission trips several times, including to Haiti, Mexico, and China. She was also a graduate of the FIRE School of Ministry in Pensacola. According to Dr. Michael L. Brown, President. “FIRE School of Ministry was birthed in the fires of revival and is grounded in the Word, anointed by the Spirit, passionate for the gospel, and ablaze for God. For more than 20 years, our anointed team has been training, raising up, and sending out world changers who are making a powerful impact for Jesus around the globe. And now, you can join their ranks as we bring our complete two-year program online right into your home!”

Cheryl’s visit to Leon Sinks Geographical area

Cheryl was an avid reader, and one of her favourite spots to read was Leon Sinks Geographical Area. Although her aunt worried about her going alone to the sinks, Cheryl always reassured her that she would be perfectly safe.

On Saturday, December 1, 2007, Cheryl spoke to her friend Kiona Hill between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. and arranged to meet for dinner that evening. After speaking with Kiona, Cheryl drove to the Ameris Bank in Crawfordville, and at 11:17 a.m., she cashed a check for $100. The bank’s video caught her Dunlap as she went through the drive-thru. After that, she headed to Walmart to do some shopping.

Sometime after cashing her check and the shopping trip, she drove her white Toyota Camry to Leon Sinks.

What is and where is Leon Sinks Geological area?

Right off US 319 south of Tallahassee, the Leon Sinks Geological Area contains five miles of trails leading to a series of sinkholes with wildlife, including gophers, tortoises, deer, turkeys, hawks, raccoons, snakes and salamanders. A layer of limestone underlies the land in this area, eroded and dissolved by rainwater and groundwater to form caverns, holes, and tunnels. There is a 3.6-mile Sinkhole Trail to view the numerous sinkholes and geological features, or the 2.8-mile Gum Swamp Trail around a cypress and gum swamp. The 0.5-mile Crossover Trail connects the two trails for a complete 4.4-mile outer loop.

Visitors access Leon Sinks by car from Crawfordville Highway between Crawfordville and Tallahassee, Florida. Leon Sinks has a paved parking lot, with marked parking spots. The parking lot is about 1/8 to 1/4 mile from the road. Leon Sinks is part of the Apalachicola National Forest. It lies about 5.5 miles from the intersection of Crawfordville Highway and Capital Circle in Tallahassee. In the park, there are several wet and dry sinkholes and three hiking trails. The sinkhole trail is 3.1 miles around.

Upon arrival at Leon Sinks, Cheryl hiked to Hammock Sink, which was a fairly short walk from the parking area. Depending on the direction that a person travels (clockwise or counterclockwise), Hammock Sink is one of the first or one of the last sinks on the sinkhole trail. It has a boardwalk that runs around the south and west sides of the sink. Hammock Sink is about ¾ ways around the trail, the entire of which takes 1 ½ to 2 hours to hike.

Given the distance between the parking lot and the road, it is unlikely that a person intending to hike Leon Sinks would park their car on the road. The boardwalk has two areas where visitors can observe turtles and fish. One of the boardwalks has a bench.

A married couple, Michael and Vikki Shirley, hiking the Leon Sinks trail, saw Cheryl at Hammock Sink sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. when they saw her, she was alone. She was sitting on the boardwalk bench and reading a book, and shortly after the couple arrived at Hammock Sink, she got up, tucked the book under her arm and walked past them. Cheryl was conservatively dressed, wearing jeans and a sweater, and the three of them smiled at each other and exchanged pleasantries. The couple saw her again after leaving Hammock Sink to continue their hike. About a ¼ mile down the trail, Cheryl passed them again, going in the opposite direction, carrying her book. It appeared she was heading back to Hammock Sink.

The disappearance of Cheryl Dunlap

Sometime between 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on December 1, Gary Michael Hilton took Cheryl from Leon Sinks. The exact circumstances of how he abducted her are still unclear.

Cheryl was unaware that Hilton had come to Tallahassee and was camping in the Apalachicola National Forest near Leon Sinks. Around Thanksgiving 2007, George Ferguson saw Hilton on LL Wallace Road. He was camping in the vicinity. Hilton asked Ferguson for a jump for his white Chevrolet Astro van because, according to Hilton, it would not crank. Ferguson did not know why Hilton flagged him down because he did not need it. Shawn Matthews also saw Hilton on LL Wallace Road in November 2007, and it looked to Matthews as if Hilton had been there for a while. Hilton told Matthews about a nearby limestone sinkhole. On the afternoon of December 1, 2007, the day Cheryl Dunlap visited Leon Sinks, Celeste Hutchins saw Hilton was on Crawfordville Highway near Cheryl’s location.

Cheryl did not show up for dinner with her friend Kiona Hill on the evening of December 1, 2007, and did not call to cancel. This was very concerning, as she had never failed to call to cancel if she could not make a dinner date. On Sunday, December 2, 2007, Cheryl was not at church. Tanya Land, another friend, discovered that Cheryl had not arrived for work the following day, and she called the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office.

On December 3, Kiona drove to Chery’s property to check her whereabouts, but only the dog was there, and there was no sign of Cheryl.

Tanya spoke to Captain Tim Ganey, who took the missing person’s report on December 3, 2007, at about 10:35 am. Tanya told him that she had seen Cheryl’s Toyota Camry on the side of Crawfordville Highway, and he headed out to locate it. It was parked close to a wooded area, and the right rear tire was flat, but otherwise, the car was undamaged. Examination of the flat tire indicated that something had been intentionally inserted into the side wall of the tire to deflate it. Some sharp object like a knife and it was definitely not a blowout.

Cheryl Dunlap Toyota Camry Crawfordville Highway

Captain Ganey later told the jury at Hilton’s trial that Cheryl’s car was parked in a place he would not have expected it to be, and Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Brian Speigner had “red-tagged” the car a couple of hours before he found it. When a car is red-tagged, the owner has 48-72 hours to move it. Several officers had spotted the car on the days prior to this but had not checked the registration details so there was no reason to connect it to Cheryl Dunlap.

The tracks made by the car were not consistent with those of one that had pulled off the side of the road with a flat tire. Instead, it appeared to Captain Ganey that someone had driven the Camry up near the woods with all four tires intact, and the tire was punctured after the car was parked. The car was parked right near a small trail that went into the woods and led to Leon Sinks.

When the police found the car, Cheryl’s purse was on the driver’s side floorboard. The $100 she had withdrawn from her checking account was not found in her purse or in the car; there was less than $5 in the car.

ATM activity

The day after the disappearance, someone used Cheryl’s ATM card to withdraw money from her account. It was not Cheryl Dunlap. The person who accessed her account had the PIN. The withdrawals all occurred at the Hancock bank on West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee. Three withdrawals were made on three consecutive days from December 2 to December 4, 2007. The first withdrawal took place on the evening of December 2, 2007, at 9:59 p.m., about 30 hours after Hilton took Ms. Dunlap.

Two more withdrawals were made from the bank account: one on December 3, 2007, at 9:54 p.m., and the final withdrawal on December 4, 2007, at 7:08 in the morning. In addition to the three withdrawals totalling $700, two attempted withdrawals were declined because they exceeded permissible limits on ATM withdrawals.

A video camera at the ATM captured images of the man using the ATM card. The man clearly took steps to ensure he could not be identified using the ATM’s video surveillance equipment and was dressed in a long sleeve shirt that appeared to be white with a blue pattern., glasses and a hat., as well as type of holster on his left side.

During the first two withdrawals, the man hid his face by way of a mask. A video analyst from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office testified in court that the mask appeared to be made of layered medical tape. On the last day the man accessed the account, the man covered his face with some type of cloth.

Detectives staked out the ATM location for a week, but the suspect did not return to the bank.

December 3, 2007 ATM withdrawal unidentified masked man Hancock bank on West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee.

On December 10, 2007, Loretta Mayfield saw Gary Hilton at a convenience store on Crawfordville Highway. She testified that Hilton was wearing a blue and white striped shirt and something on his left side—it looked like a large knife holder. She told the jury that the shirt she saw Hilton wearing on December 10, 2007, looked like the same shirt the man who withdrew money from Cheryl Dunlap’s bank account was wearing.

Cheryl’s remains discovered

About 180 people turned out on Saturday, December 8, to search a wooded area near where her car was found but did not locate Cheryl.

Just over two weeks after Cheryl vanished, on December 15, hunters in the Apalachicola National Forest near Bloxham Cutoff Road noticed buzzards in thick mangrove vegetation. On closer inspection, they saw a female corpse. They immediately reported the find, and the sheriff’s office discovered a torso with both hands and the head were missing. It was nude and covered in vegetation but visible, and it was confirmed to be Cheryl. Investigators did not have any clues to the perpetrator. According to the medical examiner, it is likely the body had been in the forest for seven to ten days.

Cheryl Dunlap crime scene torso location Apalachicola Park

On January 9, 2008, investigators found what they believed to be the remains of Cheryl’s head and hands. The bones were found in a fire pit at an area known as the Joe Thomas campsite, which is about 6-7 miles from the area where the torso was found. The bones found in the fire pit were charred and in pieces. The fire that burned the bones was very hot. Leaves on the trees near the fire pit were singed and burned. The medical examiner testified that it was possible Cheryl’s body had lain in the woods since December 1, 2007. however, in his opinion, the body was in the forest for 7-10 days.

The bones were so damaged by the fire that no DNA, not even mitochondrial DNA, could be obtained to determine whether the bones were Cheryl’s head and hands. However, a forensic anthropologist, Dr. Anthony Falsetti, could tell three things about the bones. First, there were two hands represented in the bones. Second, the bones were those of an adult human being. Third, the bones were those of a person with small hands.

Hilton arrested

Following the arrest of Hilton for Meredith Emerson's murder, investigators in Florida and Georgia noted the similarities between the Emerson case and Cheryl’s murder. Both hikers disappeared in national forests, and there were sightings of a man similar in appearance to Gary Hilton. As a National Park employee reported, Hilton had been in the Apalachicola National Forest area. A tip from a man said he had come across an individual who managed Hilton, and he led Sherrif’s s office to a campsite where a fire pit was found, which had ashes and debris later identified as bone fragments of fingers and a skull. Fire damage meant that DNA could not be identified. The poor condition of the body meant that a cause of death could not be determined, but it was thought that blunt force trauma was likely.

Gary Hilton confessed to Cheryl's killing when presented with compelling evidence of his involvement, including his attempted disposal of one of Cheryl's boots at the dumpster at the time he was put into custody.

On February 12, 2008, Sergeant David Graham and Detective Dawn Dennis with the Leon County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant on Hilton while he was in custody in Georgia. Hilton's DNA was collected, and the entire execution of the warrant was recorded. Portions of the recording were played for the jury in later court proceedings.

On June 6, 2008, Sergeant Graham and two other officers drove Hilton from Georgia to Florida. Although Hilton was not questioned, he spoke for nearly the entire five-hour drive, which was recorded. The State also played portions of this recording at trial. Hilton stated:

“I'm not all bad. I mean, you got to understand, I mean, I'm sure you can see. I mean, I'm a [expletive] genius, man. I'm not a—I'm not all bad. I just, you know, lost my mind for a little bit. Lost a grip on myself, man. What can I tell you? FBI and everybody else is trying to scratch their head, hey, guys don't get started doing my shit at 61 years old. It just don't happen, you know. Like there's a retired FBI (indecipherable) named Cliff Van, Clifford Van Zandt, that keeps getting himself in the news, talking about me. And he said, this guy didn't just fall off the turnip truck, he said. You know, in other words, he's been doing this. But like I told you before, you know, when I saw you before, I said, remember, I said I'd give you one for free. Nothing before September, okay? I mean, I'm not joking, okay? I just, I got old and sick and couldn't make a living and just lost, flat lost my [expletive] mind for a while, man. I couldn't get a grip on it.”

Court proceedings

On February 28, 2008, a Leon County grand jury indicted Gary Michael Hilton for the first-degree murder of Cheryl Dunlap between December 1 and December 15, 2007, kidnapping, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and grand theft of currency. Hilton pleaded not guilty on March 14, 2008. Hilton proceeded to a jury trial commencing on February 2, 2011.

As well as the other witnesses who had seen Hilton near the location where Cheryl disappeared, the prosecution called others to confirm Hilton was in the area. Loretta Mayfield saw Hilton at a convenience store on Crawfordville Highway on December 10, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. and on December 11, 2007, Stephen Prosser saw him in the Apalachicola National Forest. On December 12, 2007, Michael Travis saw Hilton in the Apalachicola National Forest near the Bloxham cut-off. On December 14, 2007, Stephen saw Hilton in the forest again about ½ mile from where he had seen him a few days before. Teresa Johnson saw Hilton on December 18, 2007, in Bristol, Florida, about 20 miles from where Cheryl was found. Hilton told Teresa that she looked like Cheryl Dunlap and that it was “too bad” about that girl getting murdered.

The penalty phase began on February 17, 2011, during which the state called Clay Bridges of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Agent Bridges testified about Hilton's prior felony conviction-the murder of Emerson in Georgia to which Hilton pleaded guilty. The State played Hilton's taped conversation with law enforcement where he described kidnapping Emerson, holding her captive, and stripping her body naked to remove DNA and fiber evidence. He also stated that “you either kill them or you get caught.”

Hilton presented four expert witnesses who testified regarding his psychological condition: Dr. Joseph Wu, a psychiatrist and clinical director of the Brain Imaging Center at the University of California, Irvine; Dr. Charles Golden, a clinical neuropsychologist performing neuropsychological testing and examinations; Dr. Abbey Strauss, a psychiatrist with special expertise in psychopharmacology; and Dr. William Morton, a board certified psychiatric pharmacist and professor; and nine lay witnesses. The State then called Dr. Greg Prichard in rebuttal.

On February 21, 2011, the jury recommended unanimously that Gary Hilton be sentenced to death for the murder of Cheryl Dunlap.

The trial court held the Spencer1 hearing on April 7, 2011. The State presented three victim impact witnesses: (1) Ms. Emma Blount, the victim's aunt; (2) Laura Walker, the victim's best friend; and (3) Gloria Tucker, the victim's cousin. Hilton presented no witnesses.

The trial court found that the State had proven six aggravators beyond a reasonable doubt. Assigning weight to each aggravator, the trial court found: (1) the defendant was previously convicted of a violent felony (great weight); (2) the murder was committed in the course of a kidnapping (great weight); (3) the murder was committed to avoid arrest (moderate weight); (4) the murder was committed for pecuniary gain (some weight); (5) the murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel (HAC) (great weight); and (6) the murder was cold, calculated, and premeditated (CCP) (great weight).

The court also considered and weighed each mitigating circumstance proposed by Hilton and found one statutory mental mitigating factor-at the time of the murder Hilton was under extreme emotional distress (some weight). Under the catch-all provision, the trial court considered ten mitigating factors, finding that Hilton established eight of them and rejecting two. The court found: (1) Hilton grew up in an abusive household (some weight); (2) Hilton abused drugs, specifically Ritalin (some weight); (3) Hilton was deprived of a relationship with his biological father (moderate weight); (4) Hilton is already serving a life sentence so society is protected (some weight); (5) Hilton served his country in the U.S. military (very little weight); (6) Hilton suffered maternal deprivation and lack of bonding between mother and child (some weight); (7) Hilton was removed from his home and put into foster care when he was a child (some weight); (8) Hilton grew up in a financially poor family (not proven); (9) Hilton suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child (some weight); and (10) Hilton suffers from severe mental defects (not proven).

On April 21, 2011, the trial court followed the jury's unanimous recommendation and sentenced Hilton to death. The court found beyond a reasonable doubt that the aggravators outweighed the mitigators.

The state called over forty witnesses. Hilton’s defense team moved for a judgment of acquittal on all counts, but the court denied the motion . On February 15, 2011, contrary to his pleas, a Leon county jury found Hilton guilty of one count of first degree murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of grand theft. The jury found Hilton not guilty of stealing Dunlap’s car. By way of a special interrogatory, the jury found Hilton guilty of both felony and premeditated murderOn April 21, 2011, the trial court followed the jury’s unanimous recommendation and sentenced Hilton to death. The court found, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the aggravators outweighed the mitigators. (TR Vol. 12, page 2364). On May 4, 2011, Hilton filed a notice of appeal. On January 20, 2012, Hilton filed his initial brief. This is the State’s answer brief.

Despite Hilton’s protestations to the contrary at trial, there was much to link Hilton to Cheryl’s kidnapping and murder, apart from the various sightings of Hilton in and around the area where her body was found. First, around 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. on December 1, 2007, the dayCheryl was kidnapped Celeste Hutchins saw Ms. Dunlap’s white Camry on the side of Crawfordville Highway. She saw Hilton rummaging around in Cheryl Dunlap’s car. Hilton’s bayonet was recovered in Georgia. An expert in tool mark identification testified that, in his opinion, it was Hilton’s bayonet that punctured the car tire Hutchins originally picked another man from a photo lineup, but Hilton was not in the line-up. She testified that she knew later the man she picked out was not the man she saw at the car and Hilton was, for certain. Numerous items collected from the car and Hilton’s possessions, van, and two principal campsites, including the Joe Thomas campsite where the head and hands were found, linked Hilton to the murder. For example, Hilton’s DNA was found on a cigarette butt found at the Joe Thomas campsite. A palmetto piece was found in Hilton’s van. Palmetto leaves covered Cherly’s body.

When Hilton’s van was searched upon arrest, among the many items found in the van were nicotine gum packs and allergy medication blister packs. In a statement to law enforcement officers, Hilton complained about his sinus condition and the need to take over the counter sinus medications. These same types of medications were found at both of Hilton’s campsites. Beads, from a necklace or bracelet, were found in Cheryl’s car, in and around the burn pit at the Joe Thomas campsite, and in Hilton’s backpack.

Hilton also talked about murdering Cheryl Dunlap while he was in the Leon County jail. A jail officer overheard the conversations that Hilton had with another inmate, Fred Summers. Jail Officer Caleb Wynn testified that Hilton told Summers he had spent hours or a few days with Dunlap. Hilton described Dunlap as a Sunday school teacher who plenty of guys must have wanted. Hilton told Summers that if the State gave him life, he would answer all of the questions that Willie Meggs had, including how he pulled it off on the busy Crawfordville Highway, where the head and hands were, and how he put the bayonet in her tyre.

On December 3, 2007, two days after Hilton kidnapped Cheryl, Hilton made a video of himself (perhaps unintentionally). He was in his van and talking to his dog, Dandy and he told the dog that they were going to the park. Hilton told Dandy that he “got to go hide this somewhere else.” Hilton bragged that “I killed them with (unintelligible) yeah. Killed those bitches. I killed them (unintelligible)”.

Finally, DNA discovered on several items that were found among Hilton’s possessions and on the body, established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Hilton kidnapped and murdered Cheryl Dunlap. Jo Ellen Brown testified at trial about the DNA results. The first item of significance was a pair of Hi-tec (HighTech) boots. The boots were found in a Dumpster after Stephen Shaw saw Hilton, who appeared to have something in his hands, walk around to the back of a convenience store in the direction of the store’s Dumpsters. Shaw called the police and GBI agent Mitchell Posey, along with other Georgia law enforcement officials, and recovered numerous items from the dumpster. Both Hilton and Cheryl Dunlap’s DNA was found on the Hi-tec boots and Brown found mixtures of DNA consistent with two people, Gary Hilton and Cheryl Dunlap. Cheryl Dunlap’s DNA was found on the shoestring of the right boot. The chance of the DNA belonging to another individual was 1 in 63 million Caucasians. A black duffel bag found with Hilton when he was arrested in Georgia contained DNA that included Hilton and Cheryl. Brown got results at 12 of 13 loci for Dunlap’s DNA. DNA found on the swabs from Dunlap’s thighs was very degraded. Nonetheless, . Brown found foreign DNA on the swabs. Hilton could not be excluded from donating the foreign DNA found on Chery’s thighs. Finally, Ms. Brown found Cheryl Dunlap’s DNA on three items recovered in, or just outside, Hilton’s van after he was arrested. The first item was a pair of blue pants found in Hilton’s van. The chance of the DNA belonging to someone other than Cheryl was 1 in 29 quadrillion Caucasians. The second item was a purple sleeping bag found just outside Hilton’s van. The sleeping bag tested positive for blood and Cheryl Dunlap was included as a contributor to the DNA found on the purple sleeping bag,

Hilton’s DNA was also found on the same sleeping bag. Dunlap’s DNA on Hilton’s boots, sleeping bags, and pants, along with all the other evidence introduced at trial, unquestionably proved Hilton kidnapped and murdered Cheryl Dunlap.

In 2011, Hilton was tried for Cheryl Dunlap's murder and was sentenced to death.

Further reading and listening

Trails of Death: The True Story of National Forest Serial Killer Gary Hilton by Fred Rosen

TrueCrime Garage National Forest Serial Killer /// Part 1 /// 77

TrueCrime Garage National Forest Serial Killer /// Part 2 /// 78

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Sinks.

https://fireschoolofministry.com/about-fsm/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1626090.html

https://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/sc11-898/11-898Ans.pdf

The Terrifying Case of Gary Michael Hilton, the National Forest Serial Killer: Part 2 Cheryl Dunlap