The Not-So-Happy Ending
Long before the sun rose yesterday I was standing at the base of Blood Mountain. Perhaps today would be the day we could give the family some answers about Meredith Emerson, as this search would span five counties. I was the OIC for MEDDET, which wasn't bad since there was only one other soldier there from MEDDET! I think I can manage to be in charge of that many! Then the search teams were assigned, and low and behold, who was named Team Leader for DOD Team 1? Yup...me. We finally received our maps and objectives and set out for the day. We were way back in Cooper's Gap, Lumpkin County, and others that I think were so far back they didn't have names! We searched an area called Flatland Road, which must be somebody's feeble attempt at a joke. I had to switch the Jeep into 4 wheel drive at one point to get out. There were several remote campsites to search and a couple of old church cemeteries, as they are looking at a link to another murder in which the victim was found in a cemetery. I must admit that some of the scenery was beautiful, as we alternately found ourselves high on mountain cliffs and way down in deep valleys. We searched up to a mountain top cemetery where the terrain was so steep that we felt like we would surely fall over if we stood up straight.
We finally completed searches of all three objectives, tagging a couple of things for the GBI to go back and examine. Our teams were the last to report back to the command post at Vogel State Park. The major who was in charge of the DOD personnel called to report our safe return to our colonel. He told me later that he told COL Hightower that "all of our search teams have returned safely, 18 soldiers and 1 lady." He said the colonel called me by name. That was a nice compliment. We learned that the family had been walking Meredith Emerson's dog around, and our road guards had gotten to play with her for a minute. She had been taken out to see if she could locate the scent of her owner, but without success. After a nice hot supper I headed the Jeep toward home around 6:45 PM.
Mama called me around 8 PM to say there had been a news flash on the television saying the young woman's body had been found. I watched the press conference at 10 PM, which stated that the suspect himself had led the GBI agents to her body at 7:30 in a remote area of Dawson Forest, which was a little south of where our team had searched. I wish there could have been a happier end to this story, but at least the family doesn't have to wonder any more about where she is. I heard a quote from one of her friends on the news saying, "Meredith walked up a mountain and met God."
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As a sad note on this issue, the preliminary autopsy results were announced this evening. Meredith was thought to have been alive as of Friday, 04 January. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, after which she was decapitated. The monster struck a deal with the authorities not to seek the death penalty in exchange for him cooperating and leading them to her body. Thank God he is behind bars, and I pray he won't ever roam free again.
We finally completed searches of all three objectives, tagging a couple of things for the GBI to go back and examine. Our teams were the last to report back to the command post at Vogel State Park. The major who was in charge of the DOD personnel called to report our safe return to our colonel. He told me later that he told COL Hightower that "all of our search teams have returned safely, 18 soldiers and 1 lady." He said the colonel called me by name. That was a nice compliment. We learned that the family had been walking Meredith Emerson's dog around, and our road guards had gotten to play with her for a minute. She had been taken out to see if she could locate the scent of her owner, but without success. After a nice hot supper I headed the Jeep toward home around 6:45 PM.
Mama called me around 8 PM to say there had been a news flash on the television saying the young woman's body had been found. I watched the press conference at 10 PM, which stated that the suspect himself had led the GBI agents to her body at 7:30 in a remote area of Dawson Forest, which was a little south of where our team had searched. I wish there could have been a happier end to this story, but at least the family doesn't have to wonder any more about where she is. I heard a quote from one of her friends on the news saying, "Meredith walked up a mountain and met God."
__________________________________
As a sad note on this issue, the preliminary autopsy results were announced this evening. Meredith was thought to have been alive as of Friday, 04 January. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, after which she was decapitated. The monster struck a deal with the authorities not to seek the death penalty in exchange for him cooperating and leading them to her body. Thank God he is behind bars, and I pray he won't ever roam free again.
posted by Jennifer at 7:33 AM
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