Blairsville — The search for a 24-year-old Buford hiker will resume after daybreak today in the North Georgia mountains, but authorities fear the worst after finding three blood-soaked fleece shirts they believe belonged to Meredith Emerson.

Family members were told by authorities Saturday night "the chances are slim to none that she's alive," said Peggy Bailey, a spokeswoman for Emerson's family.

Shortly afterward, at about 5 p.m. Saturday, Gary Michael Hilton, the 61-year-old man police say was the last person seen with Emerson, was charged with kidnapping with bodily injury. He arrived at the Union County Jail at 9 p.m. Saturday.

In the arrest warrant, among other evidence, police revealed that surveillance photos taken at a Regions Bank in Canton showed "an individual attempting to use a credit card belonging to Emerson. The individual was determined to be Gary Michael Hilton."

As GBI spokesman John Bankhead made the announcement of Hilton's arrest at a news conference near the scene of the search, family and friends broke into tears. They huddled together, crying and consoling each other.

"This is a search and recovery mission," Bankhead said. Asked whether he believed Emerson was still alive, he said, "It does not look favorable for that."

Emerson, a sales manager for a Winder packaging company, has been missing since New Year's Day when the avid hiker told friends she was taking her black Labrador mix, Ella, to Freeman Trail, a popular hiking trail that leads to the Appalachian Trail.

The case gained national attention when other New Year's Day hikers reported seeing Hilton walking with Emerson along the trail the day of her disappearance. Hilton also had a dog with him at the time. A police-style baton was also found in the mountains, the same kind "Hilton was known to carry" during hikes, according to the arrest warrant.

Friday afternoon, as frustrated searchers continued their hunt for Emerson 90 miles away, her dog turned up at a Cumming-area Kroger parking lot. It was confirmed to be Emerson's dog through a microchip implant.

Also Friday, after two days of searching for him, DeKalb County police found Hilton at a convenience store along Ashford-Dunwoody Road and brought him in for questioning.

He has not been cooperative, authorities said.

In a dumpster beside the QuikTrip convenience store, near Kroger at Ga. Highway 306 and Freedom Parkway, they also made four key discoveries, according to the arrest warrant:

• A portion of an automobile seat belt "with apparent blood transfer stains." According to the warrant, the rear seat belt in Hilton's 2001 Chevrolet Astro van had been cut out. The warrant also stated, "Hilton was attempting to vacuum the vehicle and wash portions of it with a bleach and water solution."

• Emerson's black leather wallet, which included her driver's license and University of Georgia student ID card.

• Agents determined Hilton had placed a call from a pay phone at the QuikTrip on Friday.

• Three fleece tops, "found to contain substantial amounts of human blood."

It was a cold day when Emerson, known for her love of the outdoors, went hiking. Snow had fallen. Friends said she'd been wearing warm clothes, including a fleece jacket.

Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said it won't be known for certain whether the garments found in the dumpster belong to Emerson until blood tests come back from the GBI. Authorities felt confident in proceeding with charges because Emerson's wallet, which had her driver's license and University of Georgia student ID inside, was in the same dumpster as the blood-stained clothes.

"There were no signs of trauma to the clothing, but it was covered with blood," Paxton said.

Little is known about Hilton. He has been convicted of two felonies — one for the possession and distribution of marijuana, another for theft by taking. The address listed for Hilton on the warrant is 4169 Clairmont Road in Chamblee.

A Union County Superior Court judge signed the arrest warrant for Hilton late Saturday afternoon. The GBI picked him up at about 7 p.m. and drove him to the Union County Jail in Blairsville, Ergas said.

Earlier Saturday, Hilton was taken into the custody of U.S. Marshals on an outstanding bench warrant. The warrant was issued several months ago when Hilton did not appear in federal court on a charge of abandoning property in a national park.

His transfer to Union County most likely means Hilton will face the state charges before he is taken to federal court to answer the bench warrant. His first hearing will be Monday before a judge in Blairsville, said Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Stan Gunter.

Meanwhile, the search continues. Bailey said Emerson's family was "devastated" by Saturday's developments, but, "They still want to find her. They're not going to have any closure until she's found."

Searchers have covered 401 square miles since Wednesday but spent most of Saturday afternoon concentrated in a five-square-mile area of rugged terrain in the Chattahoochee National Forest, near where Emerson's 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier was discovered Wednesday.

"We haven't seen anything," said Denny Little, 54, one of the professional searchers. "We're not sure what we're looking for. It's one of those things where you'll know it when you see it."

Searchers planned to return early today to begin day 5 of their hunt, which has turned from hopeful to somber.

Said Bailey, the family spokeswoman: "It hits home that this has turned into a recovery effort."