John Bryant autopsy reveals gunshot

An autopsy report released this week revealed John Bryant died from a gunshot to his head after being taken from Pisgah National Forest where he had been hiking with his wife.

Bryant was killed by a gunshot wound to the right top portion of his head, according to the autopsy.

Confessed murderer Gary Michael Hilton is the prime suspect in the murder of Bryant and his wife, Irene. Mr. Bryant appears to be the first shooting victim authorities connected to Hilton.

Now that a firearm has come into play, the case may hold more precedence to be tried federally.

Whether a case involving homicide on federal lands is first tried in state or federal courts depends on a complex set of variables. Such cases involve what is known as “concurrent jurisdiction” where both federal and state officials hold authority. When a homicide is committed in a national forest, park or Indian reservation, law officers from both state and federal agencies usually meet to compare notes, except in certain cases where the federal government has clear jurisdiction. Examples include federal gun laws.

Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney referred all questions about the Bryant case and the autopsy results to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Calls made to the U.S. Attorney’s Office were not returned Friday. Bryant’s remains were discovered by a hunter in February in the Nantahala National Forest.

His body was found off West Old Murphy Road, about five miles from U.S. 64 between Franklin and Clayton.

Medical examiners used Mr. Bryant’s pacemaker to identify his body. The autopsy reported the presence of unfired but partially opened red shotgun shells containing birdshot and a piece of wire, small fragments of paper-like material and vegetation.

The site where Mr. Bryant’s body was discovered appeared to be an illegal dumping ground.

Hilton, 61, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in Georgia for the murder of Meredith Emerson.

The body of Mrs. Bryant, 84, was found Nov. 9 near the Pink Beds Picnic Area in Pisgah National Forest.

The couple’s ATM card was used in Ducktown, Tenn., the day after their disappearance. Mr. Bryant’s remains were found at a location in the direct route between Pisgah National Forest and Ducktown, authorities said. A judge cleared the way earlier this month for Hilton to be extradited to Florida, where he faces the death penalty in the slaying and decapitation of Cheryl Dunlap.