Dandy, the reddish golden retriever that belonged to 61-year-old Gary Michael Hilton, has been adopted into a new home. The Northern Judicial Public Defender, H. Bradford Morris, says Hilton was concerned that his dog have a good home.

Hilton is serving a life sentence in the death of Emerson, who disappeared on New Year's Day while hiking with her dog at Blood Mountain in northeast Georgia.

Authorities believe Hilton's dog was with him when he kidnapped Emerson and probably the day he killed her.
The dog's new owner is someone close to the case who offered to take the dog. Morris says Hilton did not know the person before the killing and that the person does not want to be identified.

Emersons' parents took her black Labrador retriever mix, Ella, back to Colorado to live with them.

Authorities are investigating Hilton's possible connection to deaths in Florida and North Carolina.