Rossana Miliani

Rossana Miliani was a 26-year-old woman from Miami, Florida, who loved the outdoors and had plans to hike the Appalachian Trail. Known to loved ones by the nickname "Sassy," she had a tattoo of a lotus flower with Chinese letters on her back and a small birthmark on her chin. Rossana suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but she was independent and adventurous. In early December 2005, she traveled from South Florida to the mountains of western North Carolina for a vacation, a trip from which she would never return.

On the morning of December 7, 2005, Rossana called her father, Anibal Miliani, from a Ramada Inn on Painttown Road in Cherokee, North Carolina, telling him she was about to go hiking. That same day, she was seen in the nearby town of Bryson City, where she rented a small space at Ye Olde Mini Storage on River Street. A pivotal sighting occurred at a local general store, where a clerk remembered Rossana with an older man, described as being in his 60s with graying hair at his temples. The man, who claimed to be a traveling preacher who ministered at campsites, purchased a sleeping bag or a backpack. The clerk later recalled that Rossana appeared nervous during the transaction. This was the last confirmed time anyone saw Rossana Miliani.

When Rossana failed to make contact, her family reported her missing two weeks later. The investigation that followed involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Swain County Sheriff's Office, the Bryson City Police Department, and authorities in Florida. Investigators learned that Rossana had arrived with a large beige suitcase, a matching carry-on, a laptop, a camera, and a cell phone, none of which have ever been found. Her bank account remained untouched after her disappearance. For years, her father tirelessly pursued answers, hiring a private investigator to help find his daughter.

The case took a significant turn years later. In December 2007, after reading a newspaper article about the second anniversary of Rossana's disappearance, the store clerk who had seen her with the older man contacted the private investigator. In 2009, a composite sketch of the man was released. The sketch bore a strong resemblance to Gary Michael Hilton, a drifter who was arrested in January 2008 for the murder of another hiker. Known as the "National Forest Serial Killer," Hilton preyed on hikers in national parks across the southeastern United States.

Hilton was ultimately convicted of murdering 24-year-old Meredith Emerson in Georgia in 2007 and was a suspect in several other slayings. He later pleaded guilty to the 2007 murders of John and Irene Bryant in North Carolina and was sentenced to death in Florida for the 2007 murder of Cheryl Hodges Dunlap. The man seen with Rossana fit Hilton’s description and modus operandi, and he was known to frequent the very areas where Rossana vanished. The store clerk’s description of the man’s behavior and his claim of being a traveling preacher were consistent with Hilton’s methods of gaining trust.

Despite the strong circumstantial evidence and the striking resemblance to the police sketch, Gary Michael Hilton was never charged in connection with Rossana Miliani's case. When questioned, he refused to speak about her disappearance. Anibal Miliani, Rossana's father, expressed his belief that Hilton was the man who was with his daughter on her last day, but without a confession or definitive proof, the link remains unconfirmed in the eyes of the law.

As of the latest reports, Rossana Miliani’s case remains an open and unsolved endangered missing person case, with foul play strongly suspected. The investigation is still active, handled by the Asheville Police Department, the Swain County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina, and the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida. Her family continues to wait for closure, holding out hope that someone will come forward with the information needed to finally bring Rossana home and secure justice for her.