Georgia ? A drifter accused of kidnapping and decapitating a 24-year-old hiker in Georgia is now a suspect in the slaying of a Florida woman whose body was found last month in a national forest, authorities said Wednesday.

Gary Hilton, 61, made his first court appearance after being charged Tuesday with murder in the Georgia case. He was ordered held without bail.

Meredith Emerson died of a blow to the head three days after she disappeared during a New Year’s Day hike, authorities said. An autopsy report said she was decapitated after her death, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which said it was not releasing the report because it is part of an ongoing investigation.

Hilton led investigators to Emerson’s body Monday evening after Georgia prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty against him, officials said. He had already been charged Saturday with kidnapping with intent of bodily injury.

Hilton’s attorney, Neil A. Smith, declined to comment, other than to say the case involved “significant mental health issues.”