The Silent Forest’s Secret: How a Hiker’s Shelter Revealed a Decade-Old Double Murder

For eleven years, the story of Mark Wilson (34) and his pregnant wife, Clare (28), was one of the most haunting unsolved mysteries of the Appalachian Trail. They were a happy, responsible couple from Atlanta, taking one last romantic hike before the arrival of their son. They vanished in October 2012, leaving behind only an untouched car and an agonizing silence that consumed their loved ones.

In October 2023, that silence was shattered. A tourist seeking shelter from the rain stumbled upon a loose patch of soil beneath a dilapidated shed near Blood Mountain. The discovery beneath that soil was devastating: two skeletons, the smaller one belonging to Clare, lying on her side, her arms clutched protectively around the spot where her six-month-old child lay.

The case that had baffled search parties and investigators for over a decade was suddenly, horrifyingly, solved.

The Last Hike

In 2012, Mark, a software engineer, and Clare, a history teacher, chose the southern part of the Appalachian Trail for a weekend getaway. Mark was an experienced hiker, and Clare, six months pregnant, had medical clearance for light activity. Their route was moderate and well-marked, seemingly safe.

They parked their Jeep at the trailhead near Neil Gap on Friday, October 19th. Their last contact was a brief, cheerful phone call from Mark to his mother at 5:00 PM, confirming they were six miles in and doing well. By 8:00 PM, their phones went silent, disappearing in the area of Blood Mountain.

The search began the following Monday. Their car was found exactly where they left it, their wallets and documents untouched—ruling out a robbery. Search parties covered hundreds of square miles, following a faint trail that quickly went cold. There were no signs of a fall, a severe storm, or any natural disaster. Investigators entertained theories of a voluntary disappearance or a fatal accident, but the former was quickly dismissed, and the latter made little sense given Mark’s experience.

After two weeks, the active search ceased. Mark and Clare Wilson became yet another tragic, unsolved legend of the Appalachian Trail.

The Forensic Breakthrough

The remains, found by math teacher Jason Moore 11 years later, were carefully exhumed. Forensic experts confirmed the bodies belonged to the Wilsons. The examination immediately shifted the case from a mystery to a murder:

Clare’s body showed multiple fractures to the skull, consistent with a strong blow from a blunt object, and defensive fractures on her forearm. The six-month pregnancy was confirmed.
Mark’s body had a cracked skull and clear evidence of knife wounds, including cuts on his ribs and forearm bones.

Both had died a violent death. They had been deliberately buried beneath an old, abandoned hunting shelter, a location so secluded that it had escaped all previous searches.

The investigation’s focus turned to identifying the killer. Found near the bodies were several old items, including an army flask engraved with the initials “BJ.” Fingerprints recovered from the metal surface led to the breakthrough. The prints belonged to Brandon Jerry, 48, a former military man living in an old trailer just twenty miles from the discovery site.

Jerry had a criminal record, including a 2011 arrest for assaulting a hiker on a local trail, a case that had been dismissed due to lack of evidence.

The Killer’s Chilling Testimony

When investigators arrived at Jerry’s cluttered trailer, they found him calm and unsurprised. He silently let them in, where they discovered his chilling “observation diary”—notebooks filled with maps, photos, and notes on people he saw on the trails. An entry from October 2012 confirmed the victims: “Two, a man and a woman. She was screaming. They were disturbing the piece. They came at the wrong time.”

At the police station, Brandon Jerry agreed to testify without a lawyer, speaking about the double murder with a shocking, cold detachment.

He described himself as the self-appointed “guardian” of that secluded part of the forest. On the evening of October 19, 2012, he was at the abandoned shelter when he heard voices. Mark and Clare had strayed from the main trail and desperately sought shelter.

Clare was in distress. She was having contractions, tired, and in pain. Mark was trying to help her and futilely calling for help on his disconnected phone.

Instead of offering aid, Jerry decided the couple was an intrusion. He told investigators: “He couldn’t let them stay. He decided that they were disturbing the peace of the forest, that a pregnant woman screaming and crying was bringing bad energy to his place.”

He retrieved a rock and struck Clare on the head as she lay on the ground. When Mark lunged to defend his wife, Jerry took out a knife and stabbed him several times. He then buried the bodies, covered them with a tarp, and later burned all their belongings—backpacks, tent, and phones—to destroy all evidence.

Justice for Mark, Clare, and Their Unnamed Son

A psychiatric examination found Brandon Jerry to be sane, despite signs of paranoid personality disorder. He understood the illegality of his actions and was responsible for them. The fact that he meticulously concealed the crime for 11 years proved his capacity for control.

The trial began in May 2024. Jerry sat emotionless, while Mark and Clare’s parents endured the agony of hearing the full truth of their children’s last moments. The prosecution presented the army flask, the DNA evidence, the exhumation results, and Jerry’s own terrifying, unrepentant testimony.

The jury quickly returned a verdict of Guilty on two counts of first-degree murder.

Brandon Jerry was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

After 11 years of agonizing limbo, Mark and Clare’s parents were finally able to bury their children. They interred the couple together in a family plot near Atlanta, adding one final, heartbreaking detail to the tombstone: the name of the child they never got to hold, a life extinguished before it could even begin. The abandoned shelter that hid the crime for so long has been demolished, and the site now rests silently, allowing the forest to slowly reclaim the ground.