John and Irene Bryant formerly from Skaneateles
Tragic end for 'unique' couple
By MIKE WILLIAMS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/16/08
Irene Bryant was 84; her husband would've turned 80 in late October.

But their love of nature ended in tragedy, authorities say, when the Bryants apparently crossed paths with Gary Michael Hilton. Police suspect the 61-year-old drifter encountered them just 20 miles from their home after the Bryants drove out for a hike in Pisgah National Forest at the peak of the fall color season in October.

Irene Bryant's body was found three weeks later, covered with a few twigs and leaves, just 50 paces from where the couple had parked their Ford Escape on Yellow Gap Road. She died of blunt trauma to the head.

Jack Bryant's body has not been found, but a few days after they went missing, someone used their ATM card to withdraw $300 from a bank in Ducktown, Tenn...