24 MAY 2026 By Sherry Sklar It is said that fate is written in the stars, and that each one of us mirrors the universe, guided on a path. For Bryan Patrick Miller, a Valley cosplayer known as the “Zombie Hunter,” this reckoning arrived through familial DNA sequencing, which traced his family tree from North Carolina to North Phoenix and ended at the edge of a canal path. The answers to one of the Valley’s most infamous cold cases came long after the events themselves, and justice emerged through tenacity and innovative detective work. Ret i red Phoen i x Police Department detective and Arcadia resident Troy A. Hillman published his book, “Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter,” which chronicles his time heading the cold case homicide unit within the Violent Crimes Division. Hillman assembled a team of elite detectives and outside experts to solve a haunting case that had gone unanswered for decades. His determination to find answers stayed with him long after the criminal was brought to justice. Written over five years, the book marks the beginning of a new chapter in Hillman’s career as an author. The case at the center of Hillman’s book involved the deaths of two young women, 22-year-old Angela Brosso and 17-year-old Melanie Bernas, discovered months apart along the Arizona Canal in the early 1990s. Though investigators quickly determined the crimes were connected, years passed without answers. The book vividly recounts the details step by step. Yet its deeper focus is on what unfolds over time: the forensic genealogy that points them in the right direction, the psychology behind profiling, the patience required to revisit old evidence, and the conviction that justice, however delayed, still matters. “It was like drinking water through a fire hose,” Hillman said. Fighting tooth and nail to assemble the resources needed to move ahead, Hillman often felt he was swimming against the tide of bureaucracy. He even started his own nonprofit, “Cold Case Investigators Association in Arizona,” to help communicate information among police professionals. His approach was systematic, with agility more often found in the private sector. Hillman followed a circuitous path into the sleuthing profession through a spreadsheet. He moved to the Valley in his early twenties, leaving behind the staid accounting profession as a certified public accountant and fraud specialist to join the Phoenix Police Department’s financial crimes division. The warm weather and palm trees were a bonus, providing a strong contrast to freezing winters. Moving laterally, he joined the Violent Crimes Division and, in 2008, started the cold case squad. “We produced a formula for managing and working these cases, and we were solving about 12 to 15 cases per year in our heyday, dating back to the 70s,” he said. “And that’s significant, when we were up against about 2,500 cold cases, but we were still making progress.” Hillman spent his police career working the ins and outs of the force, with the Canal Murders – which reopened in 2011 and were solved in 2015 – among his toughest and most high- profile cases. Bryan Patrick Miller was found guilty after an extensive trial and currently sits on death row awaiting his appeals. Hillman retired from the force in late 2021 to enjoy Arcadia life with his wife and two young daughters. He is an advocate through his platform and serves as a volunteer expert for The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children and on the Silent Witness Board. He often presents at national conferences, highlighting the need for increased staffing, funding, and a coordinated national network. “Violent crime, particularly against women, remains a serious concern,” he said. “We have a huge problem, and nobody seems to want to confront it.” Hillman estimates he was responsible for resolving at least 100 cases, which brings him pride. Behind his desk hangs a sign reading “Cold Cases Matter®,” which inspired the book. His desire to provide families with the answers they deserve drove him. “We could have easily listened to naysayers and agreed, ‘yes, the canal murderer is probably dead; let’s work on the other 2,498 cases we have,’” Hillman said. “We ended up solving what people said was unsolvable.” He asserts, “It’s important work, and this case is a prime example of why cold cases matter.” troyhillmancoldcase.com simonandschuster.com Retired detective revisits real Valley case in new book Ret i red Phoen i x Police Department detective and Arcadia resident Troy A. Hillman published his book, “Chasing Down the Zombie Hunter,” which chronicles his time heading the cold case homicide unit within the Violent Crimes Division. Hillman assembled a team of elite detectives and outside experts to solve a haunting case that had gone unanswered for decades. His determination to find answers stayed with him long after the criminal was brought to justice. Written over five years, the book marks often felt he was swimming against the tide of bureaucracy. He even started his own nonprofit, “Cold Case Investigators Association in Arizona,” to help communicate information among police professionals. more often found in the private sector. Hillman followed a circuitous path into the sleuthing freezing winters. Moving laterally, he joined the Violent Crimes Division and, in 2008, started the Troy A. Hillman By Lorelai Hampton While many come to Camelback Mountain to take in the views, the Camelback Cleanup Crew is there to give back to the place they call home. This team of Arcadia neighbors and nonprofits come together to help clean up the area and create a sense of community. Scott Zielinski, a board member of the Arcadia Camelback Mountain Neighborhood Association (ACMNA), has been part of the group since its first meetup about five years ago. The ACMNA created the Camelback Cleanup Crew that runs from 44th Street over to 64th Street as part of the Adopt a Street program. “We’re just all about keeping Arcadia’s charm true and intact. It’s designed as an activity for the neighbors,” Zielinski said. At that first meet-up, Zielinski was the person who brought the most participants – since then, every fall and spring, he has been promoting meetups. At the most recent clean up in April, 22 community members participated, allowing the group to expand its regular route. “We meet at Shemer at around eight a.m. on a Saturday and we have different sections that we divide up and conquer,” Zielinski said. “We use neon vests and pickers and trash bags.” Some outreach members on the board started door-knocking to help spread the word on the cleanups. The City of Phoenix provides the group with all the materials needed for a successful event. “The overall response has been extremely positive. We’ve had people actually see us out there and ask how they can participate,” Zielinski said. He’s had dreams of living in Arcadia since he was in college, and was fortunate enough to end up here. He describes it as a “sense of community,” the perfect place to raise his kids, and wants to give back wherever he can. The future vision for the group is to continue the outreach and increase participation. Zielinski said he would like to identify areas in the community that need additional help to “overall participate at a higher level.” He mentioned that some areas aren’t being picked up by any Adopt a Street, and places where there’s less community outreach, which he would like to address as the group grows. acmna.org ACMNA + volunteers help keep Camelback clean Clean-up Crew volunteers canvas Camelback Road from 44th to 64th Streets. PHOTO COURTESY OF ACMNA

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