Murder suspect with stolen ID called 911 pretending to be hiker who fell off cliff running from a bear: Deputies

In a case with several layers of alleged deception, Tennessee authorities say a man called 911 claiming to be a hiker who fell off a cliff while running from a bear. But Monroe County investigators said that while they did find a dead body, this was not the real caller.

The caller was actually Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, they said. He is now wanted for first-degree murder out of Monroe County.

The suspect, who is known for allegedly using various aliases, also has a criminal history. He was sentenced in 2012 to 20 years in prison after being charged with holding a man at gunpoint, trying to hit him with a baseball bat, and attempting to bury him alive, according to AL.com. In that case, he used the alias Joshua Jones at one point.

Now he’s on the lam, authorities say.

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Authorities say that on Oct. 18, at approximately 11:34 a.m., Monroe County’s E-911 got a call transferred from their Polk County counterparts regarding a “distressed hiker” who claimed to be a man by the name of Brandon Andrade.

“He advised the dispatcher that he had fallen off a cliff while running from a bear,” they wrote. “The distressed caller claimed that he was injured and partially in the water.”

The call pinged in the area of Charles Hall Bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains. First responders showed up, searched the area, and indeed found a dead man with the identification of Brandon Kristopher Andrade on his body.

But when law enforcement dug deeper, they learned he was not Andrade, and that in fact the ID had been stolen and used multiple times elsewhere.

They claim that Hamlett had been using the ID and was wanted out of Alabama on a parole violation.

“Mr. Hamlett had used a false name when speaking with law enforcement in Knox County, TN after the distressed hiker call,” they wrote. “Before his real identity had been verified, Mr. Hamlett is believed to have fled from his Tennessee residence.”

Investigators don’t know the victim’s identity, and they are working on figuring it out. For now, they’re calling him John Doe and plan on releasing a sketch in their efforts to learn the truth behind who he is and what happened to him.

Monroe County deputies describe Hamlett as standing 5 feet, 7 inches, weighing 170 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

They consider him armed and dangerous. If you see him, call 911 or Monroe County Dispatch at 423-442-4357.

Investigators ask that anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s office at 423-442-3911.

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