By Natalie Demaree
The Charlotte Observer
TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. — Deputies are searching for a murder suspect who called Tennessee emergency services posing as an injured hiker, a sheriff’s office said.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office shared a news release Friday, Oct. 25, asking the public’s help locating 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett. Authorities said the man is armed and dangerous and known to go by several aliases.
The manhunt began after detectives determined a dead body found in Tellico Plains had false identification connected to a wanted man in Alabama, the release said.
The Monroe County E-911 center received a transferred call around 11:34 p.m. on Oct. 18 , from a “distressed” hiker who identified himself as Brandon Andrade, deputies said. The hiker told the dispatcher he had “fallen off a cliff while running from a bear” and landed partially in the water.
Search and Rescue teams were sent out to a spot on the Cherohala Skyway, where the call had been pinged, and found a dead man with Andrade’s ID on his person, the sheriff’s office said. But after the body was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center, detectives determined the man was not Andrade.
Detectives said the identification was stolen and used multiple times by Hamlett — including in a parole violation he has a warrant for in Alabama.
Hamlett is believed to have used Andrade as a false name and made the injured hiker call himself, according to authorities. A warrant for first-degree murder has been issued for Hamlett, the sheriff’s office said.
“At this time, the deceased male has not been identified, and is being referred to as John Doe,” Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones said, adding that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is working on an identification sketch of the John Doe.
Jones said the investigation is ongoing and more information will be released later on.
“If you see Nicholas Hamlett, do not approach, call 911 immediately,” the sheriff’s office said.
Tellico Plains is about a 78-mile drive northeast from Chattanooga. The Cherohala Parkway is a 43-mile National Scenic Byway that runs from Tellico Plains to Robbinsville, NC.
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