A distressed hiker’s 911 call leads to a homicide investigation, deputies say
By Zach Rainey
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MONROE COUNTY, Tennessee (WYFF) — Monroe County, Tennessee, deputies said a man wanted for first-degree murder has ties to South Carolina and several other states.
Around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 18, Monroe County Emergency Communications received a transferred 911 call from Polk County Emergency Communications regarding a distressed hiker.
The caller, who claimed to be Brandon Andrade, told the dispatcher that he fell off a cliff while running from a bear. He claimed to be injured and partially in the water, officials said.
Dispatchers pinged the call to the Charles Hall bridge area on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and emergency services responded. Search-and-rescue teams searched the area and found a dead man with the identification card for Brandon Kristopher Andrade on his person. The body was then transported to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and Violent Crimes Task Force reviewed the scene and discovered the ID card that was found on the body did not belong to the deceased man. Upon further investigation, detectives found that the ID card had been stolen and used on multiple occasions. Additionally, authorities found that the man who was using the stolen ID card was 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who is wanted for parole violation in the state of Alabama.
According to officials, Hamlett used a false name when speaking with law enforcement in Knox County after the distressed hiker call. Before his real identity was discovered, authorities believe Hamlett fled his home in Tennessee.
Deputies said the man who was found dead has yet to be identified and is being referred to as John Doe. Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are working to develop a sketch of Doe to be released for the purpose of identification.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Hamlett for first-degree murder out of Monroe County.
Authorities are searching for Hamlett and said he is known to use multiple aliases, including Andrade. Law enforcement considers Hamlett to be “dangerous and potentially armed.”
Officials said Hamlett is reported to have ties in the states of South Carolina, Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, Alabama and Tennessee.
Hamlett is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 170 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Officials ask that you do not approach Hamlett and that you call 911 immediately or call Monroe County dispatch at 423-442-3911.
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