MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. — UPDATE (Oct. 30): Authorities held a press conference Wednesday, where they discussed the ongoing search for Nicholas Wayne Hamlett days after a body was found in Monroe County.
During the press conference, they said dispatchers received a call on Oct. 18 claiming a hiker was injured after running from a bear and falling off a cliff, and the hiker said he was partially in the water. The hiker claimed to be Brandon Andrade. When authorities arrived, they found a body.
Authorities said the forensic center realized the body's wounds were inconsistent with a bear attack and a fall. Instead, authorities said the person had died due to blunt force trauma to the head. Authorities also realized it was not the body of Andrade and just had identification that was stolen from him.
The actual identity of the victim was not available.
During the press conference, they said Andrade was not actually dead and the identity had been stolen and used before.
Authorities said they later identified Hamlett as a suspect and charged him with first-degree murder out of Monroe County. He was described as a dangerous person with a violent criminal history. An FBI special agent asked him to turn himself in peacefully.
"Turn yourself in, have your day in court. The arm of the law has a long reach," he said during the conference.
They said Hamlett has "considerable" ties to places across the U.S., and several law enforcement agencies were brought in to track him down. They also said they believed the person he's accused of killing was visiting Monroe County — he was not a resident.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service joined the investigation and issued a $5,000 reward for information leading to Hamlett's arrest. Anyone with information about Hamlett's location can call 911, or reach out to 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Authorities also warned that anyone communicating with Hamlett without reporting information to law enforcement could face charges.
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ORIGINAL: A man charged with murder is on the run and considered armed and dangerous, according to a release from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
MCSO said on Friday, Oct. 18, at approximately 11:34 p.m., it received a call transferred from the E-911 center in Polk County. The center said there was a distressed hiker, claiming to be Brandon Andrade, who said he had fallen off of a cliff while running from a bear.
The distressed hiker claimed he was injured and partially in the water, with the call pinging to the area of the Charles Hall Bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains, according to the release. MCSO said emergency services responded to the area and set up a command center, with a search of the area with rescue teams from various agencies soon beginning.
According to the release, a dead man was located with the identification of Brandon Andrade on him, and the body was sent to Knox County Regional Forensics Center. After research by the Criminal Investigation Division and the Monroe County Violent Crime Task Force, it was determined that the body found was not Andrade and that the identification had been stolen and used on multiple occasions.
"Furthermore, a male that was using the stolen identification of Mr. Andrade, was discovered to be a Mr. Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who was wanted out of the state of Alabama on a parole violation," MCSO said.
According to the release, Hamlett had used a false name when speaking with law enforcement in Knox County after the distressed hiker call. Hamlett was believed to have fled from his residence in Tennessee before the real identity had been verified, MCSO said.
WBIR used the photos, name and birth date provided by the MCSO to search for Hamlett on social media and in public records. The name "Nicholas Hamlett" returned 23 legal cases on the website AlacourtAccess.com. The cases cover criminal, civil and domestic issues. We can't verify if the suspect is connected to all 23 of these legal cases.
MCSO said it has been working with a variety of agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Knox County Sheriff's Office to locate information on the dead man and the location of Hamlett.
The FBI said it was providing investigative assistance. It provided a statement on its work with the case, available below.
"The FBI is committed to supporting state and local law enforcement agencies by offering various specialized forensic and technical services. Our Laboratory provides critical forensic support, including DNA analysis, fingerprint identification, and digital forensics, to assist in solving complex cases that demand advanced resources and expertise. The TBI also offers many of these same services, so we coordinate with them as well so we don’t duplicate efforts.
For cases involving digital evidence, particularly where encryption or sophisticated digital security measures are involved, the FBI’s Digital Evidence Section collaborates with law enforcement partners to lawfully access and analyze digital information. This ensures that vital evidence is available to help bring offenders to justice while maintaining legal and ethical standards."
MCSO also said the dead body that was found has not yet been 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 publicly to help with identification.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Hamlett for first-degree murder out of Monroe County. MCSO said he is considered armed and dangerous and is asking those who see Hamlett to call 911 or MCSO dispatch at (423) 442-4357.
The incident is still under investigation, with more information to be released at a later time, the sheriff's office said.