KENTUCKY, USA — A man with connections to several states including Kentucky is wanted by Tennessee authorities regarding a murder investigation.
According to the Monroe County, Tennessee Sheriff Tommy Jones, they are warning people to be on the lookout for 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett.
Friday night, Monroe County’s 911 center had received a transferred call from the Polk County 911 Center about a distressed hiker claiming to be Brandon Andrade. He told dispatchers he had fallen off a cliff while running from a bear and was trapped in a body of water.
Authorities had traced the call to an area near Tellico Plains, northeast of Chattanooga.
The body of a man was found with the identification of a Mr. Brandon Kristopher Andrade. After an autopsy was conducted, it was found the body was not that of Andrade.
Forensic experts are working to produce a sketch of the “John Doe” in hopes of identifying him.
Investigators learned Andrade’s identification had been stolen and used on multiple occasions and connected the fraudulent activity to Hamlett. He is wanted in Alabama for a parole violation and police said Hamlett had spoke with police in Knox County around the same time of the distressed hiker call.
Police said Hamlett had left the area and is believed to have abandoned his Tennessee home.
According to WHAS11’s sister station WCNC, Hamlett also has ties to Alabama, Alaska, Montana, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Police believe Hamlett could still be using Andrade’s identity to elude law enforcement.
A warrant has been issued for Hamlett’s arrest and he is considered armed and dangerous.
If you have any information on Hamlett’s whereabouts, you are asked to call 911 or Monroe County Dispatch at (423) 442-4357. Information about the murder investigation can be left with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at (423) 442-3911.
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