A killer is on the loose after allegedly stealing an identity and faking a bear attack to cover up a murder.
Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, called 911 around 11:34 p.m. on Oct. 24 using the name Brandon Andrade, telling police in Tennessee that he was injured and partially in the water after a bear chased him off a cliff while he was hiking in Hamilton County. reports the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities were able to trace it to an area near Tellico Planes, northeast of Chattanooga.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found a bloody body at the foot of a cliff with Andrade’s identification.
But a subsequent autopsy later revealed that the body was not Andrade’s, and authorities now have no idea who the deceased really is.
Police across the country are searching for Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, who Tennessee authorities say stole an identity and faked a bear attack to cover up a murder.
Police later learned that Andrade’s identification had been stolen and used several times by Hamlett, who was on the loose Sunday night, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
He is believed to have stolen the ID to escape parole and then faked his death for an unknown reason. reports the New York Post.
Authorities also claimed Hamlett used a different fake name when officers questioned him about the 911 call and has since left town.
He is believed to have since left his home in Tennessee and authorities say he has connections to Alabama, Montana, Tennessee, Alaska, Kentucky and Florida. according to WHAS 11.
Police say Hamlett stole Brandon Andrade’s ID and left it on a victim’s body near Tellico Planes, northeast of Chattanooga.
Hamlett was previously arrested in 2009 in connection with an incident in Alabama in which he pointed a gun at a man and attempted to hit him with a baseball bat before burying him. AL.com Reports.
He was using the name Joshua Jones when he approached the victim “so he could get some insurance,” according to the original incident reports.
The suspect was then charged with attempted murder and kidnapping, before pleading guilty to a lesser charge of serious assault in 2012.
At the time, Hamlett had four prior felony convictions.
He is now wanted on first-degree murder charges in Monroe County.
Police now consider him “armed and dangerous” as they scour the country looking for anyone using the name Andrade.
Meanwhile, forensic experts are working to produce a sketch of John Doe in hopes of identifying the victim.