A man called 911 and said a bear had chased him off a cliff. Now the FBI wants him for murder

Police across East Tennessee are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to find a man wanted for murder, and identify his victim, after he used a stolen identity to fake his own death earlier this month along the Cherohala Skyway.

Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones announced on October 25 that Nicholas Hamlett, who used the name Brandon Andrade, called 911 in distress on October 18 to say he was being chased by a bear and had fallen off a cliff near a waterfall.

Emergency responders were unable to reach him, although search and rescue teams later found a man’s body in the general area described in the 911 call. On the body was an ID with Andrade’s name on it.

But Monroe County Sheriff’s Office detectives discovered the ID had been stolen and used several times by Hamlett, who was wanted by police in Alabama for parole violations.

Hamlett has since skipped town and possibly state. Authorities have not identified the man whose body was found, but have determined that Hamlett killed him. Hamlett wanted to stage his ‘own’ death.

‘Fleeing from a Bear’

Knox News was notified of the October 18 hoax trap. It was transmitted by dispatch at 11:37 p.m

“Units en route to the Cherohala Skyway area on Falls Branch Road. Take a male subject who has fallen off a cliff. He can’t move. He was running from a bear. He has a 2% battery capacity and can’t get him back to 911.

“…en route in the area of ​​Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road. Cherohala Skyway and Falls Branch Road to help Turkey Creek. I got a call from Polk County. They advise that the male subject fell off a cliff while running from a bear. Can’t move his legs. Hit his head. He will be at the falls….”

Before the sheriff’s office announced the death, neither the sheriff’s office nor District Attorney Stephen Hatchett answered questions from Knox News last week about the fallen hiker.

The Cherohala Skyway runs through the Cherokee National Forest, a federal area.

Investigators from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI are trying to identify the man found dead as well as Hamlett, who is believed to be armed. dangerous.

Tyler Whetstone is an investigative journalist who focuses on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by sending him an email at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Tyler_wetsteen.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: A Tennessee murder suspect plays dead and says the bear chased him off a cliff