In brief
Tragic events in rural Tennessee as a man misused a false identity to evade law enforcement, triggering a murder investigation.
In an unusual and alarming case from rural Tennessee, a man is wanted for murder after falsely claiming he was chased off a cliff by a bear. The 911 call was made on October 18 from a remote area near the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plaines, where emergency workers discovered a deceased individual. The caller identified himself with the name of the victim, Brandon Kristopher Andrade, whose identification had been stolen.Upon investigation, authorities from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the true identity of the deceased was initially unknown, and it was later confirmed that Andrade was alive. The person responsible for the deception has been identified as 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, a parolee with an extensive criminal background, including prior convictions for assault, theft, and forgery.Sheriff Tommy J. Jones II announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for Hamlett on first-degree murder charges, labeling him as “armed and dangerous.” Authorities have yet to determine the cause of death for the unidentified victim and plan to release a sketch to aid in identification.This peculiar case mirrors another tragic incident reported earlier in Montana, where a similar bear attack alibi was used in the aftermath of a brutal homicide. In that case, a man found dead inside his tent was initially thought to be a bear attack victim before it was revealed he bore multiple chop wounds, with no arrests yet made.The ongoing investigation highlights serious crime issues entwined with deceitful desperation, raising questions about the safety of rural communities amid unexpected violence.
