Monroe County authorities, FBI on statewide manhunt for murderous parolee
When the call came to 911 October 24, the voice on the other end seemed scared.
“I’m hurt,” the voice proclaimed.
He said he was trapped in a body of water, scared for his life and reeling from a bear attack. He said the bear had chased him from the road and off a cliff in Hamilton County, according to a post by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. His name was Nicholas Wayne Hamlett and he was hiding a dark secret.
According to Fox News, authorities traced the call to an area near Tellico Plains. When they arrived, they didn’t find a victim struggling for survival. They found a corpse with Brandon Andrade’s ID, but Andrade wasn’t dead. Hamlett, 45, used a fake name when police questioned him about his 911 call, and an autopsy would soon reveal the deadly truth, according to Fox News. The dead man was not Andrade, and authorities still don’t know who he is, according to the report, but it is believed Hamlett killed the man.
Hamlett is wanted for first degree murder.
According to a report by the New York Post, Andrade’s ID had been stolen by Hamlett and used multiple times while Hamlett attempted to fake his death to escape parole. He was arrested in 2009 in Florida after he lured a man into the woods after soliciting insurance under the fake name Joshua Jones in Alabama, tried to hit him with a baseball bat and attempted to bury him alive in the woods, according to court documents reviewed by AL.com.
Hamlett was also charged with murder and kidnapping in 2012 before pleading to felony assault for a lighter sentence, according to reports. He had four prior felony convictions. Authorities believe Hamlett has abandoned his home in Tennessee.
As authorities, including the FBI, work to identify the dead man, Hamlett is still missing, “armed and dangerous” and roaming the countryside. Police are looking out for anyone using the “Brandon Andrade” name.
The FBI spoke with Fox News Digital.
From foxnews.com
"The FBI is providing technical and investigative assistance to the state and local authorities. Since the matter is ongoing, there isn’t much that we can say specifically," a spokesperson with the agency's press office told Fox News Digital.
If you have any information contact The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department at (423) 442-3911.
Photo via Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
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