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Residents of northern Richland County, South Carolina remained on edge this week as a manhunt for an accused murderer last seen in the area a week ago continued.
It’s been three days since law enforcement last updated the public on the search for 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett – an Alabama man sought in connection with a murder in eastern Tennessee. Hamlett was last spotted (officially) near Chapin High School at approximately 12:30 a.m. EDT on the morning of November 1, 2024.
Numerous unconfirmed sightings of the wanted fugitive have been reported in the days since then – including one in the early morning hours of Wednesday (November 6, 2024). According to multiple local sources, Hamlett was spotted at approximately 12:30 a.m. EST on a trail cam near Dutch Fork High School. That reported sighting prompted a massive law enforcement response in the area, however no statement has been issued as to whether police believe the individual on the camera was Hamlett.
Led by U.S. Marshals, multiple law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local level have been participating in the ongoing search for the accused killer – who has reportedly been spotted multiple times over the last few days in wooded areas in and around Chapin and Irmo, S.C.
Authorities say they have no new information on Hamlett’s whereabouts – only that he remains at large.
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“The suspect in this case has NOT been apprehended,” the Chapin, S.C. police department noted in its most recent update on the case – posted on Monday evening (November 4, 2024) at 9:00 p.m. EDT. “No updates have been provided by the U.S. Marshals on the current location of the suspect, or whether or not if he is still in Chapin area. We will provide an update if/when we are provided with an update by the Marshals.”
How did this saga begin? On Friday, October 18, 2024, at approximately 11:34 p.m. EDT, emergency responders in Monroe County, Tennessee – located in the eastern part of the Volunteer State near the Great Smoky Mountains – received a 911 call from a “distressed hiker” who identified himself as Brandon Andrade.
The caller “advised the dispatcher that he had fallen off of a cliff while running from a bear,” a release from the Monroe County sheriff’s office noted.
“The distressed caller claimed that he was injured and partially in the water,” the release added.
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Following an extensive search of the area, the body of a deceased individual believed to be Brandon Andrade – and carrying identification to that effect – was found near the Charles Hall bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
Shortly thereafter, however, authorities realized the dead man was not Andrade – and that an Alabama man wanted for attempted murder and a parole violation had been “using the stolen identification” of Andrade. That man – identified as Hamlett – was the man who made the 911 call.
On Monday of this week, Monroe County sheriff Tommy Jones confirmed the identity of the murder victim as 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville, Tennessee.
“(Hamlett) met Steven, befriended him and lured him into a wooded area to take Steven’s life and his identity,” a statement from the sheriff’s office noted.
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The release from the sheriff’s office described Lloyd as a former foster child who “suffered from trust issues” and who had previously been “diagnosed with a mental health disorder known as reactive attachment disorder.”
A disorder stemming from potential childhood neglect and/or abuse, reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is marked by inappropriate social “relating” – and can make its victims more susceptible to manipulation.
“Steven was known to leave home and live on the streets, but kept in contact with his family,” the sheriff’s release added. “Steven loved the outdoors and was so helpful when it came to others. (His) family was shocked to learn that their beloved son’s life had been taken by someone Steven trusted.”
Hamlett is considered armed and exceedingly dangerous. Anyone who sees him is encouraged to call 911 immediately.
Count on FITSNews to keep our audience in the loop in the event there are any updates in this case…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.
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1 comment
He may be helping to look for those escaped monkeys and may have caught one. My wife told me she stepped out of the shower the other day and saw a man who looked like him staring in the bathroom window and spanking his monkey. My wife weighs 500 lbs and said it is the first time she ever saw such a thing.
j/k