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Authorities in Monroe County, Tennessee have released the phony 911 call placed last month by accused murderer Nicholas Wayne Hamlett – a former fugitive from justice who spent ten days in central South Carolina eluding a multi-agency manhunt led by U.S. Marshals.
To recap: On Friday, October 18, 2024, at approximately 11:34 p.m. EDT, emergency responders near the Great Smoky Mountains in Eastern Tennessee received a 911 call from a “distressed hiker.”
The call was received by dispatchers in Polk County, but quickly transferred to Monroe County.
“He fell off a cliff at some waterfall,” the Polk County dispatcher noted in transferring the call. “He fell on his head. He’s hurt pretty bad. Said he can’t move his leg.”
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“I was running from a bear,” Hamlett told dispatchers, claiming his cell phone was at two percent battery life.
Monroe emergency responders tracked the location of the call to the Charles Hall bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains, Tennessee.
“About how far down are you (from the bridge)?” the dispatcher asked Hamlett.
“I’m at – at the waterfall,” Hamlett responded.
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 located. Shortly thereafter, however, authorities realized the dead man was not Andrade – and that Hamlett, an Alabama man wanted for attempted murder and a parole violation, had been “using (Andrade’s) stolen identification.”
The dead man was subsequently identified as 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville, Tennessee. Hamlett has been charged with his murder.
“(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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Two weeks after allegedly murdering Lloyd, Hamlett turned up in the Midlands region of South Carolina. A confirmed sighting of the fugitive was made at approximately 12:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, November 1, 2024 near Chapin High School. Several other reported sightings of Hamlett prompted massive law enforcement responses, but he was somehow able to evade apprehension for nearly a week-and-a-half – making his way through wooded areas in and around Chapin and Irmo, S.C.
Hamlett was finally captured on Sunday (November 10, 2024) after a hospital employee recognized him and “notified police.” The fugitive’s identity was subsequently seconded by a police sergeant – and then confirmed via a fingerprint scanner from the University of South Carolina police department (USCPD).
Following his extradition to Tennessee, Hamlett was scheduled to appear before a Volunteer State circuit court judge on Monday morning (November 18, 2024). However, he reportedly was on “suicide watch” at the Monroe County detention center and his hearing was delayed.
Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised as to any further pertinent updates related to this story…
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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
But who is/was Brandon Andrade? Was he completely made up, or is he the victim of identity theft? I see where someone with that name died in Utah in August 2024.