Monroe County murder suspect believed to be in South Carolina

MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF)- There is an update to a manhunt for a fugitive wanted for first degree murder in Monroe County.

He is now believed to have fled Tennessee.

Authorities in Chapin, South Carolina believe that Nicholas Wayne Hamlett is now in their town of roughly 16-hundred people.

Hamlett is wanted in the murder of an unidentified man on the Cherohala Skyway in Monroe County.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says that Hamlett called dispatch pretending to be a man named Brandon Krhistopher Arande.

Hamlett had claimed he had fallen off a cliff after running away from a bear.

When police arrived on the scene, they found a man dead, who still remains unidentified.

They believe Hamlett stole the identity of Arande, who was not the man found deceased.

Hamlett is wanted for a parole violation out of Alabama as well.

Authorities have been searching for him all week, as the search has now shifted to South Carolina.

Chapin is nearly 250 miles away from the site of the murder, an over four hour drive to central South Carolina.

The town is about an hour outside of the state capital of Columbia.

Hamlett was spotted near the town’s high school last night according to Chapin Police but was not captured and is still on the run.

There have been numerous reports of him being spotted afterwards, but none of those were confirmed.

Authorities are using helicopters and K-9 units to help track down the suspect.

Hamlett is believed to have family in that area of South Carolina.

Citizens in that area are being told to remain vigilant as the manhunt continues.

Authorities sent this message earlier this week to Hamlett in Monroe County.

Joesph Carrico, a special agent for the FBI, said, “Let me speak directly to Mr. Hamlet himself Nick let’s in this peacefully turn yourself in have your day in court the long arm of the wall has a long and huge reach and we will find you”.

There is an up to $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.