Tennessee murder suspect investigation continues

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) –The FBI is continuing the manhunt for the Tennessee man who allegedly staged a fake bear attack in an attempt to cover up a hiker’s murder. Nicholas Hamlett, the suspected murderer, stole the identity of a man named Brandon Andrade, dialed 911 the night of Oct. 18 while hiking in Polk County, and told police he was injured and trapped in a body of water after a supposed bear chased him off a cliff. 

When authorities traced the call to the last known location, they stumbled across a bloodied corpse along with the stolen ID of Brandon Andrade. However, the corpse was identified to not be Andrade and is currently a John Doe. 

The suspected murderer is still at large.

It was shared in the press conference of the possible connection between Hamlett and the John Doe.

Nicholas Hamlett was previously arrested in 2009 in connection to an incident that took place in Elmore County in which he held a man at gunpoint and attempted to strike him with a baseball bat. According to court records, he also has four prior felony convictions with a felony assault in 2012 where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison and released on parole in 2016. 

There is currently a warrant for Hamlett’s arrest on first-degree murder charges with a reward up to $5000 for any information on his whereabouts. 

Investigators say that Hamlett is using several aliases, including Brandon Andrade, and is considered to be armed and dangerous. Hamlett, according to the original reports of the incident, was using the name Joshua Jones when he reached out to the victim so “he could get some insurance.” 

He is approximately 5 foot 7, 170 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone who sees Hamlet is urged to call 911 or Monroe County Dispatch at 423-442-4357.