Bear attack or murder? FBI searching for suspect after strange 911 call

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee. — A manhunt began Monday for a murder suspect who police say used a fake name when he made a strange 911 call claiming to be fell off a cliff while running away from a bear just off the scenic Cherohala Skyway in rural southeast Tennessee.

The call came in on Oct. 18 from Tellico Plains, Tennessee, about 50 miles southwest of Knoxville in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The caller identified himself as Brandon Andrade and said he hit his head and couldn’t move his legs. Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones said emergency personnel who responded to the scene found the man’s body and Andrade’s identification.

Detectives determined the victim was not Andrade and was killed, Jones said. Ten days later, the victim’s identity remains a mystery.

Sheriff’s detectives discovered the ID had been stolen and used several times by Nicholas Hamlett, 45, who was wanted by Alabama police for a parole violation. Jones said Hamlett used a different false name when speaking with detectives after calling 911. By the time his real identity was discovered, Hamlett had left the area, Jones said.

FBI Search: A man says a bear chased him off a cliff when he called 911.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect

A warrant has been issued for Hamlett’s arrest on a charge of first-degree murder, Jones said in a news release issued Friday.

“Mr. Hamlett is considered armed and dangerous,” Jones warned. “If you see Mr. Hamlett, please call 911.”

Tellico Plains is on the 43-mile Cherohala Skyway, which passes through the Cherokee National Forest, which is federal land, and leads to Robbinsville, North Carolina.

Knox News, part of USA TODAY Newtork, obtained recordings of the call relayed by the dispatcher. “Units are being dispatched to the Cherohala Skyway area on Falls Branch Road. Take the male subject who fell off the cliff. He can’t move. He was running away from the bear. He has 2% battery – can’t get him back to the 911…Can’t move his legs. Hit my head. He will be at the waterfall…

The FBI, state and local authorities are now searching for Hamlett and the victim’s identity. The sheriff’s office said Monday that there were no updates on the case and that a briefing was scheduled for Wednesday.