Refugee arrested on suspicion of murder after ‘faking his own death in bear attack’ | US News

A refugee suspected of faking his own death by calling 911 and saying he had fallen off a cliff while being chased by a bear has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, had called 911 pretending to be a “desperate wanderer.” He was named Brandon Andrade last month, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee said at the time.

It added that Hamlett claimed he was injured and partially submerged.

Emergency responders later found a “deceased male” at the scene with “the identification of Mr. Brandon Kristopher Andrade on his person,” the sheriff’s office said.

However, investigators later determined that the dead man was not Mr. Andrade, but that “the ID card had been stolen and used multiple times.”

They later discovered that Hamlett, who was wanted in Alabama for a probation violation, had used the ID.

Mr. Andrade is now healthy and well, authorities confirmed.

The dead man was identified by the Tennessee Sheriff’s Office as Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville.

Forensic officials also determined the 34-year-old’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, which is not consistent with a high fall or a bear attack.

Hamlett befriended him before luring him into the woods to take his “life and identity,” Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones said in a social media post.

Mr Lloyd grew up in foster care and was diagnosed with a mental health condition called reactive attachment disorder, Mr Jones added.

He often left home and spent time on the streets, but remained in contact with his adoptive family, the sheriff continued.

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Hamlett was wanted by police for more than three weeks before he was recognized on Sunday by a staff member at a hospital in the South Carolina city of Columbia.

They alerted police before Hamlett was arrested and his identity was confirmed using a fingerprint scanner.

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Mr. Jones said he has “pending charges of first-degree murder out of Monroe County, Tennessee and a parole violation out of the state of Alabama.”

He was temporarily held by the U.S. Marshals Service on Sunday while he awaited extradition to Tennessee.

Hamlett was considered armed and dangerous during the manhunt, but Mr Jones said it had a “peaceful end”.

The US Marshals Service had offered a reward of up to $5,000 (about £4,000) for help finding Hamlett.