Man arrested for murder that was initially blamed on a bear in fake 911 call
The South Carolina arrest comes after a manhunt that lasted weeks
A man has been arrested for murder following a 'fake' bear attack call to 911 in South Carolina.
The arrest follows a manhunt launched in October after the body of a 34-year-old man was found in the Tennessee mountains.
His death was initially claimed to be due to a bear attack.
However, it was later made clear that he had not been killed by a wild bear, as reported by a call made to emergency services via 911 in Monroe County, but rather by murder.
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Upon this conclusion, an arrest warrant was quickly issued for Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, in Columbia, South Carolina.
Hamlett was linked to the body after it was made clear he had been using stolen identification as 'Brandon Kristopher Andrade'.
He was also the one who made the false 911 call under this identity, claiming to be injured after being chased by a bear and falling off a cliff.
Identification documents with the name 'Andrade' were then later found on the body, further linking Hamlett to the crime.
Brandon Kristopher Andrade's identity had reportedly been stolen and used multiple times, according to the sheriff’s office.
Hamlett was also wanted on a parole violation out of Alabama, and has now been found and arrested.
Monroe County Sheriff Tommy J. Jones II said in a statement: "The sharing of Hamlett’s wanted poster led the public, our most valuable resource, to act as our eyes and ears."
At a news conference in October, Jones said: "Once detectives laid eyes on the body, the injuries that the deceased had was not consistent with a bear attack, was not consistent with a fall."
He added that the cause of death was a blunt force trauma to the head, saying: "It was very easy to rule out."
The dead man was later identified by authorities as Steven Douglas Lloyd, with NBC affiliate WBIR of Knoxville reporting that the 34-year-old befriended Hamlett over the weekend.
Oddly, an unrelated murder was also covered up as a bear attack just eight days before in Gallatin County, Montana.
Dustin Kjersem's body was found dead in a remote area of the county. The 35-year-old was initially thought to have been killed by a bear, until it was later discovered to be murder. Authorities have not released the identity of the suspect.
Sheriff Dan Springer explained: "The suspect is currently in custody on unrelated charges. The suspect is cooperating with our detectives and has led us to the evidence we have identified in prior press releases."
Gallatin County sheriff's Capt. Nathan Kamerman explained that an autopsy revealed Kjersem's true cause of death, with the attack on him described as 'vicious'. It's claimed that he died after sustaining 'multiple chop wounds'.
Kjersem went missing on October 10, and his body was found two days later. The investigation into his death is still ongoing with law authorities.
Springer added: "Our thoughts and prayers continue for the family of Dustin Kjersem. We hope, by some small measure, our efforts can bring them a bit of peace during this horrific time. Our entire community mourns with you."
Niamh Spence