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In a perplexing and tragic sequence of events that unfolded in eastern Tennessee, authorities were led on a puzzling journey that ultimately resulted in the apprehension of Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, a 45-year-old man embroiled in a web of deceit and violence. The ordeal began when a distressed hiker call on the night of October 18 summoned search and rescue teams to a bridge on the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains, with the caller claiming to be a man named Brandon Andrade who had fallen off a cliff while fleeing from an imaginary bear.
However, the scene that awaited authorities was far more sinister than initially perceived. Instead of Mr. Brandon Andrade, they discovered the lifeless body of a different man, sparking a chain of investigations that would uncover a tale of treachery and violence orchestrated by Hamlett. The victim was later identified as 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville, Tennessee, a foster child who grappled with trust issues and mental health challenges, including reactive attachment disorder.
Further scrutiny into the circumstances surrounding Lloyd's tragic demise revealed a heinous plot crafted by Hamlett, who had lured the unsuspecting victim into a wooded area with the intent to extinguish his life and assume his identity. Hamlett, operating under an alias and evading authorities due to a parole violation in Alabama, was soon identified as the prime suspect in the case, prompting a state-wide and multi-state manhunt for his capture.
State and federal authorities, recognizing the danger posed by Hamlett and his propensity for assuming false identities, issued warrants for his arrest on first-degree murder charges. The hunt for Hamlett spanned several weeks, with law enforcement agencies urging him to surrender while enlisting the public's assistance in tracking him down. The U.S. Marshals Service even offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his apprehension.
The dramatic culmination of the manhunt occurred in Columbia, South Carolina, when a vigilant hospital employee recognized Hamlett and alerted the authorities.
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