Suspected murderer calls 911 and claims to be a tourist

Nicholas Wayne Hamlett (Monroe County Sheriff

Nicholas Wayne Hamlett (Monroe County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office).

“I was running from a bear,” said a muffled caller to 911 after an apparent fall at a waterfall. But authorities say it was actually a murderer staging a fatal fall. Yes, the authorities found a body. It wasn’t him.

You can listen to the recording below. It’s a 911 dispatcher from Polk County, TennesseeOn October 18, she forwarded the call to her counterpart in Monroe County. Authorities said a hiker named Brandon Andre claimed he fell off a cliff. Investigators say the caller was actually Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45.

The video below shows photos of Hamlett released by deputies during their search for him.

In that recording, a Polk County dispatcher told her counterpart, “He has two percent left on his cell phone. He fell off a cliff at some waterfalls. He fell on his head. He is very injured and said he cannot lift his legs.

Monroe County dispatch eventually asked the caller (allegedly Hamlett) for more details about his location.

“I’m at the waterfall,” he said in the recording.

Authorities said the call came out in the area of the Charles Hall Bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains. First responders arrived, searched the area and indeed found a dead man with the identification of Brandon Kristopher Andrade on the body.

But when law enforcement dug deeper, they learned that the victim was not Andrade and that, in fact, the ID had been stolen and used multiple times elsewhere. They claim Hamlett was using identification and was wanted in Alabama on a parole violation.

Investigators ultimately identified the victim as Steven Douglas Lloyd, 34, as seen below.

Steven Douglas Lloyd (Monroe County Sheriff’s Office).

Investigators say Hamlett befriended Lloyd with the intention of killing him and stealing his identity. Detectives say Hamlett lured him into the woods and hatched a plan to cover up the murder. He allegedly wanted to collect life insurance money under the Andrade name.

Authorities arrested Hamlett in South Carolina, crediting help from an eagle-eyed hospital employee who recognized him as a fugitive. His wife, Taylor Ann Fiber, is accused of helping him try to evade law enforcement.

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