MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. — Authorities are searching for a man accused of first-degree murder after he allegedly staged a 911 call to report a fall from a cliff while fleeing from a bear. Investigators in Monroe County identified the caller as 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who is now wanted for murder.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Hamlett called emergency services claiming to be a hiker who had fallen off a cliff. Deputies responded to the area and discovered a deceased individual, but determined that the caller was not the victim. Instead, investigators linked the call to Hamlett, who has a history of using multiple aliases.
Hamlett’s criminal record includes a 2012 conviction in which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for holding a man at gunpoint, attempting to hit him with a baseball bat, and trying to bury him alive. In that case, Hamlett reportedly used the alias “Joshua Jones.”
Authorities have issued a warrant for Hamlett’s arrest and are urging anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact law enforcement. He is considered dangerous and remains at large.