Nicholas Hamlett, seen in these images of his wanted poster, was the subject of a week-long manhunt following the murder of Steven Lloyd on October 18. Authorities say Hamlett befriended Lloyd and lured him to a wooded area in Tennessee, killing him in an attempted identity theft.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee

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Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee

In mid-October, a man called police in East Tennessee claiming a bear had chased him off a cliff. But authorities arrived at the scene and found the body of a different man, sparking a multi-state search for the caller that ended with his arrest on murder charges this weekend.

Authorities say Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, befriended his victim and lured her to a wooded area to take her life and identity. Hamlett, who was using an alias at the time, has a long criminal history and was already wanted in Alabama for parole violation.

After the October incident, another arrest warrant was issued for Hamlett on first-degree murder charges in Monroe County, Tennessee.

State and federal authorities warned that Hamlett, whom they considered dangerous and potentially armed, was known to travel under aliases. They urged Hamlett to turn himself in and asked the public for help: the U.S. Marshals Service offered up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest.

After many weeks of searching, and a sighting on Halloween night, Hamlett was taken into custody in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday.

“After observing Hamlett at a local hospital, a good citizen alerted authorities and peacefully ended this chase,” said Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones. said in a statement.

Columbia police say a hospital employee recognized Hamlett and alerted the authorities, who verified his identity using fingerprints. They say arrangements are being made with Tennessee authorities to extradite Hamlett to Monroe County.

What happened in the forest?

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says Distraught hiker called 911 shortly before midnight on October 18 “claiming to be a Mr. Brandon Andrade.”

“He informed the dispatcher that he had fallen off a cliff while fleeing from a bear,” it said, adding that the call came from near a bridge on the Cherohala Skyway, a 43-mile National Scenic Byway, in Tellico Plains. “The distraught caller stated he was injured and partially in the water.”

According the dispatch call obtained by Knoxville News Sentinelthe male subject had “hit his head,” was “unable to move,” and his phone only had “2% battery, he couldn’t call 911 again.”

Search and rescue teams responded to the scene and found the body of a man “with an identification of Mr. Brandon Kristopher Andrade on his person.” He was taken to the forensic center while investigators combed the scene.

After further investigation, detectives determined that the deceased was not Brandon Andrade. In fact, they said, that identification had been “stolen and used on multiple occasions”; in this case, as they quickly discovered, Hamlett.

“Mr. Hamlett had used a false name when speaking with authorities in Knox County, Tennessee, following the call from the distraught hiker,” the sheriff’s office explained. “Before his true identity was verified, Mr. Hamlett is believed to have fled his residence in Tennessee.”

That sparked a multi-agency investigation — by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and others — to locate Hamlett and identify the victim.

Who was involved?

On November 4, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office announced that it had identified the victim as Steven Douglas Lloyd, 34, of Knoxville, Tennessee.

He said Lloyd, a foster child who had been adopted by a “big loving family”, suffered from trust issues and mental health issues, including reactive attachment disorder.

“Steven was known to leave home and live on the streets, but kept in touch with his family,” the sheriff’s office said. “Steven loved being outdoors and was very helpful when it came to others. The family was shocked to learn that someone Steven trusted took the life of their beloved son.”

Authorities did not specify how long the two men had known each other, but said Hamlett “met Steven, befriended him, and lured him to a wooded area to take Steven’s life and identity.”

Officials said in an Oct. 30 report. press conference that Lloyd’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, adding that his injuries were “not consistent with a bear attack” or “a fall from a very high cliff.”

They also said his murder was “by no means an isolated incident,” given Hamlett’s violent criminal history.

Hamlett was arrested in Alabama in 2009 for an incident in which he pointed a gun at a man and attempted to hit him with a baseball bat, with plans to eventually bury his body in a rural area. AL.com Reports.

Citing court records, the site says Hamlett’s name was Joshua Jones when he approached the victim “so he could get some insurance.” Hamlett, who had four prior felony convictions, was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping, but ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of felony assault.

Hamlett was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 and released on parole in July 2016.

Where did Hamlett go?

In the weeks after Lloyd’s death, authorities urged the public to be vigilant and for Hamlett to turn himself in.

“Let’s end this peacefully. Surrender yourself. Have your day in court,” Joseph Carrico, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Nashville field office, said at the news conference. “We will find you, no matter where you hide.”

Authorities warned that Hamlett has ties to Tennessee, Montana, Alaska, Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida, suggesting he had fled to another state.

His hunch turned out to be correct.

On Halloween night, police in Chapin, South Carolina, where Hamlett apparently has family, said he was reported to be in the area and urged those who go out trick-or-treating to be more attentive. They confirmed that he was seen near the local high school in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 and that state and federal authorities were searching the area.

Their efforts were unsuccessful. The following Friday, a week after the sighting, police said Hamlett was believed to be no longer in town.

Two days later, he was seen at the hospital in Columbia, about 40 miles away.

Officials with the Carolina Region Fugitive Task Force said a dehydrated Hamlett had been admitted to the hospital as an ABC affiliate John Doe. WPDE Reports. That’s where police say an employee recognized him from a wanted poster.

“Sharing Hamlett’s wanted poster prompted the public, who are our most valuable resource, to act as our eyes and ears,” Jones said.