TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. (WVLT) — Officials with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Friday they are searching for an armed and dangerous suspect who they believe lied during an emergency call .

Investigators are looking for Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, MCSO said. The search began with a 911 call on Oct. 18, in which Hamlett claimed to be a hiker named Brandon Andrade, according to the office.

During the call, MCSO said, Hamlett, using a false name, said he had fallen off a cliff while running from a bear.

Sheriff’s Office officials said the call came in near a bridge over the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains, prompting search and rescue teams to respond. There, they found a body, MCSO said.

“Detectives examined the scene and, upon further investigation, determined that the deceased subject was not Mr. Brandon Andrade and that the identification had been stolen and used on multiple occasions,” office officials said .

Investigators also said that after the call, Hamlett used that name again when speaking to Knox County law enforcement, then fled and is now on the run.

Hamlett is wanted out of Alabama for a parole violation, according to the sheriff’s office. This parole violation is related to several charges he faces in the state, including two counts of attempted murder, two counts of second-degree forgery and one count of first-degree kidnapping.

He now also faces a first-degree murder charge in Monroe County.

The FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also participated in the search.

On top of all that, law enforcement told WVLT News that Hamlett has ties across the country in Alabama, Tennessee, Montana, Kentucky, Florida and even Alaska.

“In other words, where is he?” He had connections in all of these areas,” said Stacey Payne, executive director of East Tennessee Crime Stoppers. “He could be anywhere.” So we’re asking your viewers, people on social media, to share this post, to share this information. You never know when you’ll see it.

Those who encounter the suspect are asked not to approach and to call 911.

The body was transported to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center for identification.

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