911 caller who said he fell off a cliff while running from Bear is wanted for murder

Authorities in Tennessee are investigating the death of a man they say was found carrying a fake ID earlier this month — and the fake identification is believed to be linked to a man now wanted for murder.

On Friday, October 18, authorities in Polk County, Tennessee, received a call from a supposedly “distressed hiker” who reportedly claimed he had fallen off a cliff while trying to escape a bear, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Polk County officials forwarded the call to the Monroe County Police Department.

According to police, the man claimed he was injured and partially submerged in water, and a call led police to the Charles Hall Bridge on a mountain road.

Responding authorities found a victim carrying an ID for “Brandon Kristopher Andrade,” according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

After the victim was taken to a forensic center, police determined that the deceased person was not Andrade and that the identification had been stolen “and used multiple times,” according to the sheriff’s statement.

Investigators determined that the person who used the identification was allegedly named Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who was wanted in Alabama for an alleged parole violation, according to the statement.

Authorities have not publicly identified the victim, who has been called a John Doe. Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are working on a sketch for the victim to identify him. Monroe County officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for more information on Monday, October 28.

Police believe Hamlett was the first distressed hiker to claim he was running from a bear. They say they spoke to him again afterward, during which time he used an assumed name, although it was unclear whether the name he used was “Brandon Kristopher Andrade.”

He reportedly fled Tennessee before police could determine his real identity and is currently at large.

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Hamlett is charged with first-degree murder, Monroe County officials said.

He also faces charges in Alabama of attempted murder and kidnapping, among several other charges AL.com, ABC-33 And WTVC. He has reportedly already pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in connection with that case, according to AL.com, but information about his outstanding charges was not immediately available.

Hamlett is 6 feet tall, has brown hair and blue eyes and reportedly uses several aliases, including Brandon Kristopher Andrade, according to Monroe County police.

Anyone with information about him is urged to contact the Monroe County Dispatch at 423-442-4357 or the sheriff’s office at 423-442-3911.