The manhunt for a man wanted on murder charges in Tennessee ended Sunday when he was captured in South Carolina, Columbia police said.
Around 6 p.m., police said Nicholas Wayne Hamlett was located and identified at a hospital in Columbia. Information about why the fugitive from Monroe County, Tennessee was in the hospital was not available.
But a hospital employee recognized the man wanted for murder and alerted police, police said.
A responding officer also recognized Hamlett, and his identity was confirmed with a University of South Carolina Police Department fingerprint scanner, police said. Hamlett is in the temporary custody of the U.S. Marshals Service Columbia Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force while arrangements are made with Tennessee authorities for his extradition to Monroe County, police said.
On Halloween, Chapin police said they were one of several law enforcement agencies searching for Hamlett, who was reportedly in the Chapin area of Lexington County. Hamlett is believed to have family in the Midlands and was last seen in early November near 431 East Boundary St., Chapin police said.
Chapin police provided updates on the search for more than a week. On Nov. 8, police said U.S. Marshals had stopped searching Chapin for Hamlett, and although he was no longer believed to be in town, police warned residents to “always remain vigilant and be aware of your environment.”
On Sunday afternoon, Chapin police announced that Hamlett was in custody.
“The suspect in this case HAS BEEN ARRESTED. Thank you to our law enforcement partners who worked relentlessly on this case until he was apprehended,” Chapin Police said. “Thanks also to the community for your patience and vigilance during this time.”
The search for Hamlett began in October.
On Oct. 18, emergency officials in Monroe County said they received a call reporting a “distressed hiker” claiming to be Brandon Andrade. He said he was injured after falling off a cliff while running from a bear, Men’s Journal reported.
Investigators said they found the body of a man and quickly determined that the ID found on the victim’s body had been stolen and used on multiple occasions, and that the victim was actually 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd , a resident of Knoxville, was, according to TV station WATE.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said it believed Hamlett met Lloyd, “befriended him and lured him to a wooded area to take Steven’s life and identity,” CBS News reported.
According to WATE, Hamlett was also wanted out of Alabama for parole violation.
