In the United States, the police announced that they had arrested a man who attempted to accuse another man of murder, claiming to have been attacked by a bear, presenting himself as a victim in a time of extraordinary circumstances. Nicolas Wayne Hamilton (45 years old) was arrested in Columbia, South Carolina, as he was already under an arrest order for a murder charge in the first degree.
According to authorities, the case began with a call from a man, identifying himself as Brendon Andrade, to 911, where he reported that he had been attacked by a bear, and he fell from a cliff. The location of the call was determined to be in the town of Tellico Plains, a small mountain community in Tennessee with a population of about 800.
Later, a body was discovered, identified as Brendon Andrade; however, it was clarified that the deceased was not him, his identity had been stolen and used several times in different places. According to the sheriff, the man was not killed by a bear. The cause of death was a severe blow to the head.
After the investigators focused their attention on the body, they found that the wounds of the deceased did not match a bear attack or falling. It was very easy to rule this out. After the body was discovered, an arrest warrant was issued for Hamilton, as he had used the stolen identity before this incident.
Later, the WBIR channel, which is part of the NBC Network in Knoxville, reported that the deceased turned out to be Steven Douglas Lloyd, 34 years old, whom, according to authorities, Hamilton knew well. Columbia police stated that Hamilton was arrested in South Carolina after his identity was recognized by law enforcement. According to fingerprint analysis, the identity was confirmed.