Hiker killed in staged Tennessee bear attack identified, nationwide manhunt continues for murder suspect
The hiker who was killed last month in a murder that was staged as a bear attack in the Tennessee woodlands has been identified by the authorities this week as they continue their nationwide manhunt for the suspect.
On Monday, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office of Tennessee said that 34-year-old Steven Douglas Lloyd of Knoxville was the man who was killed in mid-October.
According to authorities, his suspected killer, Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, remains wanted for murder and is still at large. Reports said that Hamlett had ties to Tennessee, Montana, Alabama, Alaska, Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida. Hamlett is also believed to be armed and dangerous and uses multiple aliases. If anyone sees him, authorities said do not approach him and call 911 immediately.
While speaking to Lloyd's family, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office learned that he was a foster child who had suffered from trust issues and had been diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, which the Mayo Clinic defines as "a rare but serious condition in which an infant or young child doesn't establish healthy attachments with parents or caregivers."
Lloyd was known to leave home and live on the streets, but kept in contact with his family and his mental health issues had led to his living situation as his family continued to support and love him, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.
"Steven loved the outdoors and was so helpful when it came to others," the agency said. "[Lloyd's] family was shocked to learn that their beloved son's life had been taken by someone that Steven had trusted."
The murder of Steven Douglas Lloyd
Just before 11:35 p.m. on Oct. 18, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office received a transferred call from nearby Polk County about a distressed hiker named "Brandon Andrade" who told dispatchers that he had "fallen off a cliff while running from a bear," and that he was injured and partially in the water.
Authorities were then able to pinpoint the man's location in the area of the Charles Hall Bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains, at least 80 miles northwest of Chattanooga.
When emergency personnel and search and rescue crews arrived, they found a dead man with Andrade's ID on him and brought the body to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
After reviewing the scene, detectives then learned that the dead man was not Andrade and that the ID "had been stolen and used on multiple occasions." The dead man they had found was Lloyd.
Additionally, they learned that Hamlett had been using Andrade's ID and that he was wanted out of Alabama on a parole violation. Authorities had then determined that Hamlett had used a fake name when calling dispatch after the distress call and that he was believed to have fled his Tennessee home before his identity was verified.
At some point before his death, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office believes that Hamlett had met Lloyd, "befriended him, and lured him into a wooded area to take Steven's life and his identity."
"We ask that you continue to share Nicholas Wayne Hamlett's wanted poster and help bring him to justice," the agency said. "Our prayers are with Steven Lloyd's family and friends and we ask that the public keep them in their prayers during this time of mourning."
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office, along with the FBI and other Tennessee law enforcement agencies, continues its search for Hamlett as the investigation continues.