MIAMI — A nationwide manhunt is underway for a man wanted for a murder that occurred in Tennessee last week.

On Saturday night, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee asked for the public’s help in finding 45-year-old Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who they said was wanted for first-degree murder. Officials told CBS News Miami he has ties to Montana, Tennessee, Alabama, Alaska, Kentucky and Florida.

Hamlett is said to be 6 feet tall and 170 lbs and is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities said Hamlett’s location is unknown at this time and if you see him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.

A Saturday night press release stated that just before 11:35 p.m. on Oct. 18, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office received a transferred call about a distressed hiker claiming to be a man named “Brandon Andrade” from Polk County, Tennessee. The man allegedly told officers he “fell off a cliff while running from a bear,” was injured and was partially in the water. Authorities were able to locate him 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 teams from various agencies arrived, they found a dead man with Andrade’s identification on him and took the body to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.

Monroe County Sheriff’s detectives investigated the scene and learned that the dead man was not Andrade and that the ID had been “stolen and used multiple times,” the press release said. They also learned that Hamlett was using Andrade’s identity and wanted to leave Alabama due to a parole violation. It was later determined that Hamlett used a false name when calling Knox County dispatch after the distress call. But he was believed to have fled his home in Tennessee before his identity could be verified.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, along with the FBI and various other Tennessee law enforcement agencies, are working diligently to locate Hamlett and obtain more information about the deceased. The dead man was identified only as John Doe. Special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are currently working on drawings of John Doe that will be released to the public.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation and more information will be released at a later date.