Suspect accused of staging a man's killing as a bear attack has been arrested, police said

(CNN) – The suspect who allegedly staged a fake bear attack to cover up a murder is in custody after a three-week manhunt.

Nicholas Wayne Hamlett was arrested Sunday in Columbia, South Carolina, after being recognized at a hospital.

The case began on October 18 when a man identifying himself as Brandon Andrade called 911.

Police said he pretended to be a desperate hiker who fell off a cliff while fleeing a bear in Monroe County, Tennessee.

First responders found a body but determined it was not Andrade's body.

Instead, his identity was stolen and misused several times.

The body was actually that of Steven Douglas Lloyd.

Authorities said Hamlett befriended Lloyd and lured him into the woods, where he took his own life and identity.

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