Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, 45, a murder suspect originally from Tennessee, remains at large after a confirmed sighting in Chapin, South Carolina, with local residents on high alert as the manhunt continues, according to reports from WATE 6 News.

Hamlett, considered "armed and dangerous," is accused of murdering a hiker in Monroe County, Tennessee on October 18 and subsequently stealing the victim's identity; this detail coming from the intensive investigations that followed after a body was discovered by responders to a 911 call of a distressed hiker on the Cherohala Skyway, as WATE 6 News detailed. The search has expanded to include the Chapin area, and the Chapin Police Department urges the public to maintain vigilance, calling 911 for any suspicious activity especially given their proximity to where he was last seen and their vulnerability in a rural setting, feeling the potential danger of someone "sneaking up," according to a Chapin resident Stan Bugner's interview with WLTX News19.

The U.S. Marshals Service reinforced these concerns, citing Hamlett's criminal history which involves violence and identity theft, as detailed by David Jolley, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee in an interview with WATE 6 News; residents were advised by the US Marshals Service to be watchful particularly around wooded areas and abandoned structures, with Deputy Commander Carlos Flores of the Carolinas Region Fugitive Task Force expressing to WLTX News19 that while Hamlett has ties to the Columbia area, the entire Midlands region should be alert to his possible presence.

Efforts to locate Hamlett incorporated K-9 units and a helicopter in Chapin, and despite an intensive overnight search by multiple law enforcement agencies, there is no confirmation of Hamlett's whereabouts as of the latest update published by WYFF 4 News. Hamlett is described as a white male, 5'7" tall, weighing about 170 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, using the alias "Nic Hamlett," this specific detail reported by WLTX News19, those who come into contact are strongly advised not to approach him but to, instead, immediately contact law enforcement.

For those seeking continuous updates on the search, WYFF 4 News have made commitments to provide the latest information as it is made available by authorities.