WYTHE COUNTY, Va. — UPDATE MAY 14: The man stabbed to death over the weekend on the Appalachian Trail in southwest Virginia was from Oklahoma, WCYB reports.
The FBI identified the hiker as Ronald S. Sanchez Jr., according to the TV station.
James L. Jordan, 30, of Massachusetts stabbed Sanchez to death during a confrontation on the trail in Wythe County, Virginia, according to the FBI.
Jordan is charged with one count of murder within the special maritime territorial jurisdiction of the United States and one count of assault with the intent to murder, according to court documents.
PREVIOUS STORY: A Massachusetts man faces a murder charge for allegedly attacking two hikers on the Appalachian Trail with a machete, leaving one dead and the other severely wounded, federal authorities said Sunday.
James Jordan, 30, of West Yarmouth, also faces one count of assault with the intent to murder in the Saturday morning incident, the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia said in a joint news release.
He faces federal charges because the stabbing occurred on federal land in the southwestern corner of Virginia.
The victims were male and female, Wythe County Sheriff Keith Dunagan said Saturday, but he did not disclose their identities nor provide details about the attack.
Federal authorities said the woman had been "severely injured," and Dunagan told NBC affiliate WSLS that she walked six miles after the stabbing before finding other hikers and calling for help.
Hikers told Wythe County deputies that a machete had been used in the stabbing, the station reported.
PREVIOUS STORY: "She was cut up pretty badly" | Authorities say two people were assaulted on the Appalachian Trail
Authorities received a call about the stabbing between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday, according to the station.
"The phone company notified us and that's when we went up there and that's where we located the suspect and the victim. We had our whole tact team out there, so he wisely just surrendered himself," Sheriff Dunagan said.
Jordan, also known by his trail name of 'Sovereign,' was arrested in April in Unicoi County, Tennessee after threatening other hikers with a knife in a separate incident.
At the time, he was charged with criminal impersonation, possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to a report from the Unicoi County Sheriff's Department.
Jordan was given probation and ordered to pay fines following his hearing at the time.
Jordan was arrested later Saturday morning after a portion of the Appalachian Trail was closed while investigators searched for him. He will be officially charged on Monday in the fatal attack, federal authorities said.
The trail was closed from the Partnership Shelter in Sugar Grove, Virginia to where the trail intersects with Highway 42 during the search.
The U.S. Forest Service said the stretch is about 16 miles long.
According to the Wythe County Sheriff's Office, Jordan is charged with one count of murder within the special maritime territorial jurisdiction of the United States and one count of assault with the intent to murder within the special maritime territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
One hiker WCYB spoke to said, "It is frightening to think of the single girls out there by themselves hiking. Cause you never know when you're going to run into a crazy person. The more crazy people you have off the trail, the better."
"There's people that'll tell you, 'Hey. This guy back behind us. He's a little weird, so you might want to keep your eye on him," another hiker told WCYB.
Jordan is scheduled to have an initial appearance in federal court in Abingdon, Virginia, Monday morning.
"Why it happened, we have no idea. We're just glad we got him in custody so it can't happen again," Sheriff Dunagan said.