After not having one for a quarter of a century, Arkansas may have had it’s second death by a bear attack in the last few weeks.
In a statement, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said they received a call yesterday for a welfare check on a 60-year-old man from Missouri.
Investigators said that the man’s family had received pictures of a bear in his camp Tuesday morning.
Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said the bear appeared to be a young male bear.
“Until the Arkansas Crime Lab completes the autopsy, we can’t 100% say it was a bear, but everything strongly indicates it,” Wheeler added. “We are attempting to find the bear and dispose of it so the Game and Fish Commission can test it for anything that may have led to the encounter.”
The name of the victim has not been released. Once the autopsy is complete, officials should be able to determine if the bear was the actual cause of the death.
As of early this morning, Sam’s Throne Campground is closed for the safety of the public.
