NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. – Deputies in Newton County said a man who was found dead near a campsite in north Arkansas may have been killed in a bear attack.
According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, deputies said they received a call Thursday to do a welfare check on a man who had been camped at a campground at Sam’s Throne near the town of Mt. Judea.
After arriving, deputies said the man wasn’t in his camp, but there was evidence of a struggle and injury at the site. Deputies said there were also drag marks leading from the campground into the woods.
During a search, deputies said they found the camper dead several yards outside the campsite, and his body had injuries that could have been from a bear attack, deputies said. Authorities said the camper was a 60-year-old man from Missouri.
Investigators said they received information that the victim had sent pictures of a bear in his camp earlier that week.
Deputies said it cannot be confirmed that the victim was killed by a bear until the Arkansas Crime Lab completes an autopsy.
“We know without a doubt that a bear was in camp with our victim and the injuries absolutely are consistent with a bear attack,” deputies said. “This is a highly unusual case.”
Deputies said they are working alongside the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to locate the bear.
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