Bear that killed man in Newton County still at large
By Adam Roberts
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NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. — (KHBS, KHOG) — The bear that Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) biologists euthanized earlier this year is not the same bear that killed a man in Newton County, the commission discovered.
Max Thomas, 60, of Springfield, Missouri, was killed by a bear while camping at Sam’s Throne Campground in the Ozark National Forest.
Two days later, AGFC biologists killed a bear they believed was the one behind the attack.
Forensic scientists compared DNA samples and learned a different bear was to blame.
AGFC is now trying to find the correct bear.
Sam’s Throne Campground and nearby areas will remain closed.
This was the second bear attack in Arkansas of 2025. In September, a Franklin County man was attacked and killed by a bear. The bear in the September attack tested negative for rabies and distemper, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The AGFC said the Franklin County bear attack was the first bear attack in Arkansas in 25 years.
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