Authorities release name of man killed by bear in Newton County
By David Maddox, Valerie Zhang, Chip Scarborough
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NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. (KHBS, KHOG) — According to Sheriff Glenn Wheeler, the victim killed by a bear has been identified as 60-year-old Max Thomas of Springfield, Missouri.
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office said the bear investigators believe was responsible for attacking and killing Thomas has been killed.
Thomas had been camping at the campground and stopped making contact with his family. His family called the Sheriff’s Office for a welfare check. Deputies found his body several yards out from the camp.
A news release from the sheriff’s office said local hunters used hounds to search the area.
In the release, Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said, “I feel extremely confident this is the bear we have photographs of from the scene of the attack.”
The sheriff went on to say the description of the bear killed matches the one photographed by the victim before his death.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said on Sunday evening that a camera placed near the site of a deadly attack captured an image of a bear in the area.
Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said, “Max was a husband and a father who leaves behind several loved ones. He was out enjoying a beautiful part of the world when a very unfortunate incident occurred. We are getting some pushback from a small minority of people who feel the bear should not have been killed as a result of this. To those people, I would say that, while it is unfortunate that it had to end that way, human life is vastly more important, and public safety takes priority. Bears that attack humans are dangerous and will continue to pose a threat.”
The commission announced on Friday night that a death near a campground in Newton County was the result of an animal mauling. A 60-year-old Missouri man was found dead yards from his campsite at Sam’s Throne after a possible bear attack in Ozark National Forest near the town of Mount Judea.
Arkansas Game and Fish said the Arkansas State Crime Lab determined the cause of death. Evidence collected during the investigation will be sent to an independent laboratory to attempt to confirm the species involved in the attack.
The sheriff’s office received a call Thursday for a welfare check on the camper. The caller, who identified himself as the man’s father, stated the man was camped at the campground and had not checked in for a couple of days. The statement says a deputy arrived at the campground and found evidence of a struggle, as well as drag marks leading into the woods.
The camper was found dead several yards outside the campsite. There were extensive injuries consistent with a large carnivore attack.
Investigators said that the man’s family had received pictures of a bear in his camp on Tuesday morning. Sheriff 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 said. “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.”
As of Monday morning, Sam’s Throne Campground is still closed for the safety of the public.
This is the second bear attack in Arkansas in the last month. 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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