Overview

• The Arkansas State Crime Lab ruled the death an animal mauling and classified the manner as an accident, with testing underway to confirm a bear.
• Deputies found the 60-year-old Missouri man several yards from his campsite at Sam's Throne after discovering a disturbed site, signs of injury, and drag marks into the woods.
• Two days before he was found, the victim sent his family photos of what authorities describe as a young male bear in his camp.
• The Newton County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and U.S. Forest Service are using traps, game cameras, hunters, and tracking dogs to locate a suspect bear, and the recreation area is temporarily closed.
• If confirmed, the case would mark Arkansas' second fatal bear-related mauling in about a month, which officials stress is highly unusual as they urge caution and discourage vigilantism.