Overview
- The victim was identified as Max Thomas, 60, of Springfield, Missouri, who was found near his Sam's Throne campsite after an animal mauling and had sent family photos of a bear in his camp days earlier.
- A male black bear seen on a trail camera near the site was tracked by local hunters with hounds, treed and shot by authorities, then taken to Little Rock for examination.
- Investigators plan a necropsy, DNA matching to the victim and tests for rabies or other abnormalities to determine whether the killed bear was responsible and why it behaved aggressively.
- Sam's Throne Campground and surrounding areas remain closed as traps and equipment stay in place pending confirmation that any threat has been removed.
- The death is the second bear-related fatality in weeks in Arkansas, which has an estimated 5,000 black bears and had not recorded a confirmed fatal attack since 1892 before these incidents.