Officials: Wrong bear killed after deadly Arkansas attack

LITTLE ROCK - DNA testing has confirmed that the black bear killed in Newton County earlier this month was not the same animal that fatally attacked a camper in the Ozark National Forest, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced.

The backstory:

Arkansas officials previously announced earlier this month that they had shot and killed a male black bear that they believe fatally mauled a 60-year-old Missouri man at his campsite in the Ozark National Forest.

The body of Max Thomas of Springfield, Missouri, was discovered several yards outside the Sam’s Throne campground in northwest Arkansas, Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said.

A deputy had gone to the campground after the man’s son reported he had not heard from his father, who had sent his family pictures of a black bear in his camp Tuesday morning, Wheeler said. The deputy found evidence of a struggle and injury, including drag marks from the campground into the woods, the sheriff said.

"We believe he was in the process of breaking down his camp when the attack occurred," Wheeler said.

The state medical examiner’s office determined the man’s death to be an "animal mauling."

Dig deeper:

DNA samples collected from the victim of the fatal mauling at Sam’s Throne Campground in the Ozark National Forest do not match the DNA profile of the male black bear that was killed nearby, according to final test results. The finding confirms that the euthanized bear was not responsible for the deadly attack on camper Max Thomas of Springfield, Missouri.

What's next:

Because the bear responsible for the attack remains at large, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says its crews are continuing efforts to locate and safely remove the animal from the area. Biologists have maintained traps and game cameras in place since shortly after the incident, though no new bears have been captured or identified.

For now, Sam’s Throne Campground and surrounding areas of the Ozark National Forest remain closed to the public as a precaution. Officials say the closure will stay in effect while search and monitoring operations continue to ensure public safety.

What they're saying:

"While we are disappointed that the initial search did not neutralize the threat, our commitment to public safety remains paramount," AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock said in an online statement. "We acted decisively based on the best evidence available at the time, and now that we have definitive forensic data, we are adjusting our strategy. Our teams will continue to work tirelessly to find the bear."