A quiet camping trip in the Ozark National Forest ended in tragedy.
Officials believe a 60-year-old Missouri man was killed in a rare bear attack.
When his family couldn’t reach him for days, they called police in Newton County.
Officers arrived at Sam’s Throne campground to a grim scene.
The man’s body was found just yards from his tent.
Sheriff Glenn Wheeler described the injuries as “consistent with a large carnivore attack.”
The suspected bear, a young male, was later tracked down and killed after being spotted on camera near the site.
Bear Shot After Fatal Attack
Hunters with hounds cornered the animal in a tree, bringing an end to what the sheriff called a “dangerous situation.”
DNA testing will confirm if it’s the same bear, but Wheeler said, “All indications are that this is the bear responsible for the fatal attack.”
Tragically, the man had sent his family photos of a bear wandering through his campsite before the attack — images that later helped identify the animal.
Arkansas has around 5,000 black bears, but deadly encounters like this are almost unheard of.
Between 1900 and 2009, only 63 people across North America were killed by black bears.
Still, this incident is a chilling reminder — even in peaceful wilderness, nature can turn perilous in a heartbeat.
