NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. (KTVI) – Wildlife authorities in Arkansas have revealed that the bear they euthanized earlier this month, suspected of killing a man from Missouri, was not, in fact, the animal responsible for the fatal attack.
On October 2, the lifeless body of Max Thomas from Springfield, Missouri, was found near the Sam’s Throne campground in the Ozark National Forest, located in the northwest corner of Arkansas, as reported by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC).
The AGFC stated, “A bear was euthanized by AGFC biologists three days following the incident because its size, physical characteristics, and photographic evidence strongly suggested it could be the bear involved,” according to a news release issued on Thursday.
However, DNA analysis has revealed that the bear killed by officials does not match the DNA profile of the bear involved in Thomas’s death, as confirmed by the AGFC.
