The man from Missouri that was killed by an animal attack at a campground in Arkansas is identified.
The full release from the Newton County Sheriff's Office is below:
Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said the identity of the man killed by a bear at Sam's Throne Campground, near Mount Judea, Arkansas has been released.
The victim has been identified as Max Thomas, aged 60, of Springfield, Missouri. Thomas had been camping at the campground and had stopped making contact with his family which prompted them to call the Sheriff's Office to check his welfare. Deputies found his body several yards out of camp.
In an extensive collaborative effort between multiple agencies and local citizens, a search for the bear began. On the evening of October 5th, a bear was located that is believed to be the one responsible for the mauling and death. Possible DNA results are pending to give confirmation.
Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said, "Max was a husband and a father who leaves behind several loved ones. He was out enjoying a beautiful part of the world when a very unfortunate incident occurred. We are getting some pushback from a small minority of people who feel the bear should not have been killed as a result of this. To those people I would say that, while it is unfortunate that it had to end that way, human life is vastly more important and public safety takes priority. Bears that attack humans are dangerous and will continue to pose a threat. Our victim was named Max Thomas. He had a family, a soul and many loved ones. Thank God his family has some resolution to this nightmare and thank God, the public is safer."
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