NEWTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Authorities have identified the Missouri man who died near an Arkansas campsite after a suspected bear attack on Thursday, Oct. 2.
On Oct. 5, a bear was caught on camera in Sam's Throne Campground near the campsite where the suspected attack happened, NCSO says. Local hunters, hunting dogs, and authorities were reportedly dispatched to that area, where they found and killed the bear.
On Oct. 6, NCSO confirmed Max Thomas, 60, of Missouri died in the attack.
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."
Officials with the sheriff's office conducted a welfare check at the campsite after a caller said his father