Authorities identify victim, say bear believed responsible for fatal attack has been killed

Authorities have identified the man killed in a bear attack last week at Sam’s Throne Campground near Mount Judea, Arkansas, as 60-year-old Max Thomas of Springfield, Missouri.

Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said Thomas had been camping in the area and stopped contacting his family, who alerted the sheriff’s office. Deputies later found his body several yards from his campsite.

In an extensive effort involving multiple agencies and local hunters, officers began searching for the bear believed responsible. On Sunday, Oct. 5, hounds treed a bear in the same area where Thomas was attacked. Officials said the bear matched photos taken by the victim and others in the weeks before the incident.

The bear’s body has been sent to Little Rock for a necropsy and DNA testing to confirm its identity.

Sheriff Wheeler said he is confident the animal was responsible, calling the situation tragic but necessary for public safety.

“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,” Wheeler said Monday. “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.”

Sam’s Throne Campground and surrounding areas remain closed while officials await test results and remove traps and equipment.

File image: Thomas Fuhrmann