Official cause of death released for Missouri man found dead at Arkansas campground

NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Newton County Sheriff has released the cause of death after a Missouri man’s body was found at a campground in the Ozark National Forest on Oct. 2.

Newton County Sheriff Glenn Walker said he spoke with the medical examiner at the Arkansas State Crime Lab, who confirmed the man’s death was ruled as an “animal mauling” and the manner of death was an accident.

Walker previously said that the attack could have been from a bear, but the crime lab cannot confirm it until DNA samples are obtained.

“This confirms our suspicions, and I appreciate the quick work of the Medical Examiner in getting us and the family preliminary answers,” Walker said in the release. “I also understand their desire to confirm the species of animal via DNA just to cover all our bases.”

Sam’s Throne Campground, near Mount Judea, and the surrounding area will continue to be closed until further notice as efforts to locate the bear remain ongoing.

Walker said that they have an approximate size and estimated weight of the bear believed to be responsible for the attack.

“There is a lot of speculation circulating about the bear and I can say that the one believed to attacked the man was not a large bear. We believe it to be a juvenile male that was likely weaned and kicked off its mother this year,” Walker said.

Authorities responded to the campground to do a welfare check on Oct. 2.

After arriving, deputies said the man wasn’t in his camp, but there was evidence of a struggle and injury at the site. Deputies said there were also drag marks leading from the campground into the woods.

During a search, deputies said they found the camper dead several yards outside the campsite, and his body had injuries that could have been from a bear attack, deputies said. Authorities told KNWA/FOX24 that the camper was a 60-year-old man from Springfield, Mo.

Investigators said they received information that the victim had sent pictures of a bear in his camp earlier that week.

Walker told KNWA/FOX24 that the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission has installed real-time surveillance cameras in the woods to spot and track the bear. Bear traps have also been set.

If the DNA is confirmed to be bear, it would be the second fatal bear attack in Arkansas in as many months.

Fatal bear attacks are incredibly rare in Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture says a person is 180 times more likely to die from a bee sting than a bear attack.

This is a developing story. Stay with KNWA/FOX24 for the latest.