Wrong bear killed following fatal mauling at Ozark campground, Arkansas officials say

Lauren Liebhaber, The Kansas City Star on Oct 24, 2025

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Arkansas wildlife officials announced they killed the wrong black bear in pursuit of an animal responsible for a fatal mauling at an Ozark National Forest campground in early October.

The victim, identified as 60-year-old Max Thomas of Springfield, Missouri, was found dead Oct. 2 at Sam’s Throne Campground, according to a Thursday news release from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Authorities said Thomas’ son grew concerned after not hearing from him for a couple days, noting that among the last messages the family received from Thomas were photos of a black bear in his campsite, McClatchy News previously reported.

Three days later, wildlife officials killed a bear in the area that matched the size and physical characteristics of the suspected attacking bear, according to the release.

According to authorities, the juvenile bear killed was “not a large bear,” likely weaned off its mother this year, McClatchy News reported.

“I feel extremely confident this is the bear we have photographs of from the scene of the attack,” Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said in an Oct. 5 news release.

“We knew the bear in the photos was a male and this one is too,” Wheeler said. “It matches the size of the photographed bear and has the same facial colorations. Not to mention it was back in the same area where the attack happened.”

Forensic analysis shows bear DNA collected from Thomas’ body does not match the DNA profile of the male bear killed by wildlife officials, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

“We acted decisively based on the best evidence available at the time, and now that we have definitive forensic data, we are adjusting our strategy,” Doug Schoenrock, Director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said.

“Our teams will continue to work tirelessly to find the bear,” Schoenrock said.

No other bears have been caught in traps that were set up in the area, according to the release.

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