Arkansas officials continue search for bear in fatal attack on camper

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) is still looking for a bear related to the death of a 60-year-old camper earlier this month.  

DNA from Max Thomas and from a bear that game and fish had euthanized were sent to a lab at the University of Florida.

However, those results were released on Thursday, and they confirmed that the bear that was killed after it was the suspected bear was not the one that killed Thomas.

This attack was the second bear attack to happen this year. AGFC said that prior to these, the last deadly bear attack in Arkansas occurred before the Game and Fish Commission was even an agency.

With Thursday’s news, they are continuing to search for the bear involved in the attack.

“So, from here, we’re going to continue to keep our cameras at the campground. We’ve also got our traps set up there. We just rebated them again last week. Hopefully, we can get something, you know, on camera or in the traps. We haven’t. That’s the only bear that has come back to the campground, which is really odd, and that’s really the reason why we thought that was probably the bear,” Keith Stephens, the Chief Communications Officer for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said.

The attack happened on October 2, 2025, at Sam’s Throne Campground of the Ozark National Forest.

Officials explained that Thomas’ body was discovered during a welfare check by Newton County’s sheriff’s deputies after it was requested by his family. 

However, the investigation into the death continues.

“We did have some pictures from the family that the victim had been sending to him, so we knew that the bear was very close to him,” Stephens said. “He had some pictures that were actually with the bear in the cot that he was sleeping on. So not, not very far at all from him, way too close. You shouldn’t let a wild animal getting in the vicinity of you like that.”

The investigation includes pictures of the bear taken by Thomas, as well as photos from the campground’s cameras.

Stephens said the euthanized bear and the involved bear looked similar, but the DNA results were disappointing.

“The bear was about the same age, had some same coloration on his face. It looked just like the bear it was in the campground right next to where the attack took place. You know, everything was pointing towards that this was the bear, and it’s the only bear that we’ve got a picture of in that area. And we’ve got several cameras and several traps, and we haven’t been able to catch anything else,” Stephens said.

If you do see a bear that is acting aggressively, you are asked to contact Game and Fish to let them know. If you do come into contact with a bear, remember these are wild animals.

You should back away slowly and, if you have some, throw rocks or bang pots and pans to scare the bear away.