A 60-year old Missouri man was found dead after suffering severe injuries in a \u201clarge carnivore attack\u201d just two days after sending his family photos of a bear from his Arkansas campsite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Newton County deputy found the man\u2019s truck and campsite at the campground at Sam\u2019s Throne Campground near Mt. Judea, Arkansas, on Thursday after the victim\u2019s son said his father had not been heard from in days and requested a welfare check, according to a press release from the sheriff\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe campsite had been disturbed and there was evidence of a struggle and injury,\u201d the press release read. \u201cThere were also drag marks leading from the campground into the woods. The man was not in his camp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unidentified man\u2019s body was eventually discovered several yards outside the campsite with \u201cextensive injuries of those expected from a large carnivore attack,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUntil the Arkansas Crime Lab completes the autopsy, we can\u2019t 100% say it was a bear, but everything strongly indicates it,\u201d said Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wheeler urged people in the area to be vigilant and use caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHistory tells us that once a bear becomes predatory, it often continues those behaviors,\u201d Wheeler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Forest Service has temporarily closed Sam\u2019s Throne Campground to facilitate the ongoing search for the animal, which could involve traps being set in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Forest Service and Newton County Sheriff\u2019s Office did not immediately reply to NBC News\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If confirmed as a bear mauling, this incident would mark Arkansas\u2019 second fatal bear attack in a month, according to the Arkansas Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n