LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Thursday announced that final DNA analysis from the Veterinary Forensic Science Laboratory at the University of Florida has confirmed that the DNA collected from the black bear killed in Newton County on Oct. 4 does not match the DNA of the bear responsible for the death of 60-year-old Max Thomas of Springfield, Missouri.

Thomas was found Oct. 2 in Sam’s Throne Campground of the Ozark National Forest. His body was discovered by a Newton County sheriff’s deputy during a welfare check at Thomas’ campsite requested by the man’s family. A bear was euthanized by AGFC biologists three days after the incident, as size, physical characteristics and photographic evidence initially pointed to a high probability that it was the attacking animal. k

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