Wildlife officials have confirmed that an 89-year-old man was the victim of the first fatal Florida black bear attack in the state's history, after his partial remains were found in a bear.
Robert Markel and his dog were attacked and killed Monday in Jerome, a rural area east of Naples and just south of Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area.
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In a statement Friday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed it was the first fatal black bear attack in the state's history.
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After the attack, three black bears were killed in the area, and one of them, a 263-pound male, contained the partial remains of Markel, officials said.
The remains of Markel were found about 100 yards from his home, but investigators found signs a bear had actually entered the home.
DNA results received on Friday positively identified that the 263-pound male’s DNA was present on Markel, inside his residence and on the dog’s body.
The only bear DNA found at the scene matched the three bears that were killed, and all three bears were tested for rabies but the results were negative.
"The Collier County Medical Examiner is still in the process of completing their investigation, but indicated the preliminary cause of death was consistent with injuries caused by a black bear," the FWC statement read.
The exact sequence of events in the fatal attack remain unclear, officials said. It remains under investigation.
Jerome is in the South Bear Management Unit, which has the third largest population of bears in the state, estimated at 1,044 in 2015, FWC officials said.
