DNA, necropsy identifies the bear who killed the Collier County Man

Jerome, Florida (WWSB) – Evidence and DNA who were killed this week from a black bear confirmed that it was the animal that killed a man and his dog Collier County, said civil servants.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has completed its first examination of the first deadly black bear attack in Florida in the history of this week in Jerome, a rural section in the southwest of Florida, the FWC announced on Friday.

On May 5, the law enforcement agencies reacted to a possible fatal encounter with wild animals after a family had reported a relative in his house, the signs of recent disorders that could have been caused by a bear or bear around the property.

The remains of 89-year-old Robert Markel were found about 100 meters from his house. On -site evidence showed a physical encounter between a bear and a person; They also found a dog that was recently killed by a bear; And signs that a bear had entered the house.

That night FWC employees killed three adult male bears.

There was an unsuccessful attempt to catch a fourth bear; However, DNA evidence of all four animals was collected.

The Collier County Medical Examiner is still investigating, but indicated that the preliminary cause of death agreed with injuries caused by a black bear.

The results of the necropsy showed that one of the bears, a 263 pound man, contained the partial remains of Markel. The DNA results were positive on May 9 that the DNA of the 263 pound man was present on Markel, in his residence and on the body of the dog.

The only bear -DNA found on site voted the three bears that were fatally taken. All three bears were tested for rabies and all results were negative.

Jerome, Florida, is in the South Bear Management Unit, which has the third largest population of bears in the state, which will be estimated in 2015 to 1,044.

Data show that the bear population grows there. Between May 5, 2024 and May 4, 2025, the FWC received 16 bear calls within a radius of 10 miles after the nearby Copeland, which were laid and relocated and relocated to five visits on site, five conquests, three bears, and a bear that was killed in a man.

While it is rare for wild blacks in Florida to hurt people, people were bitten and scratched by bears, mostly when cubs, food sources or dogs are present.

The FWC receives an average of 6,300 bear calls annually and has documented 42 earlier incidents in which Wilde Schwarzbären have made physical contact since the 1970s as comprehensive records. Three of these led to serious injuries that required medical help before this incident.

Guidelines for what to do if a bear is available from myfwc.com/bear. To learn more about bears and avoid conflicts with them, visit Bearweise.org.

The examination remains open until all tests have been completed and the results have been thoroughly checked.

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