UPDATE MAY 6, 4:30 p.m.:
Fox 4 has obtained the 911 calls made by relatives, along with the police report.
According to a report from the Collier County Sheriff's Office, Markel's grandchild said a bear killed Markel's dog in front of the house.
LISTEN TO 911 AUDIO DESCRIBING THE SCENE FROM THE MONDAY MORNING ATTACK:
When relatives went to check on Markel, who lives in a trailer on the property, they said he wasn't there.
"No, he’s gone completely. His whole camper was destroyed," the 911 caller said. "He’s not in there. He’s 89-years-old...he can’t run. He literally can’t even walk without falling over," he added.
The granddaughter told deputies on scene the last time she saw her grandfather was 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
When deputies arrived, the report says the trailer was in disarray, the mattress was off the bed and items were scattered throughout the trailer.
"They just found his pants, wallet and shirt in the woods," the 911 caller told dispatchers before law enforcement arrived.
Deputies say those items were found about 20 yards from the trailer in the woods.
"The shirt seemed to be saturated in blood," the report said.
FWC arrived at the scene and said they found a body about 100 yards away from Markel's trailer, which appeared to be covered in dirt and leaves.
During the 911 call, the person said bears come in and out behind the camper every single day.
"There’s freaking 40 bears out here. They come in and out every day *inaudible* and now they just decide to kill a dog and take *inaudible*," the caller said.
UPDATE MAY 6:
FWC says officers shot and killed three bears overnight following the suspected bear attack that killed an 89-year-old man.
The agency says the three bears shot were in the vicinity they were searching.
"DNA samples from the scene and the three bears have been sent to Gainesville for testing and we are awaiting the results of the DNA testing now," said Roger Young, FWC's Executive Director.
Wildlife officials say they will continue to search and kill black bears in the area until DNA results show which bear or bears are responsible for the deadly attack.
Young says there might be hair left from the bears at the scene, which they can take DNA from to match to the three killed. FWC expects this to take 24 hours.
In a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, FWC said they secured the perimeter and set out several traps and cameras overnight.
According to policy, they will try to trap and take all the bears involved in the incident. They do believe more than one bear is involved.
FWC is still calling this a wildlife attack until more information is known.
"Until we can definitively say which bears were involved, we’re going to continue these efforts until we can make that decision," Young said.
Mike Orlando, FWC's bear management coordinator, says dogs and bears don't get along and this is seen throughout the state. However, an interaction with a human is different.
"The issue with a person being not only injured, but killed by a bear is extraordinarily rare. It’s the first time we’ve had that in our state’s history," Orlando said.
When asked why a bear could have done this, Orlando said he doesn't know the answer to that question, but they're trying to figure it out.
FWC said the agency has not had any calls about bears in this area since 2018.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Authorities have identified the man found dead after a suspected bear attack in a remote part of Collier County Monday morning as 89-year-old Robert Markel.
More than two dozen investigative units from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office responded to a propery in a wooded area of the Jerome community off of State Road 29. CCSO received a 911 call at around 7 a.m.
WATCH AS FLORIDA WILDLIFE OFFICIALS SHARE THE LATEST ON THE ONGOING BEAR SEARCH:
FWC officials said Markel’s daughter reported witnessing a bear attack and kill her father’s dog. Investigators later discovered Markel’s body nearby on his property. Markel had lived alone on the property with the dog.
FWC suspects the man may have been killed hours before the 911 call came in.
“The bear involved may still be in the area as our officers continue to secure the perimeter,” said FWC Officer George Reynaud in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we urge residents and visitors to remain vigilant and avoid the area," he added.
FWC said crews are actively monitoring the scene and had not located the bear or fired any shots as of Monday evening. Four live bear traps have been deployed in the area, and officers will remain on site overnight with drone and surveillance technology.
“Public safety is paramount for us, so we will have officers staged in that area and in that perimeter to ensure public safety at this time,” Reynaud said.
Officials said they are waiting for DNA results to confirm whether a Florida black bear was responsible. If confirmed, it would be a rare case — and the first fatal bear attack in Florida since FWC began tracking such incidents.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Markel,” Reynaud said. “At this time we have deployed four live bear traps around the vicinity of where the incident occurred in an attempt to capture this bear," he added.
FWC said it will release additional information as it becomes available.
