A Humboldt County man recently suffered a fatal heart attack outside of his home and was eaten by a black bear.
According to reports, 65-year-old Marion Lee Williams passed away sometime last week as he made his way along his property to check on his water supplies.
Authorities believe that Williams collapsed in his yard, near the bear’s home, and was dragged by the bear to a cave to be eaten.
“It looks like he collapsed and died,” deputy coroner Roy Horton was quoted as saying. “The bear comes along and sees a potential food source.”
Williams lived in a densely forested area off the grid. He was last seen on October 8, but was not reported missing until Saturday, October 18. The bear ate approximately 85 percent of Williams’ body, but by using Williams’ fingerprints, dentures and pieces of clothing, investigators were able to identify his body.
Black bear eats most of NorCal man's body | http://t.co/O90xty0rwj pic.twitter.com/Ss2med4Von
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) October 17, 2014
“The bear did eat most of this guy,” Horton added. “He was about 85 percent consumed.”
Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, explained that the bear does not pose a threat to the public, and was simply doing what bears do.
“The bear does not pose a public threat,” Hughan said. “It was just doing what bears do.” While they considered searching for the bear to euthanize it, it was reported that the bear was long gone by the time authorities arrived.