Search and rescue crews found the body of a missing hiker in Glacier National Park on Wednesday, discovering his remains about two-and-a-half miles up the Mt. Brown Trail in a densely wooded area roughly 50 feet off the path. Park officials said Thursday that the injuries were consistent with those sustained in a bear encounter.
The National Park Service had said Tuesday that it was searching for a Fort Lauderdale, Florida man who had not been heard from since Sunday night. Officials have not yet released his name and said they will wait three days after notifying next of kin before doing so.
Wildlife and law enforcement personnel are now assessing the area for bear activity and any remaining public safety concerns. The portion of the Mt. Brown Trail where the body was found is closed until the investigation is finished, and the inquiry remains ongoing.
The finding turns a missing-person search into a possible bear attack case, and investigators now have to answer the question that matters most to hikers in the park: whether the animal is still active near the trail or whether this was an isolated encounter in a remote stretch of backcountry.
