89-year-old man and dog killed in bear attacks in Florida: Officials

An 89-year-old man and his dog were killed in apparently separate bear attacks near the victim's home in Florida, officials said.

The fatal incidents may have involved more than one bear, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Executive Director Roger Young said Tuesday.

The attacks were reported in the area of State Road 29 and U.S. 41 near Jerome, just south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, a conservation area, according to the FWC.

In the wake of the attacks, FWC killed three bears in the area, the agency said Tuesday. The bears' DNA will be tested to confirm if any were involved in the incident.

The victim was identified as Robert Markel, a longtime resident of the Jerome area. The wildlife commission previously said Markel was 88, but in an update on Tuesday said that he was 89.

The attacks occurred "some time apart" on Monday, according to FWC spokesperson George Reynaud. A family member of the victim witnessed a bear attack the dog, some time after Markel is believed to have been attacked, according to Reynaud.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call shortly after 7 a.m. Monday involving a "bear encounter."

The victim's granddaughter told a responding deputy that a bear killed Markel's dog in the front yard of their house, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office incident report. When she went to check on Markel in his trailer on the property, he was missing and his trailer was "in disarray," according to the report.

A wallet, shirt and pants were found in the woods, approximately 20 yards from the trailer, according to the report. FWC personnel responded and located the victim deceased approximately 100 yards from the trailer, the report said.

"We do know it was a bear attack. We don't know if it was the same bear or multiple bears," Reynaud said at a press briefing Monday evening.

Once the investigation is confirmed, this would mark the first documented fatal bear attack in the state's history, Reynaud said.

The animal would most likely be a Florida black bear, based on the region, FWC spokesperson Tyson Matthews said at a press briefing earlier Monday.

Markel had been alone with the dog at the residence, and there are several other residences within the property, officials said.

Bear traps remain set up in the area, and wildlife commission personnel continue to monitor bear activity, Roger said.

The FWC warned residents and visitors to continue to avoid the area "out of an abundance of caution."

"Do not approach or attempt to track wildlife," the wildlife commission said in a statement on Tuesday. "Law enforcement and FWC personnel are continuing to monitor bear activity and ensure public safety."

The FWC is investigating the incident.

"The FWC is committed here to do all we can to bring closure to the Markel family after this event, in honor of Robert Markel," Young said.