Daughter calls 911 after bear kills 89-year-old dad and dog, FL officials say

UPDATE: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has identified a 263-pound male black bear as the animal responsible for the attack.

The original story is below.

An 89-year-old man and a dog were killed in bear attacks in southwest Florida, officials said.

The man has been identified Robert Markel, a “longtime resident” of the Jerome area in Collier County, FWC officer George Reynaud said at a news conference broadcast by WFLA on May 6.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said on May 5 the agency responded to a report of a “fatal wildlife attack” involving a bear near U.S. Route 41 and State Road 29 south of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area.

Reynaud said Markel’s daughter, who called 911, saw the bear attack the dog, then she realized she didn’t know where her father was. He was found dead a couple hundred yards away, but investigators believe the dad was killed before the dog, possibly hours earlier.

“Both of these incidents happened sometime apart,” Reynaud said. “They did not occur at the exact same time.”

Investigators are working to determine whether one bear or multiple were responsible for the attack. The incident marks the first documented fatal bear attack in Florida, Reynaud said.

FWC personnel placed traps in the area and have killed three bears in the search for the culprit or culprits, and their DNA has been sent to a lab for testing.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we urge residents and visitors to remain vigilant, and avoid the area,” officials said.

The investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Daughter calls 911 after bear kills 89-year-old dad and dog, FL officials say."