Cops: After Crash, Bear Pulled Man's Body From Car

Animal fled Massachusetts scene when first responders arrived
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 7, 2024 3:17 PM CDT
Cops: Bear Dragged Man's Body From Car After Crash
   (Getty Images/welcomia)

State police in Massachusetts believe a 31-year-old motorist was killed by a car crash, not by a bear that dragged him out of the vehicle afterward. State police say Daniel Ducharme's body was found in woods near the crash site in western Massachusetts on Sunday, NBC Boston reports. A bear was seen at the site but it fled after first responders arrived. "Evidence suggests the bear at some point had made contact with the victim's body," police said, per Boston 25.

State police said they received a call around 11:30am Sunday from a trucker who had seen Ducharme's 2016 Honda Civic in woods near Route 91 in Hatfield. Investigators believe Ducharme, the only person in the car, lost control of the vehicle at some point several hours earlier and the vehicle hit several trees after going down an embankment. Police said he was "either fully ejected or partially ejected and later dragged from the car by the bear." Massachusetts is home to an estimated 4,500 black bears and their established range includes Hatfield, CBS News reports. (More Massachusetts stories.)

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