Hunter found mauled to death by bears after he didn’t return from trip, Alaska cops say
_fitted.png "Tad Fujioka, 50, is pictured. His remains were found in a remote area in Sitka, troopers said.")
A 50-year-old man was found mauled to death by brown bears after never returning home from his hunting trip in Alaska, troopers said.
Tad Fujioka was reported missing at 6:17 p.m. Oct. 29 from the Sitka area, Alaska State Troopers said in a news release.
Search teams spread out the next day looking for him in a wooded area, troopers said.
His remains were found at about 11:30 a.m. that day, troopers said.
Brown bears killed Fujioka as these are the only bear species to live on Baranof Island, Alaska Department of Public Safety spokesperson Tim DeSpain told McClatchy News by email.
The animals ate a deer Fujioka had killed, then left the area, DeSpain said.
Authorities and wildlife officers tried to look for the animals but could not find them.
The area is remote, difficult to access and has a lot of bears, DeSpain said.
Fujioka was a commercial fisherman and a father.
“May the sea breeze forever surround you and the sun shine upon your face. You will be missed by all,” Laurie Ann Jones-Serka wrote on Facebook.
Sitka is south of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Hunter found mauled to death by bears after he didn’t return from trip, Alaska cops say."
