Remember the bear that helped itself to the corpse of an expired, and unidentified, man last week? If you don't check, out the story here.
The initial story goes: Hungry bear finds Volkswagen Jetta parked off U.S.-Canadian border highway. In the car is the body of a deceased male. Bear helps itself. Hunters find the aftermath. Bear is blamed and pursued.
Now for the amended version, courtesy of the Associated Press.
It turns out the deceased male was 54-year-old Roy Nelson Wagner of British Columbia. He was reported missing from Kamloops on May 23.
Surprise twist number one: In 1994 Wagner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of a man he believed had sexually assaulted a family member. He was sentenced to prison and served his time.
Surprise twist number two: British Columbia Environment Minister Terry Lake has confirmed that the back bear, whose description matched that of the assailant black bear seen guarding the human body part cache, has been euthanized.
Authorities suspect Wagner's death to have been a suicide. Even though the bear did not kill Wagner, it was euthanized to ensure public safety.