BENTONVILLE — A foot initially thought to be human turned out to be a black bear paw, according to the Benton County sheriff’s office.
Lt. Shannon Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, released a statement Wednesday about the paw found last weekend near the area of Hickory Creek at Beaver Lake.
“Once Benton County detectives began to investigate, they quickly realized the ‘BARE’ foot had been mistaken for a human foot,” Jenkins’ news release stated. “In fact, it was determined by the medical examiner’s office to be the foot of a black bear. How ‘emBEARassing’ that may be!
“In all seriousness, we are thankful this is the foot of a bear rather than the foot of someone’s loved one.” The sheriff ’s office released a statement Monday about what was believed to be human remains found near Hickory Creek. A dog had found the foot, and the dog’s owner brought it to a fire station in Rogers on Sunday, according to the statement.
Search and rescue teams were dispatched to the area where the foot was believed to have been located while sheriff’s office detectives investigated, according to Monday’s statement.