LIPAN, Texas – A man in Texas is dead after a possible mountain lion attack and officials are warning nearby residents to keep young children inside at night as they search for the animal.
Around 3:30 p.m. last Thursday, deputies with the Hood County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 15000 block of Howell Rd. in Lipan in reference to a missing person call.
Deputies were told Christopher Allen Whiteley, 28, was missing and last seen on Wednesday, in the early morning hours.
Deputies checked a wooded area nearby and eventually found Whiteley deceased, the sheriff's office said.
Preliminary findings show Whiteley died from a wild animal attack, possibly a mountain lion.
The sheriff’s office has contacted a governmental trapper with the USDA, who specializes in tracking and removing mountain lions. Officers said they'll work with the trapper and Texas game wardens to locate the animal.
The sheriff's office urged the Lipan community to be mindful of their surrounding and to keep their young children and animals inside at night.
“The safety of Hood County citizens are my priority one, but please don’t interfere with the process of locating the animal and stay clear of the area being actively worked by officials," said Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds.
Whiteley’s body was sent to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
This story was originally published by Thalia Brionez at KXXV.
