LIPAN, Texas – Deputies found the body of a missing 28-year-old North Texas man in a wooded area after he was killed in a suspected mountain lion attack, the Hood County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.
Christopher Whiteley, who was reported missing on Dec. 2, was found around 3:30 p.m. Thursday in a wooded area near the 15000 block of Howell Road in Lipan, Texas.
Deputies were initially called to the scene in reference to his missing person’s report. After canvassing the area, the deputies found Whiteley’s body, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities sent Whiteley’s remains to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. The medical examiner later indicated the victim had died from a wild animal attack, possibly a mountain lion.
The sheriff’s office has contacted a governmental trapper with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Game Wardens, who are now working to locate the mountain lion.
Residents in the Lipan area are urged to be mindful of their surroundings and should keep their young children and pets indoors at night out of precaution in the meantime, the sheriff’s office said.
“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 Sheriff Roger Deeds in a statement.
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