KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. – A man whose body was found being eaten by a bear at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park died of a drug overdose, according to authorities.
WVLT reported that William Lee Hill, Jr., 30, of Louisville, Ky., was found dead in the national park in September of last year.
Officials who found his body said a bear was eating his remains. Authorities decided to euthanize the bear the next day, citing a public safety concern, even though Hill’s exact cause of death was not certain.
The Knox County Regional Forensic Center recently released Hill’s autopsy which concludes that he died of an accidental methamphetamine overdose.
Park officials told WATE the following on Monday: