Officials: Texas man possibly killed by mountain lion

LIPAN, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a 28-year-old man found dead in a wooded area in rural Texas was killed by a wild animal, possibly a mountain lion.

The Hood County Sheriff's Office said Saturday that deputies found Christopher Allen Whiteley's body on Thursday, a day after he went missing near Lipan, located 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Fort Worth.

The sheriff's office said the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy and issued a preliminary finding that an animal attacked and killed Whiteley.

The sheriff’s office said its deputies, Texas Game Wardens and a U.S. Department of Agriculture trapper with expertise in “tracking and removing” mountain lions are trying to locate the animal.

Authorities are warning area residents to be mindful of their surroundings and keep children and animals inside at night, when mountain lions primarily hunt.

There are rarely confirmed sightings of mountain lions in North Texas but the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Tuesday said its biologists had verified a sighting on private property in the suburban Dallas city of Rowlett, which is more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where Whiteley was killed.

TPWD spokeswoman Megan Radke said Sunday that they aren’t connecting the sighting in Rowlett to the man’s death.