Missing Alaska Hiker Killed By Brown Bear; Searcher Mauled

ANCHORAGE, AK — An Alaska man reported missing after he went on a hike Monday evening was killed in a bear attack, according to police.

Michael Soltis, 51, was reported missing June 18. Police reported that the last location he was seen in was in the area of Hiland Road in the Eagle River area of Anchorage.

According to police, around 10:30 a.m. Alaska time, a person who was part of the search party looking for Soltis was attacked by a brown bear at the dead end of Hiland Road in Eagle River. The victim suffered serious injuries to his leg but is expected to survive.

Police say it was shortly after the attack that they found Soltis' body. Authorities said it appeared that the brown bear was protecting the body when it attacked the search party member.

The bear has not been located and police are warning residents to stay away from the area.

The Anchorage Daily News reported that no one was in the field except biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The biologists were putting together a plan for what to do next as they search for the brown bear.

A GoFundMe page set up to support Soltis' family says he left behind a fiancée and an unborn child.

Photo via Shutterstock (Not the bear suspected in the attack)

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