Autopsy: Texas Man Died of Neck Injuries in Animal Attack Autopsy: Texas Man Died of Neck Injuries in Animal Attack (Source: Arizona Game and Fish) By Associated Press | January 28, 2021 at 12:19 PM CST - Updated January 28 at 3:57 PM
LIPAN, Texas (AP) - The final autopsy for a Texas man who sheriff’s officials believe was killed by a mountain lion found he died from neck injuries due to an animal attack, though state wildlife officials don’t believe a wild animal was to blame.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that 28-year-old Christopher Allen Whiteley’s cause of death last month was from neck injuries due to an animal attack. The manner of death was ruled an accident.
LIPAN, Texas A final autopsy for a Texas man whose body was found last month in the woods determined that he died from neck injuries due to an animal attack, but wildlife experts and sheriff’s officials disagree on whether that animal was a mountain lion. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that 28-year-old […]
Medical examiner rules Hood County man died from animal attack
By FOX 4 Staff article
LIPAN, Texas - Officials now agree a North Texas man who was believed to have been killed by a mountain lion did indeed die because of a wild animal attack.
The body of 28-year-old Christopher Allen Whiteley was found in December in a wooded area in the Hood County city of Lipan.
Game wardens were called in to search for a mountain lion after his preliminary autopsy report ruled out homicide. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office suggested he died after being attacked by a wild animal.
The sheriff s department said, however, there was still disagreement with The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department over what type of animal could have killed Whiteley.
In December, Texas Game Wardens, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists, and subject matter experts conducted an inspection of the area where Whiteley was found and said there is not any evidence of a predatory attack by a mountain lion at the location where the victim was found. A Unites States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services trapper also evaluated the evidence and came to the same conclusion as our staff.
TPWD said fatal mountain lion attacks on people are extremely rare. In the past 100 years, there are fewer than 30 confirmed deaths due to mountain lion attacks nationwide.