Lab tests connect black bear killed by Florida wildlife officers to fatal attack on man and his dog
Lab results have connected one of three black bears killed by wildlife officers in southwest Florida to a fatal attack on a man and his dog a day earlier, officials said Friday.
Necropsy results revealed that a 263-pound (119-kilogram) male bear contained the partial remains of 89-year-old Robert Markel, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement. Testing showed that same bear's DNA was present on Markel's body, inside his home and on the dog's body.
Wildlife officials have not explicitly said that bear is the one that killed Markel, but a preliminary autopsy by the Collier County Medical Examiner found that Markel's cause of death is consistent with a bear attack.
Markel was attacked early Monday near his home in a rural area east of Naples, just south of Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area.
Wildlife officers set several traps and cameras. They killed three black bears in the area and sent their remains to a Gainesville lab. None of the animals tested positive for rabies, officials said.
Wildlife officials are still investigating the events that led to the attack.
Florida's black bears, which were once threatened, have increasingly wandered into neighborhoods and private property in recent years, especially in more rural areas of north and central Florida.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lithium-Ion batteries cause fire in Hernando County home: HCFR
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) — A fire broke out in a Brooksville residence Saturday afternoon after lithium-ion batteries were left charging inside the home. Hernando County Fire Rescue responded to the 800 block of Live Oak Drive to find smoke billowing out from the front door. Two people were inside the home at the time but escaped safely with no injuries. As an important safety reminder, continuously charging lithium-ion batteries can cause the battery to fail, which creates a very deadly gas release that can not only incapacitate people but also overheat and spontaneously catch fire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
All The Shocking Testimony from Diddy's Federal Trial That'll Make Your Stomach Turn
Week four of what's expected to be a six to eight week federal trial against Sean 'Diddy' Combs shocked the world. The disgraced mogul is in a fight for his life after being charged with racketeering and human trafficking. And as his trial continues, many are convinced it's these testimonies from witnesses that will bury Combs for good. From went was found during the federal raids to gruesome details of Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura's alleged abuse, witnesses at Diddy's trial paint a scary picture of the disgraced mogul. The descriptions of the horrors many either witnessed or experienced is shocking. We will warn you of the graphic and brutal nature of the following content. Take a look for yourself. Jane said she met Diddy on a trip to Miami in 2020. They began dating and quickly, things took a turn, according to the woman. During day two of Jane's testimony against Diddy, she revealed she suffered similar treatment as Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. Jane was allegedly responsible for putting together the Freak Offs and taking care of Combs after they were over. As we previously reported, Combs allegedly ordered her to FaceTime men to seek out sex with and have them send photos or videos of their genitals. She even testified to crying during some of the events, as things began taking a mental toll on her. Bryana Bongolan took the stand to tell the court about when Diddy allegedly dangled her off a balcony in 2016. She said Combs repeatedly asked her 'Do you know what the f**k you did?' She said she sustained injuries from the incident including a severe bruise on her leg, neck pain and night terrors, as we reported. Bongolan testified she had no idea why Combs had directed his anger to her. The forensic video and audio expert took the stand to testify to the claim by Diddy's team that the 2026 hotel footage was fake. Piazza told the court nothing had been done to compromise the footage. Combs' team previously fought to keep the jury from viewing the surveillance footage. By now, the jury has viewed the video at least eight times. On Thursday (May 29), Diddy's former assistant 'Mia' alleged Diddy was abusive and violent. The woman, who wanted to keep her identity private, told the story of when she and Ventura sneaked out of their hotel and into a party at Prince's house. They two friends were having a great time until the Bad Boy mogul spotted them, prompting Ventura to run and try to hide from him. As we previously reported, Diddy caught up to them about both women paid. Mis said she was suspended without pay citing insubordination, and Ventura allegedly was beaten, got luggage thrown at her and was called out her name. After she was mentioned in rapper Kid Cudi's testimony, Capricorn Clark took the stand Tuesday (May 27) to spill more tea on the prosecution's kidnapping accusation against Diddy. She said he came to her apartment one morning with a gun before telling her, ''Get dressed, we're going to kill [Kid Cudi],'' Combs continued, according to Clark. Combs was allegedly 'irriate' after discovering Ventura was in a romantic relationship with the 'Day 'n' Nite' rapper. So, he allegedly forced Clark into his Cadillac Escalade that morning and drove to Cudi's house. On another occasion, Diddy accused her of stealing jewelry from him and forced her to take a lie detector test five days straight. ''If you fail this test, they're going to throw you in the East River,'' Clark recalled being told. The world was waiting to hear what Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Ventura, would say about her alleged abuser. At eight months pregnant, Ventura took the stand and shared shocking details about the nature of her relationship with Diddy. According to her, the hotel footage of Diddy dragging her in 2016 occurred right after one of his alleged 'Freak Offs.' She also revealed she received a $20 million settlement following her 2023 lawsuit against Combs. 'I'd give that money back if I never had to have 'Freak Offs,'' an emotional Ventura said on the stand. 'If I never had to have 'Freak Offs,' I would have had agency and autonomy. And I wouldn't have had to work so hard to get it back.' Shortly after her daughter's testimony, Regina Ventura took the stand against Diddy. As we previously reported, Regina said Combs contacted her, demanding $20,000 in 'recoup money' for the funds he supposedly spent on Ventura. This led to Regina and her husband taking out a home equity loan to pay Combs. She sent the money to the disgraced mogul, but it was then wired back to her. Garcia, who is a former hotel security guard for the InterContinental Hotel, took the stand to testify about what he witnessed in the notorious 2016 incident captured on surveillance cameras. According to him, Ventura refused to calls the cops. Diddy soon asked for the footage, which led to. him paying Garcia $100,000 for the only copy. Before the trial started, former Diddy protégé Dawn Richard said she witnessed Diddy abusing Ventura, but she added gruesome details once she took the stand. According to her, Diddy once tried to hit his girlfriend with a skillet, punched her in the stomach and even asserted his control of Ventura through her music career. ''I own you…when I'm ready for you, you'll do,'' Richard said, quoting Combs. 'And it was always wait, wait, wait for her. She had to wait her turn.' Sharay Hayes, an exotic dancer who goes by 'The Punisher,' told the court he had multiple sexual interactions with Diddy and Ventura. According to him, he was hired to perform sexual acts with Ventura while Combs watched. Shockingly, Hayes revealed Combs would give him and Venture orders to perform, but then he began having performance issues. 'Me, personally, a sexual scenario with a woman's partner present actively giving directions was not the norm for me, so it created some discomfort that could affect my performance,' Hayes said in court. After that, he wasn't asked to return for another alleged Freak Off, as The Root previously reported. Special Agent Gerard Gannon is one of multiple federal agents expected to testify in court. According to Gannon, he was on the scene when Diddy's Miami mansion was raided last year. When news broke of the federal raids at Combs' mansions in Los Angeles and Miami, many speculated what exactly agents found. Now, we know. In court, Gannon revealed the feds found AR-15s, loaded magazines, sex toys and lube, according to TMZ. He also testified that the serial numbers on the discovered weapons were scratched off. David James, who worked for Combs as his personal assistant from 2007 to 2009, was overcome with emotion while telling the court what it was like to work for the Bad Boy mogul. As we previously reported, James testified he was instructed to buy baby oil, Astroglide lubricant and condoms for Diddy's Freak Offs. He also said once, he saw Ventura asleep in bed while a man with 'long hair' was also in the room. At the time, James said Diddy was in the shower, and although he was confused, he never asked questions about what he saw. Daniel Phillip— a former manager of a male revue show for women— testified that Ventura paid him to perform sexual acts with her in front of her 'husband,' who Phillip identified as Combs, The Root previously reported. That's when he dropped a bombshell revelation. 'Cassie was actually the one that asked me to urinate on her,' Phillip said on the stand. 'She asked me if I had ever done that before, she told me to do it. Apparently I was doing it wrong, because they both told me.' Kerry Morgan, Ventura's ex-best friend, made it clear her testimony only came as an obligation to a federal subpoena. She continued on the stand that she moved on with her life and 'away from all these people and the problems.' She went on the detail several instances when Combs was violence towards Ventura. Morgan tried to get involved, urging Ventura to leave Diddy, but that's when things took a scary turn. 'He came up behind me and choked me and then boomeranged a wooden hanger at my head,' Morgan testified. After that, she distanced herself from Ventura and Diddy, we previously reported. Since Ventura's bombshell lawsuit against Diddy, many have wondered what would lead Ventura to stay with Diddy after allegedly suffering years of abuse. A forensic psychologist took the stand breaking down a list potential reasons for this, The Root reported. Hughes is a 'blind expert,' meaning she doesn't know the details surrounding Combs' relationship with Ventura. On the stand, she cited trauma bonding, financial dependency, a loss of recollection and more reasons for why someone like Ventura, who's young musical career was in the hand of Diddy, didn't walk away sooner. Rapper Scott 'Kid Cudi' Mescudi took the stand on Thursday (May 22) testifying that Diddy blew up his car. This was corroborated by Ventura's previous account, as we previously reported. The rapper told the courts in 2012, he was notified that his car had been set on fire. A month before that, Diddy allegedly broke into the 'Day 'n' Nite' rapper's house, leading him to break up his brief romantic relationship with Ventura. According to her, their romance made Combs 'irate.' Eventually, Diddy and Kid Cudi had a one on one meeting. That's when he said the disgraced mogul denied having any involvement with his car blowing up. Cudi also testified Ventura confided in him about the physical abuse but not the sexual abuse she allegedly suffered under Puff.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Curious Florida gator checks out deputy vehicle
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WFLA) — Charlotte County deputies got one of their vehicles checked out by an alligator on Friday, as he made sure the tread on their tires was road-ready. The gator was found at the intersection of Theresa Boulevard and Hillsborough Boulevard in Port Charlotte. After verifying the vehicle was safe to drive, the curious alligator continued on his way. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
