SPRINGDALE, Ark — A foot found near Beaver Lake in Benton County that was suspected to be human has been identified as a bear foot, Lt. Shannon Jenkins confirmed on Wednesday.
The foot was brought to a fire station in Rogers on Sunday, March 12, and was initially reported by officials as "resembling a human foot."
Lt. Jenkins said the foot was found by a dog near the area of Hickory Creek at Beaver Lake.
It was then later brought to Fire Station #7 in Rogers by the dog's owners. Keith Foster with Rogers Police Department says the remains were turned over to BCSO, who conducted an investigation.
Search and rescue teams searched the area where the foot was believed to be found.
The foot was described by officials as "very deteriorated and basically bones."
On Wednesday, Jenkins apologized "for the unBEARable pain this may have caused the community."
Then added, "in all seriousness, we are thankful this is the foot of a bear rather than the foot of someone's loved one."
Jenkins did send a photo of the foot in the recent announcement, but for obvious reasons, 5NEWS will not share the photo. It's very gross.
Stay with 5NEWS for updates on this developing story.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.