National

'Aggressive' bear likely killed Alaskan hiker and mauled search party member, police say

The same brown bear may have killed a hiker outside Anchorage, Alaska and later mauled another person who was looking for the missing man, police said Wednesday.

The body of hiker Michael Soltis was discovered Wednesday after a member of a search party suffered a leg injury when a brown bear attacked. Police, searching for the bear, then found Soltis' body.

"It appears the brown bear was protecting the body when it attacked a member of the search party," Anchorage police said in a statement Wednesday.

The wounded member of the search party is expected to recover, police said. Authorities had not found the bear as of Wednesday night.

"Police are still asking people to avoid the area due to the aggressive bear," a release says.

“We believe the bear that attacked the volunteer was the one that attacked and killed the missing man,” police spokesman MJ Thim told the Associated Press.

Soltis went missing Monday evening while on a hike in the Eagle River area northeast of Anchorage.

Alaska Fish and Game spokesman Ken Marsh told the Associated Press that the agency was still investigating whether the bear attack was predatory or defensive.

Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller