Police believe black bear ‘dragged’ crash victim’s body from wreckage

Massachusetts State Police believe that a bear may have tampered with a crash scene on Sunday, as investigators say it’s possible the animal could have dragged the victim of the crash out of his car.

The crash occurred on Route 91 and is believed to have been the cause of Daniel Ducharme’s death, but it has yet to be confirmed.

Police shared that the evidence showed Ducharme, 31, of South Hadley, was “either fully ejected or partially ejected and later dragged from the car by the bear,” WCVB reported.

At 11 a.m. on Sunday, a bystander noticed a car in the woods off the side of the road and called the police. When troopers arrived, they found a “heavily damaged” 2016 Honda Civic.

“When first responders reached the scene, the deceased male occupant of the vehicle was outside the car, and a bear was observed in the woods in the vicinity of the scene,” State Police said in a statement. “Evidence suggests the bear at some point had made contact with the victim’s body.”

After troopers began working at the scene, the bear reportedly fled from the area.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of Ducharme’s death, but he was the only person in the car at the time of the crash.

Police said that Ducharme lost control of his vehicle before hitting the guardrail multiple times and eventually going off the right side of the road.

His car then went down the embankment and collided with several trees, authorities shared.

The investigation remains ongoing at this point.