ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Authorities reported the tragic death of a 50-year-old hunter, who was apparently attacked by a brown bear on an island in southeastern Alaska. The incident has prompted a thorough investigation by local officials.

Tad Fujioka, a resident of Sitka, was last heard from on Tuesday evening after setting out for a solitary hunting expedition on the densely wooded Baranof Island. Concerns arose when he failed to return from his day-long outing, leading to his being reported as overdue.

A coordinated search effort was initiated, involving state wildlife troopers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and search and rescue teams from Sitka. On Wednesday, searchers located Fujioka’s remains. It appears that he was attacked by bears, which also consumed a deer he had previously hunted.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter aided the search by identifying three brown bears near the location of the deer carcass. Ground crews were alerted to their presence, according to troopers’ spokesperson Tim DeSpain.

Despite the search teams’ efforts, which included personnel from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the bears were not found before dark. The authorities have since recovered Fujioka’s body and have notified his family of the unfortunate incident.