Black bear found dead in plastic bag near walking trail in suburban Washington, D.C.

A black bear was found dead in a plastic bag near a park walking path in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.

At 8:30 p.m. Friday, a plastic bag was reported near a walking trail at Spout Run Parkway, according to a news release from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. Police suspected there was a dog inside, but found the body of a black bear.

“This is a very unusual incident,” Chelsea Jones, senior communications specialist for the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, told USA TODAY.

She said a local resident found the black bear and reported the incident. The bear weighed at least several hundred pounds and was not removed from the scene until around 1 a.m. Saturday.

Authorities are now conducting a forensic investigation to determine the bear's cause of death.

Did the bear die of natural causes?

Jones said it was unclear whether the bear died of natural causes or was intentionally killed by humans, but he added that if it was killed it could be considered a crime.

According to Virginia law, there are only two situations in which any person can kill a black bear in the state:

If the above occurred and resulted in the death of the bear, the person who killed the bear must report the incident to a state conservation police officer, the law states.

How often are bears seen in Arlington?

According to Jones, bears are seen in Arlington about once a year, and the bear is usually on its way to find its own territory.

“They’re not trying to hurt us, they’re not trying to cause trouble,” Jones said. “We’ve never had an incident with a black bear coming through here.”

She said Arlington also hasn't seen any bears harm other animals or people's property.

If the bear's death was caused by someone killing it without provocation, Jones said the AWLA wants to prevent a repeat of the incident.

“We believe all living animals deserve our respect,” Jones said. “And I hope we can figure out what happened and prevent it from happening again.”

AWLA is asking anyone with information regarding the incident to contact them at 703-931-9241 or [email protected].

“If you saw anything or if you have a Ring camera in your home near this location, or anything like that, please contact us,” Jones said.

Julia is a trends reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered a variety of topics, from local business and government in her hometown of Miami to technology and pop culture. You can contact her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly TwitterInstagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black bear found dead in plastic bag in Arlington, Virginia