This Black Bear Killed 3 Boys While They Fished

Welcome back to Scary Bear Attacks! Today’s episode takes us to the nearly impenetrable hardwood forests of the Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. The landscape here was shaped by untold eons of glacial activity leaving behind rolling landscapes, small cliffs and rich soils. Beavers bob along in the lakes and ponds as they chew branches to build their lodges. The dense forests of Sugar Maple, Hemlock and Yellow Birch hide moose and whitetail deer and the common predators of the area are wolves and black bear. It is this setting that today’s episode takes place.

In May, 1978, 18 year old Richard Rhindress and his 16 year old brother, William invited 12 year old George Halfkenny and his 14 year old brother Mark out for a great day on the lake fishing at Radiant Lake. The early summer sun bounced off the ripples confirming its name.

The boys spent the morning running up and down the lake shore, casting their bait into promising fishing holes and laughing together. Their campfire kept them warm as the summer sun heated the day and lit up the beautiful green foliage.

The fish were hungry and big and the boys ran their stringer through the gills of each of the fish they caught, then ran off to catch the next one.

As the day wore on and the afternoon faded, there was a very subtle shift in the shadows. From the dense brush, a large black bear watched the young men laugh and holler while they fished. Being an amazing ambush predator, well camouflaged for stalking the dark shadows of thick forests, the bear no doubt analyzed every approach alley to sneak upon the boys and still remain concealed.

The boys had spread out a bit as the evening approached and George was hidden around a bend in the shoreline. The visual contact the boys had maintained all day had relaxed a bit and the fun had reduced their watchfulness. George quietly readied his hook for another cast into the clear, cold waters but was unaware that he had become the object of a hungry visitor's fascination.

As George cast his bait then waited impatiently for a bite the large black bear slipped silently through the growing shadows to within a few yards of him. The leaves on the forest floor were several months old and had decomposed through a freezing winter which robbed them of their crunch and rustling. The bear's approach was virtually silent to the unaware young fisherman. In a blinding ambush from behind the boy, the bear quickly broke his neck and ended his life and terror.

With George’s death, his stretch of the shore was eerily silent. Mark and William were a little ways away, but started to grow concerned when they hadn’t heard from George for a while. The two boys began calling his name but received no answer. It seemed possible he was a little farther away than they thought so they continued to yell, louder this time.

After an extended bout of yelling and hollering the boys decided to investigate George’s whereabouts. They made their way along the shoreline for a while, but couldn’t find a trace of George.

Unbeknownst to the young men, the bear undoubtedly heard their voices and listened as they approached George’s body, now being claimed as his food. The bear slipped into the shadows toward the boys to intercept them while they were unaware.

George’s brother Mark began walking a worn trail away from the shoreline to investigate, in an attempt to find any sign of his brother. As he delved deeper into the forest the light faded and bushes closed in around the trail. The bear ambushed him quickly, in a similar way it did George, and broke his neck. His death was quick and merciful. The bear now had two dead bodies from which to feed, but the horror wasn’t over.