The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says a bear found dead and mutilated in Highland Mills last week was struck and killed by a vehicle.

According to officials, the crash happened on Sept. 20 along Route 32. Town of Cornwall Police Chief Joseph Gebert tells News 12 that the driver stayed at the scene and that damage to the vehicle was consistent with hitting the bear. He says officers found the bear already deceased, dragged it to the shoulder of the road, and notified the DEC. Gebert says no mutilation was observed by officers at that time.

DEC officials confirmed that the bear’s paws were removed — an action they say appears to be illegal. Under state law, bear parts cannot be possessed without a permit. Violations can carry fines of up to $250. It also remains unclear how the animal sustained a gunshot wound to the head.

After News 12's first report on this story, a Highland Mills resident contacted News 12 and shared a photo that she says shows the same bear crossing Route 32 in the days before it was killed. She also provided photographs of the deceased animal’s mutilated body, which she said she documented along the same stretch of road on Sept. 21 — a day after the crash and before others reported seeing it next to a blue dump truck.

The DEC is asking anyone with information about the case to call its 24-hour ECO tip line at 1-844-DEC-ECOS.