Wildlife officers have killed a bear that they suspect snatched an 11-year-old boy from his family's tent Sunday then killed.

With 26 dogs assisting them in the search, authorities were confident that the bear that was shot was the same one that ripped through the tent shortly before midnight Sunday. They are hoisting the bear's 250-300 pound carcass out by helicopter. The boy, his mother, stepfather and a 6-year-old brother were sleeping in a large tent in a primitive camping area, about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. The boy was the stepson of an employee of the Daily Herald.

The stepfather heard a scream, and the boy and his sleeping bag were gone. A host from a nearby campground contacted police.

"When we got up there we realized, hey, this looks like a bear. The sleeping bag was pulled out of the tent," said Lt. Dennis Harris of the Utah County sheriff's office.

He said the boy's body was found about 400 yards away, in the direction of another campsite where a bear was seen earlier in the weekend and pursued by dogs without success. Authorities believe it was the same bear that killed the boy.

"When it's hot and dry like this, bears are short of food," Karpowitz said.

The Utah wildlife agency and the U.S. Forest Service were pursuing the wounded bear with the help of a helicopter. It was described as a male, possibly 300 pounds and "jet black."

Jim Karpowitz, director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said it was the first fatal attack by a black bear in Utah.

American Fork Canyon is a popular camping destination and home to Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Harris said the family was camping about two miles up a dirt road.

"It's shaken everybody up. We're all distraught," Root said. "It could put a lot of fear in the public."

It was not known what provoked the bear, though a bear can smell food for miles.

"They stick their nose in the air. It's like radar," said Hal Black, a biologist at Brigham Young University in Provo.

In May, four bears had been spotted in the Utah County area, and officials told campers not to be afraid but to be careful.

"Campers should not be frightened by the recent bear sightings, which are not unusual for this time of year, and there is no need to cancel weekend plans," said Scott Root of the Division of Wildlife Resources in a May 26 story in the Daily Herald.

That is because injury or death by bear attack is a rare occurrence.

Hadley said this is the first bear attack death in the state ever, and no one has been injured in a bear attack in decades.

Nonetheless, it is important to know how to interact with bears.

"Even though the chance it's going to happen to you is extremely remote and rare the risk does exist, so it's important to be educated," Hadley said.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources recommends never feeding a bear and keeping all food out of reach of a bear. Campers should never leave food in tents or on picnic tables. Food should be stored in the trunk of a car. If attacked by a bear, fight scream and yell.

Hadley said the incident is under investigation, and there is not yet any evidence that the boy and his family were not educated or properly prepared for the bear threat.

"We don't know," Hadley said. "They might have done everything right."

The canyon is a popular camping destination and also home to Timpanogos Cave National Monument. The attack occurred near the Timpanooke campground, which is about 12 miles up the canyon.

Harris said the family was camping about two miles up a dirt road from that campground.

"Our hearts just really go out to the family of this young man," Hadley said.

Reporter Brittani Lusk contributed to this story.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.