TUCSON, Ariz. — The Pima County Sheriff's Office says a 21-year-old man arrested for auto theft may be connected to the human remains that mountain lions were eating at the Pima County Trail.
Authorities arrested Daylan Jacob Thornton Friday on auto theft charges. He's accused of stealing a vehicle that belongs to Steven Mark Brashear, who was reported missing to Oro Valley Police in December.
PCSO says Thornton is a person of interest in the death investigation related to the remains found on the trail.
At this time, the remains have not yet been positively identified, PCSO says.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said it had to kill the three mountain lions that fed on the human remains on the trail.
“Mountain lions are not routinely scavengers. A mountain lion eating human remains is abnormal behavior. Those that do are more likely to attack a human being in the future,” said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of AZGFD in Tucson in a statement on Wednesday.
The lions showed no fear of responding officers and posed "a clear and present danger to public safety," the statement added.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone who has information on the case to call 911, or call 88-CRIME to stay anonymous.