The rumor that this bear ate 75 pounds of cocaine appears to stem from these early reports. After all, the bag found near this bear was practically empty. It was reported at the time that this bear may have eaten “several million dollars’ worth of cocaine.”
However, a necropsy was later performed on the bear and found that this was not the case. Fran Wiley of the GBI’s drug enforcement office said shortly before the necropsy that the dead bear was found several months after this smuggling attempt. It was possible that one of Thornton’s partners (or possibly just a hiker) had found and taken the cocaine. Or, it was possible that the cocaine had been scattered across the forest and, as it had recently snowed in the area, had simply dissolved.