A federal trapper has been called into help locate the animal.

A 28-year-old Texas man has died after he was attacked by a mountain lion, according to authorities.

Deputies from the Hood County Sheriff’s Office began searching for Lipan resident Christopher Allen Whiteley on Thursday after he was last seen the day before in the early morning hours, authorities said.

The investigators found Whiteley in a wooded area nearby and found Whiteley’s dead body, according to the sheriff’s office.

The preliminary results from an autopsy on Whiteley’s body determined that he died from a wild animal attack, by possibly a mountain lion.

The sheriff’s office has enlisted the help of a trapper from the U.S. Department of Agriculture who specializes in tracking and removing mountain lions to assist in the search for the animal.

Residents are urged to be mindful of their surroundings and to keep young children and animals inside at night.

Hood County Sheriff Roger Deed advised residents to not interfere with the process of locating the animal.