Elusive Zombie Caught After 3 Week Search
Isle of Arran, Scotland, UK- ZWN (AP
Posted July 10th. 2010, ZWN (AP

Elusive necro-mortosis carrier, Roger James, wanted for the savage mauling of two hikers on the remote Scottish island of Arran, was neutralized early Saturday after a brief scuffle with locals, police said.

James, 31, was cornered and re killed around 12:15 a.m. (local time), Arran Police said. Close contact trauma to the brain was the cause of termination, and James was pronounced 'unable to rise' around 1:50 a.m., they said.

A spokeswoman at Firth of Clyde Quarantine facility Hospital confirmed James expired shortly after arriving there.

His death brought to an end a three week-long manhunt that had the small Scottish island of Arran on semi lock down whilst police, locals and at least 2 professional teams of zombie hunters searched the 167 sq ml island.

Prison
James, arrived on the island after being released from prison, serving time for robbery. It still isn't clear how he contracted the undead virus but his strange behaviors raised the attention of locals who described him as a loner, exhibiting signs of early infection.

Convinced police would quarantine him, James, who spent 8 years in the army, took to the hills. There he managed to evade capture as his legend began to grow.

Police launched a manhunt focused around Arran, and found several sites where they believed he had been sleeping. A general quarantine of Arran was not enforced, but the ferry to and from the island was subject to intense screening. This caused frustration to the local islanders who's only contact with the main land is through the ferry system.

The large-scale search including specialist search teams, armed response units, helicopters and dog handlers, according to police officials.

Confrontation
It came to a head Saturday morning shortly after midnight. Locals discovered a man fitting James's description near a riverbank, said Chief Superintendent Dale Bennett of the Arran police.

"When he was confronted, he began to show clear signs of ful blown mortosis," Bennett said. "It became clear to the local gathering that he was in a zombified state"

Speaking at a press conference Saturday night, Chief Constable Janet Jones confirmed James had died after a series of blows to the head. Brain trauma was inflicted by the group of 6 local people and the reanimated body of James was effectively re killed. It is estimated that James had been fully reanimated for up to 18 days. She said no shots had been fired by the locals.

Witnesses described seeing James "lurching along the river bed. He seemed attracted to the sound of the locals and approached them when they shouted to him."

Because police had no contact with James before he died, the incident has been referred to the Firth of Clyde Police Commission, which is standard in such cases, but no charges are expected to be pressed against the vigilantes.

"While the incident has been brought to a close, we must be mindful of the impact it has had on the many lives of these islanders," Jones said. "Our thoughts are also with the family and friends of the 2 hikers who were killed by James."

The hikers in reference are Launa Bates (19) and Devin Cornwell (21). Both were found in a state of decomposer and attempted reanimation last week. Both are to be cremated at a private funeral in their home town of Preston later this week.

Bates and Cornwell had been camping for at least a week before the attack. Several attempts had been made to contact them to issue a warning about the escalating situation. Sadly, neither party carried cell phones and their whereabouts were unclear until their bodies were discovered by tracking dogs.

Since the attack an island wide ban on hiking, fishing and camping had been in effect. It is due to be lifted sometime midweek.