A 71-year-old woman found dead in her small Sierra Nevada mountain community was the victim of California’s first-ever fatal black bear attack, wildlife officials said this week.
When Patrice Miller was found dead in Downieville in November, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office said it believed a bear entered the woman’s home after she died. But an autopsy recently confirmed that the bear killed her, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“This incident is the first known, documented fatal attack by a black bear in California history,” the department said in a statement.
Miller was found Nov. 8 in Downieville, which has a population of about 290 and is about 50 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe, after deputies conducted a welfare check.
Preliminary investigation showed she died before the bear went to the house, the sheriff’s office said at the time.
The state Wildlife Department said Thursday that “the coroner’s report confirmed that the bear ultimately caused the woman’s death.”
The bear mauled Miller, the wildlife department said. The animal was captured and killed, and DNA confirmed it was responsible for the mauling, it said.
There are about 35,000 black bears in California, up from about 10,000 to 15,000 in 1982, according to the state Wildlife Department, and they are the subject of a state conservation plan.
Adult male black bears can weigh about 400 pounds, and females usually weigh between 100 and 300 pounds, the department says on its website. They are the only type of bear in California, although they are not always black and can be cinnamon brown.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
