A California lady who died final fall was killed by a black bear, not mauled after her dying as authorities initially suspected, based on post-mortem stories launched in Might. State officers say the dying is the state’s first documented case of a deadly black bear assault on a human.
The physique of Patrice Miller, 71, was found in her Downieville, California, house on Nov. 8 by sheriff’s deputies who had been requested to test on the lady after she had not been heard from for a number of days. They arrived to discover a damaged door and bear scat on the porch. Miller’s physique was found inside the home.
“It appeared that the bear had in all probability been there a number of days and had been feeding on the stays,” Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher informed KCRA-3 TV.
Officers initially believed that Miller died of pure causes earlier than the bear broke in, however an post-mortem report launched in Might confirmed that the reason for dying was as a result of “a bear mauling or a swipe and a chunk to the neck space,” Fisher stated.
Miller’s daughter informed officers that “bears had been continuously attempting to get in via damaged home windows and that her mom had bodily hit one to maintain it from getting into her residence,” based on a sheriff’s workplace report. “A bear her mom named ‘massive bastard’ was a frequent customer to the residence.”
Even after authorities cleared the scene, the bear returned to the house each day, and The California Division of Fish and Wildlife ultimately trapped a bear on the property. In response to The Mountain Messenger newspaper, which first reported the post-mortem outcomes, CDFW officers wished to launch the bear, which they thought was feminine, as a result of DNA testing on the scene recommended the accountable bear was male. After the sheriff positioned a padlock on the lure and threatened to alert the media of the upcoming launch, a biologist was referred to as in to tranquilize the bear, and it was examined and located to be male. It was then euthanized. A DNA comparability performed by CDFW confirmed that the bear was chargeable for Miller’s dying, the paper reported.
“Authorities initially believed the bear had entered the lady’s home after she had died,” the CDFW stated in an announcement to Individuals on June 2, “however the coroner’s report confirmed that, in the end, the bear triggered the lady’s dying. … This incident is the primary identified, documented deadly assault by a black bear in California historical past.”
Bears have continued to be a presence in Downieville, a mountain neighborhood of lower than 300 individuals within the Sierra Nevadas. In Might, one other male bear was killed by deputies after attempting to interrupt into native properties and the varsity health club whereas youngsters had been current. “Sheriff Fisher expresses deep remorse over the need of this motion however emphasizes that the security of Sierra County residents stays the utmost precedence”, the workplace stated in a press launch. “Efforts will proceed to teach the neighborhood about bear security measures and to collaborate with related authorities to forestall related incidents sooner or later.”
