A California woman found dead during a welfare check at her home in November has been confirmed as the first victim of a fatal black bear attack in state history.
Initially, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office believed that Patrice Miller, 71, of Downieville died of other causes and wasn’t killed by a bear, which was “drawn by the scent or other factors [and] accessed the residence,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook at the time.
Deputies “immediately saw evidence of bear intrusion into the house. The door was broken. There was bear scat on the porch. It appeared that the bear had probably been there several days and had been feeding on the remains,” Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher told Sacramento NBC affiliate KCRA-TV Wednesday.
An autopsy report completed last month revealed that “Patrice had passed away due to a bear mauling or a swipe and a bite to the neck area,” Sheriff Fisher said.
The male bear was put down shortly after Miller was found, according to the Mountain Messenger newspaper.
“This incident is the first known, documented fatal attack by a black bear in California history. The bear was later trapped, euthanized, and DNA analysis confirmed it was the same bear that had been in the woman’s home and responsible for the mauling,” California Department of Fish & Wildlife spokesman Peter Tira told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Miller had frequent issues with nearby bears leading up to the fatal attack.
Her home often had garbage inside, and she purportedly fed her cats on the front porch. Her daughter said in a report by the sheriff’s office that “bears were constantly trying to get in through broken windows,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
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