‘PARTIALLY EATEN’

Colorado Woman Killed in Apparent Bear Attack While Walking Dogs

A 39-year-old Colorado woman was found dead on Friday after what wildlife officials say was likely a bear attack. A black bear and her two cubs found nearby were euthanized.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say a 39-year-old woman died in what appears to have been a bear attack. A female black bear found nearby and her two cubs have been euthanized. The woman’s boyfriend said that on Friday, she’d left their home in nearby Durango to take their dogs on a walk. When he returned home that evening, he noticed the dogs were outside the house, but the woman was nowhere to be found. After a short search, he found her body, and immediately called 911. Responding CPW officers say her body had been partially eaten and the scene contained traces of bear hair and scat. A dog team tracked down the nearby bears, which were killed, and are now being examined for DNA evidence. A CPW rep called the apparent attack a “tragic event and a sad reminder that bears are wild and potentially dangerous.” This is the first lethal bear attack in Colorado in over 10 years; the last case involved a 74-year-old woman killed in 2009, who was revealed to have been illegally feeding bears through a fence in her yard.