Colorado Woman Found Dead From Possible Bear Attack

According to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release, a woman was found dead Friday after reportedly being attacked by a bear. 

It’s believed that the 39-year-old woman was walking with her two dogs earlier Friday. She had not communicated with her boyfriend since late morning. When the boyfriend returned home around 8:30 p.m., he found the two dogs outside of their home, but his girlfriend was missing. 

He located her body around 9:30 p.m. and called 911.

According to the release, “CPW wildlife officers responded and observed signs of consumption on the body as well as bear scat and hair at the scene.” An autopsy will be performed by the La Plata County coroner early next week to identify the remains and determine the woman’s cause of death. 

CPW called in a dog team to search the area, and the dogs located a female black bear and her two yearlings nearby. The bears were euthanized and taken to a Fort Collins lab for a necropsy. 

“Bear attacks are extremely rare,” CPW Southwest Region manager Cory Chick said. “This is a tragic event, and a sad reminder that bears are wild and potentially dangerous. Out of an abundance of caution, the bears were removed for public safety.”