Bear Attack Likely What Killed Woman As She Walked Her Dogs

TRIMBLE, CO — A woman who was found dead in southern Colorado over the weekend may be just the fourth person to be killed in a bear attack in Colorado over the last half-century, wildlife officials in the state suspect.

The woman, a 39-year-old Durango, Colorado, resident who had not been identified as of Monday morning, was found Friday night off U.S. Highway 550 north of Durango and south of Trimble, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Her body was found by her boyfriend around 9:30 p.m. Wildlife officers who responded said "signs of consumption on the body" were apparent, and bear scat and hair were found nearby.

A team of dogs found a female black bear with two yearlings nearby, parks and wildlife officials said. They were euthanized and taken to the wildlife health lab in Fort Collins for a necropsy, an autopsy that's performed in animals. This would determine if any of the woman's remains are found inside any of the bears' digestive systems.

The Durango woman's boyfriend told La Plata County Sheriff's Office officials that the woman's two dogs were found outside their Durango home around 8:30 p.m., but the woman was gone. Investigators have said they believe the woman was walking the dogs when she was mauled by the bear, according to parks and wildlife.

At least two bear sightings in the Durango area have occurred this spring, parks and wildlife said.

An autopsy is expected to be performed this week, with the coroner's office then set to determine the cause of the woman's death.

If the officials' suspicion is confirmed, this will only be the fourth recorded bear attack death in Colorado since 1971, according to parks and wildlife.

Cory Chick, southwest region manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said bear attacks in the area are "extremely rare."

“This is a tragic event and a sad reminder that bears are wild and potentially dangerous," he said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, the bears were removed for public safety. We ask the public to report any encounter with an aggressive bear.”

Fatal bear attacks in Colorado were confirmed in 1971 near Grand Lake in Grand County, in 1993 in Fremont County and in 2009 in Ouray County. All three occurred during the summer months, with Friday night's attack set to become the first in the spring.