Mountain lion kills woman in Colorado, first fatal encounter since 1999

A woman was killed in a suspected mountain lion attack, marking the first deadly encounter in Colorado since 1999. The official cause of death remains under investigation.

According to the press release by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, hikers reported that they saw a mountain lion next to a body lying on the ground at around 12:15 p.m. Thursday.

They scared the animal away by shouting and throwing stones and tried to provide first aid to the victim, an adult woman whose identity has not been released. One of the hikers, a physician by profession, was unable to find a pulse.

Wildlife authorities are investigating the death as a suspected mountain lion attack. They said: “The incident was consistent with a mountain lion attack but we are not sure.”

The spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Van Hoose, said that an extensive search for mountain lions was initiated and officials were able to euthanize two mountain lions, including the one that fled the scene.

Necropsies will be performed on the animals as well as tests for evidence of human DNA. If human DNA is not found in the dead animals, the search and investigation will continue.

This marks the first fatal mountain lion attack on a human in Colorado since 1999.