A 71-year-old woman was mauled to death by a black bear that broke into her California home. Patrice Miller was killed at her residence in the small mountain community of Downieville in November 2023. The incident marked the first fatal bear attack of its kind in the area.
Bear broke into home
Officers initially attended to carry out a welfare check, at first believing the bear had merely discovered her body after she had already died. Early investigations suggested the woman had died before the bear entered the property. However, an autopsy confirmed that the bear had in fact been responsible for the elderly woman's death.
"Upon showing up, [they] immediately saw evidence of bear intrusion into the house," county sheriff Mike Fisher told KCRA3. "The door was broken. There was bear scat on the porch."
Previous encounters
Patrice's daughter said this was not the first time a bear had tried to get into her mother's home "through broken windows, and that her mother had physically hit one to keep it from entering her residence", KCRA reported. She had reportedly nicknamed one repeat offender a "big bastard".
Authorities noted that Patrice would regularly feed her cats on the porch and had rubbish on the property. "The coroner's report confirmed that, ultimately, the bear caused the woman's death," the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
Bear located and put down
Officers from the Sierra County Sheriff's office said the bear had vanished by the time they arrived at Patrice's residence when they found her body. The male bear was subsequently located and put down, in accordance with state policy, with a DNA test confirming it was responsible for the killing.
After the post-mortem examination, Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher told local media Miller was killed when the bear swiped or bit her neck.
Bear attacks rare
Bear attacks on people are rare, state wildlife officials said. Nevertheless, the creatures "lose their natural fear of people and their actions get bolder and bolder" when residential properties and campsites are seen as convenient food sources.
"This is the most extreme example we've seen in state history," Peter Tira, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Los Angeles Times. "Since early May, the sheriff's office has been inundated with daily reports from distressed homeowners and business owners regarding bears breaking into residences and vehicles, creating havoc and endangering local residents," the sheriff's office said.
"Given the escalating danger posed by the bear's behavior and the imminent threat it presented to residents, deputies were left with no choice but to euthanize the bear in the interest of public safety."
According to California's Department of Fish and Wildlife, the state is home to between 50,000 and 81,000 black bears. Adult males can tip the scales at around 400lb.
