A 71-year-old woman found dead in her small mountain community in the Sierra Nevada was the victim of California\u2019s first-ever known fatal black bear attack, wildlife officials said this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Patrice Miller was found dead in Downieville in November, the Sierra County Sheriff\u2019s Office said it believed a bear went into the woman’s home after she died. But an autopsy recently confirmed the bear killed her, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis incident is the first known, documented fatal attack by a black bear in California history,\u201d the department said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller was found Nov. 8 in Downieville, which has a population of around 290 and is about 50 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe, after sheriff\u2019s deputies conducted a welfare check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A preliminary investigation indicated she died before the bear went to the home, the sheriff\u2019s office said at the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The state wildlife department said Thursday that \u201cthe coroner\u2019s report confirmed that, ultimately, the bear caused the woman\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bear mauled Miller, the wildlife department said. The animal was trapped and killed, and DNA confirmed it was responsible for the mauling, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are about 35,000 black bears in California, up from around 10,000 to 15,000 in 1982, according to the state wildlife department, and they are the subject of a state conservation plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adult male black bears can weigh around 400 pounds, and females are usually between 100 to 300 pounds, the department says on its website<\/a>. They are the only type of bear in California \u2014 although they’re not always black, and can be cinnamon brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n