A woman has died in California, the victim of the state’s first known fatal black bear attack

A 71-year-old woman found dead in her small Sierra Nevada mountain community was the victim of the first fatal black bear attack in California, Department of Conservation officials said this week.

When Patrice Miller was found dead in Downieville in November, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office believed a bear had entered her home after the woman died. But a recent autopsy confirmed the bear had killed her, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

“This incident is the first known and documented fatal attack by a black bear in California history,” the agency said in a statement.

Miller was found on November 8 in Downieville, a town of about 290 residents about 50 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe, after sheriff’s officials conducted a welfare check.

A preliminary investigation showed that she died before the bear reached the house, the sheriff’s office said at the time.

The state wildlife agency said Thursday that “the autopsy report confirms that the bear was ultimately responsible for the woman’s death.”

The bear attacked Miller, wildlife officials said. The animal was caught and killed, and DNA analysis confirmed that it was responsible for the attack, they said.

According to the state wildlife agency, there are about 35,000 black bears in California (up from about 10,000–15,000 in 1982), and they are the subject of a state conservation plan.

Adult male black bears can weigh around 400 pounds, while females typically weigh between 100 and 300 pounds, according to the agency’s website. They are the only species of bear in California – although they are not always black, and can also be cinnamon brown.