Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Hurricane Erick to rapidly strengthen to Cat 3 before Mexico landfall Chevron right
Heat wave to push temps near 100 F across central, eastern US Chevron right

Ashburn, VA

83°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

83°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

Fatal black bear attack on woman in 2023 first in California, officials say

California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed the state’s first documented fatal black bear attack on a human, according to CNN affiliate KCRA.

By Mallika Kallingal, CNN

Published Jun 11, 2024 9:04 AM EDT | Updated Jun 11, 2024 9:04 AM EDT

Copied

A 71-year-old woman was killed by a black bear in the mountain community of Downieville, California, in November, according to the Sierra County Sheriff’s department. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP via CNN Newsource)

(CNN) — A woman’s death in Sierra County has been confirmed as the first documented fatal attack by a black bear on a human in California history, according to officials.

Patrice Miller, 71, was found dead in her Downieville home last November, but a recently released autopsy report by California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has verified she was killed by a bear, the Sierra County Sheriff’s department said.

A sheriff’s deputy discovered Miller deceased in her home while conducting a welfare check after a grocery store employee reported that she had not been seen or heard from for several days, according to Sheriff Michael Fisher.

The sheriff’s office said when they found Miller, there were clear signs a bear had been inside the house. But officials believed Miller had died of natural causes and the bear broke into the house after her death and had been feeding on her remains.

The bear was eventually trapped and euthanized, the sheriff said.

However, a recently released autopsy revealed that Miller did not die of natural causes but had in fact been killed by the bear, the sheriff said.

“Post investigation, we found out that she had been having some bear issues at the house. And after we concluded our coroner’s investigation and removed her remains from the house, the bear continued to break into the house over and over again over the next several days,” Fisher added.

The sheriff said further investigation revealed bears had been prowling around Miller’s house for some time because she would leave cat food on the front porch for her cats and there was garbage around the home as well. Miller’s daughter also told authorities that one particular bear would come to the house quite often and her mother had put bars on the windows to keep the bear away.

“It’s a big deal. That doesn’t happen in California. Normally a bear is going to stay away from you, a bear that hasn’t been normalized to human behavior,” Steve Gonzalez with the fish and wildlife department told CNN affiliate KCRA.

Last month, there had been reports of another bear breaking into homes in the mountain community. That bear has also been euthanized, the sheriff said.

Fisher said that bears are seen around the area regularly, but usually they’re rummaging through garbage or breaking into cars for food, and flee when they see a human.

“We deal with bears on a weekly basis through spring, summer and fall and 99.9% of those animals are not a public safety (issue). They’re a nuisance, but they’re not a public safety (issue),” the sheriff said.

Continue Reading:

Dog runs 4 miles to get help after owner crashes car into ravine
83-year-old South Carolina woman gored by bison in Yellowstone
Giant pandas returning to the National Zoo in DC

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

Indonesia volcano spews ash more than 6 miles into sky

Jun. 18, 2025
Weather Forecasts

Major cooldown eyes West as fire weather increases for Great Basin

Jun. 18, 2025
Weather News

New Mexico wildfires force evacuations, spark air quality alerts

Jun. 18, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Severe storms include tornado risk in central, eastern US

1 hour ago

Weather News

Deadly West Virginia flooding won't be the last of this week

8 hours ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat wave to push temps near 100 F across central, eastern US

3 hours ago

Weather News

Indonesia volcano spews ash more than 6 miles into sky

9 hours ago

Severe Weather

Jaw-dropping tornado, lightning strike leaves storm chaser speechless

1 day ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Severe Weather

Rare high-elevation tornado confirmed at Pikes Peak

1 hour ago

Astronomy

Summer solstice: Everything to know about the year's longest day

5 hours ago

Astronomy

Meteorological summer vs. astronomical summer explained

2 days ago

Weather News

5 times the American flag survived extreme weather

2 days ago

Weather News

First methane-powered sea spiders found crawling on the ocean floor

7 hours ago

AccuWeather Weather News Fatal black bear attack on woman in 2023 first in California, officials say
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...