Cops struggle to investigate death of woman, 71, after BEAR broke into her California home and ransacked the place while her body was still inside – and it keeps returning
- Patrice Miller, 71, was found dead in her home on November 8 with signs that a bear had entered the property after her death
- Officers believe the bear was attracted to the smell of her decomposing body
- There have been many bear sightings in the area as seasonal bear activity increases
Police investigating the death of a 71-year-old woman in California discovered that a bear had broken into and destroyed her home with her body still inside.
Sierra County sheriff’s deputies conducted a welfare check on Patrice Miller, 71, in Downieville, Northern California, on Nov. 8 after receiving reports that she had been seen for days.
Officers entered her home and discovered her dead body inside and noted that the house had been ransacked, with signs leading them to believe that a bear had entered the property.
While sheriffs are still trying to “piece together the sequence of events,” they believe a bear broke in looking for food after Miller’s death.
Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher told SFGATE, “The bear caused damage to the front door and refrigerator and made a big mess in the house.”
Downieville is located in California’s remote Sierra High Country
Downieville is located along Highway 49 in the Lost Sierra region of the Tahoe National Forest
The bear is also said to have ‘interfered’ with Miller’s body, but the details of this are unclear.
Sheriff Fisher added, “It is believed that Patrice Miller died before a bear, possibly attracted by the scent or other factors, entered the residence.”
The animal has since returned to the house, Fisher said: “Officers chased it off the property several times.”
In the high Sierra mountains around the city, seasonal bear activity increases.
Ann Bryant of the Bear League of the Lake Tahoe Basin told CBS, “Right now they’re all in hyperphagia, which means they’re eating, eating, eating, they can’t stop eating. They eat twenty hours a day.’
She added that their desperate search for food will drive them into homes and that the smell of a decomposing body would smell like a meal to them.
She said: ‘Bears have an incredible sense of smell. That would have smelled like food to a bear.”
A local ‘Downieville Crittercam’ has found significant evidence of bears in the area over the past week.
In a late-night video titled ‘Double Trouble’, two bears were caught wandering through a garden at 3am on Tuesday.
Video from Nov. 11 at 4:30 a.m. caught another bear wandering into the yard from the river and sniffing around looking for food.
The caption reads: ‘Chonky bear comes up from the river, digs in the garden for a while, then takes a different path back to the river. Go to sleep, handsome.”
A bear was spotted wandering around a nearby garden this week
CCTV footage recently captured a curious bear in the area
The bear that entered Miller’s home has not been identified or caught.
According to the California Dept. or Fish and Wildlife, black bears are the only wild bears in the state.
Sierra County sheriff’s deputies warned local residents to take extra precautions.
They said, “Fish and Wildlife officials are working with the sheriff’s office to ensure public safety and understand the bear’s behavior.
‘Residents in the Downieville area are advised to exercise caution and take necessary precautions to avoid potential encounters with any wildlife.
‘It is strongly recommended that ground floor doors and windows be closed, vehicles locked and all outside food sources removed, including rubbish.’
They added, “The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Patrice Miller during this difficult time.
“The loss of a community member is always a tragedy, and our thoughts are with those affected by this unfortunate event.”