Black Bear Stalked California Woman for Months Before Deadly Attack!
71-year-old Patrice Miller reported that a black bear harassed her for months. The animal eventually broke into her California home and killed her. Officers found her remains partially eaten last November. At first, they thought she might have died first, and the bear was attracted to the smell of her decomposing body.
However, neighbors said Miller had complained about the bear for months. She called it “Big B—ard” and said it kept coming to her house. Miller reportedly lived in fear of the animal. She even installed steel bars on her windows to keep the bear out. But it broke her door down. Miller was the first person in California history to be killed by a black bear.
“It appeared that the bear had probably been there several days and had been feeding on the remains,” said Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher. Officers found Miller’s remains, a broken door, bear feces in her living room, and blood and paw prints. The scene painted a horrifying picture of her fate.
According to the coroner’s report, they believe the bear pulled Miller from her bed into the living room, where it killed her. So why did the bear harass her for months? One resident had a theory. “[The small town is] right in the middle of where bears like to be,” said Caitlin Roddy of California Fish and Wildlife’s North-Central region.
After Miller went missing, her friends grew worried. Cassie Koch asked officers to check on her when she hadn’t heard from her. Koch said, “When I was a kid, you never saw a bear in town. Now, they’re all over, making their rounds. It’s easy pickings for them.” Miller didn’t act because of her compassion. According to Koch, Miller didn’t want the bear to get hurt, even though she wanted it gone.
Why Miller? Koch thinks it was because Miller had a vegetable garden and compost. She also didn’t always dispose of her trash on time. Koch believes this attracted the bear to her house. Officials eventually found and euthanized the bear after her death.
