A missing hiker found dead in the Mount Hood National Forest was killed in a suspected cougar attack, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.
Upon inspection, medical examiners stated the body of 55-year-old Diana Bober’s wounds were consistent with those of mountain lion attacks. Per the sheriff’s office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife will attempt to identify the animal that attacked Bober, and wildlife managers will use hounds to hunt the suspected cougar.
“This is an unprecedented event in Oregon, we are asking people to avoid this area while we attempt to remove this cougar. We don’t know what risk it poses to the public,” said Brian Wolfer, watershed manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Bober was last heard from on Aug. 29, and was reported missing on Sept. 7. Her body was found off of the Hunchback Trailhead on Sept. 10, which has since been closed to the public.
Wildlife officials said that if it is confirmed that Bober did in fact die from a cougar attack, it would be the first fatal mountain lion attack in the wild in the state’s history.
