A woman found dead on a hiking trail in Colorado was killed in a suspected mountain lion attack, the state's first fatal attack since 1999, authorities said.
The woman was discovered on Jan. 1 when two hikers came upon a mountain lion lying partially over her body on the Larimer County hiking trail, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.
The death is considered a suspected mountain lion attack pending a report by the coroner's office, agency spokesperson Kara Van Hoose told the Coloradoan, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Van Hoose said the suspected attack happened at about 12:15 p.m. on the Crosier Mountain Trail, just south of Glen Haven. The trail is about 70 miles northwest of Denver.
Two men, one a physician, saw the mountain lion lying over the woman from about 100 yards away, Van Hoose said. They threw rocks at the animal as they approached and the mountain lion was scared away.
