DEER LODGE — The Powell County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that the grizzly bear involved in a fatal attack in Ovando earlier this week may have been found and killed.
A social media post states the Sheriff’s Office received a report from a resident who found “her door ripped off and large claw marks were present” on Thursday evening.
A short time later a male grizzly bear was at the scene of a second chicken coop raid that was very similar in nature to the one that happened in Ovando the night of the fatal attack.
Samples were immediately taken from the bear and were sent to a testing facility in hopes of making a positive identification. Given the proximity to Tuesday’s attack, the evidence found at the scenes and the fact another chicken coop was raided, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials believe this is the same bear but confirming DNA analysis will take a few days.
65-year-old Leah Davis Lokan of Chico, California was pulled from her tent in Ovando and killed by a grizzly bear early Tuesday morning.
Local law enforcement along with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks have been searching for the grizzly bear since the attack.
