The first documented case of a deadly black bear attack on a human in California history took place in Sierra County, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The attack was in November 2023, but it took time for investigators to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. “Downieville, being a pretty small, tight-knit community, everybody kind of takes care of everybody and keeps an eye out,” said Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher.
At first, a November call to the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office seemed standard. “Our office got a request for a welfare check,” he explained. Nothing prepared them for what came next.
“Something I had never seen before,” said the sheriff. It all happened just steps away from his office. “This is Patrice Miller’s house that she was living in,” Fisher said as she showed sister station KCRA3 the home.
Patrice Miller, 71, had not been seen for a few days. So, a deputy came to check on her. “Upon showing up, [they] immediately saw evidence of bear intrusion into the house,” Fisher said.
“The door was broken. There was bear scat on the porch.” Inside, there was a gruesome scene.
The deputy found Miller dead, along with more clues into what happened. “It appeared that the bear had probably been there several days and had been feeding on the remains.” At the time, officials were saying that Miller likely died of natural causes before that bear broke in.
Even after the scene was cleared, the sheriff said the bear r.