The woman who died after a suspect mountain lion attack was identified by officials Monday.

The victim of the New Year’s Day attack was 46-year-old Kristen Marie Kovatch of Fort Collins, according to a news release from the Larimer County Coroner’s Office.

Kovatch’s cause of death was ruled as asphyxia due to neck compression, with the coroner claiming that the injuries were “consistent with a mountain lion attack,” according to the release.

The attack occurred on Crosier Mountain Trail in the Glen Haven area, about 7.5 miles northeast of Estes Park, around noon Jan. 1.

Hikers found the woman lying on the ground and a mountain lion around 100 yards away from her. The hikers scared the animal away by throwing rocks at it. They tried to help the woman but couldn’t find a pulse, officials said.

Wildlife officials, deputies from Larimer County and Estes Park police responded to the area and used dogs to track the scent of the mountain lion.

Officials found and euthanized two mountain lions — one male and one female.

A hunt for a third reported mountain lion continued for three days, but fresh tracks or scents were not found, according to a Monday news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Trails in the area were closed for several days, but have since reopened.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” said Mark Leslie, regional manager for CPW’s Northeast Region. “This is a terrible tragedy. This hiker did what many people did on New Year’s Day. She went out in nature on the first day of a new year, and the fact that she did not return to her family and friends is nothing short of heartbreaking. We encourage the public to have compassion and empathy for her and her loved ones.”  

A necropsy on the 12-month-old male lion found human DNA on all four of his paws. No DNA was found on the 12-month-old female lion. Neither had rabies.

“It is very unlikely that these lions were in such close proximity to the scene by coincidence,” Leslie said of having to euthanize the two lions.

Kovatch’s death was described as the first death related to a mountain lion attack to occur in the state since 1999 and the fourth since 1990.

Five other claims of mountain lion activity in Glen Haven area were reported to CPW between Oct. 28 and Dec. 23. CPW placed signs on the trails to alert hikers of increased activity, according to the release.

“She died doing something she loved deeply, hiking and taking in the beauty of Colorado and its public lands,” Kovatch’s brother, Jeffrey, posted on social media. “I keep hoping this is all just a nightmare I’ll wake up from.”

More safety information is available on CPW’s website. Any mountain lion sightings or conflicts should immediately be reported to CPW via:

• Denver office at (303) 291-7227
• Fort Collins office at (970) 472-4300
• Colorado State Patrol at *CSP (*277) to reach an on-call officer