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Who was Kristen Marie Kovatch? DNA traces confirm hikers' death in mountain lion attack
Kristen Marie Kovatch, 46, was killed by a mountain lion while hiking Colorado’s Crosier Mountain trail on New Year’s Day; DNA confirmed the attack.
Kristen Marie Kovatch, a 46-year-old woman, has been identified as the victim who was killed in a mountain lion attack on New Year's Day on the Crosier Mountain trail in Colorado's Larimer County. Traces of human DNA found in the paws of one the two euthanized mountain lions confirmed that Kovatch was killed in a mountain lion attack.
Later, Jeffrey Kovatch, the brother of Kristen Marie Kovatch, also confirmed her identity, saying that the family is still in shock over the death. Kristen was hiking on the Crosier Mountain trail on the morning of New Year's Day when she was killed in the attack.
Initially, it was unclear if Kristen Marie Kovatch died of a mountain lion attack. Colorado Parks had said on the day of the death that they were investigating a "suspected fatal mountain lion attack" after a hiker reported seeing a mountain lion near the body of Kovatch at around 12:15 p.m. on the day of the attack.
After recovering the body, a search operation for mountain lions was conducted by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Estes Park police and a group of volunteer firefighters. Two mountain lions were located by the team, and they were euthanized.
On conducting a necropsy on the euthanized lions, human DNA "on all four" of one of the lions' paws, which confirmed its involvement in the animal attack death of Kovatch. The death was ruled an accident.
Who Was Kristen Marie Kovatch?
Kristen Marie Kovatch, 46, was found dead with injuries “consistent with a mountain lion attack," officials said. She died from asphyxia after her neck was pressed by one of the mountain lions.
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Her brother, Jeffrey said on Facebook that she died “doing something she loved deeply, hiking and taking in the beauty of Colorado and its public lands.”
"Kristen was so loved by our immediate and extended family, her friends, and her coworkers. She was an amazing aunt to my three kids, a tender caretaker to my elderly parents, and my baby sister who I will miss dearly," the Facebook post added.
