Public Safety and Wildlife

A 46‑year‑old Fort Collins woman, Kristen Marie Kovatch, was found dead Jan. 1 on the Crosier Mountain Trail in northern Colorado with injuries the Larimer County coroner said were consistent with a mountain lion attack and ruled an accidental asphyxia due to neck compression. Hikers who found her scared off a nearby mountain lion and a physician on scene found no pulse; Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and tracking teams subsequently euthanized two mountain lions near the scene, conducted necropsies and lab testing to determine involvement, and briefly searched for a possible third.