Woman’s Death at Home Pinned on Bear, N.M. Authorities Say
A medical examiner concluded Monday that a 93-year-old woman was killed by a bear inside her home last weekend.
Adelia Maestas Trujillo was pronounced dead at 10:50 a.m. Saturday, but medical investigators believe she died hours earlier in her home in Cleveland, in north-central New Mexico.
“We are certifying the cause of death as multiple bite injuries,” said Scott Wilson, associate director of investigations for the state medical investigator’s office. The conclusion, he said, is “that she died as a result of her injuries from the bear attack.”
The bear entered through her kitchen window, authorities said, shredding the screen and leaving hair outside.
Trujillo’s body was found by a relative who lives nearby.
Authorities with search dogs tracked down the bear about half a mile from her home Saturday and shot it to death.
“Evidence found on the bear indicated it had indeed been in the residence,” said Joanna Lackey of the State Game and Fish Department. The 250-pound adult male black bear was estimated to be 4 years old.
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