Laney Malavolta Identified As Woman Killed In Colorado Bear Attack
DURANGO, Colo. (CBS4)- The woman killed in a bear attack near Durango last week has been identified as Laney Malavolta. An autopsy for Malavolta, 39, from the La Plata County Coroner revealed that the cause of death is "perforating injury to neck."
Malavolta went to walk her dogs last Friday morning near County Road 203 and Trimble Lane north of Durango. When she didn't return, her boyfriend went looking for her.
"The boyfriend returned home about 8:30 p.m. and saw the dogs in the yard, and it had been a long time since he last heard from his girlfriend, so we went out searching the area," Jason Clay, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Public Information Officer said.
Her death is the fourth in Colorado history related to a bear attack.
"There was consumption on the body, and there was a lot of bear sign in the area," Clay explained.
"The necropsy showed that the sow, which is the mother bear had human remains in the digestive tract and one of the two yearlings also had human remains, a third one, another of the yearlings did not have human remains in their digestive tract," Clay said.
Anytime a bear attacks or consumes human remains, CPW has a policy that requires the animal to be euthanized. Relocation does not always work because there can be too many bears, and some will come back to the same location.