Search ends for mountain lions after hiker fatally attacked on Colorado trailThe search for mountain lions in a remote area of Colorado where a solo hiker was fatally attacked last week has endedByMATTHEW BROWN Associated PressJanuary 5, 2026, 6:38 PMThe search for mountain lions along a remote trail in Colorado where a solo hiker was fatally attacked ended Monday, after authorities killed two of the predators last week but could not find a third. The victim of the New Year's Day attack was identified as a 46-year-old woman from Fort Collins, about an hour's drive from the site of the attack on the Crosier Mountain trail east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Victim Kristen Marie Kovatch died of asphyxia due to having her neck compressed, the Larimer County Coroner’s Office said in a statement Monday. The injuries were “consistent with a mountain lion attack" and Kovatch's death was ruled an accident, the coroner’s office said. Two hikers saw Kovatch's body on a trail southeast of the community of Glen Haven, Colorado, at around noon on Jan. 1, state officials said.
