Woman missing for two weeks killed by cougar in 'unprecedented event', say Oregon police

Diana Bober's death is second fatal attack by a mountain lion in Pacific Northwest this year

Diana Bober was likely killed by a cougar while hiking in Oregon (Clackamas County Sheriff's Office)

A woman who went missing two weeks ago in Oregon was likely killed by a cougar, in what officials have described as an "unprecedented event".

The body of Diana Bober, 55, was recovered earlier this week by a search and rescue team off a trail in the Mount Hood National Forest, about 40 miles southeast of Portland.

Police said her body had injuries consistent with a cougar attack, and a medical examiner ruled out the possibility that she was mauled after she died of another cause.

It marks the first fatal attack by a wild cougar in Oregon and the second in the Pacific Northwest this year. Authorities warned a local school district of the attack and advised other hikers to stay out of the area.

Bober, a keen hiker. was last heard from by family and friends on 29 August. She was reported missing on Friday.

Sergeant Brian Jensen of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said it was still unclear when she started her hike. Her body was several miles from where searchers found her car last week near a ranger station.

It is the second cougar-related death in the Pacific Northwest in 2018 (Getty Images)

Mr Jensen said DNA samples collected at the scene were being flown by the Oregon state police to a US Fish and Wildlife Service laboratory for further analysis. Wildlife officials are attempting to find and kill the animal, he added.

"This is an unprecedented event in Oregon," said Brian Wolfer, watershed manager for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. "We don't know what risk it poses to the public."

There are about 6,600 cougars – also commonly called mountain lions or pumas – throughout Oregon and sightings are relatively common, particularly in more rural areas.

State wildlife officials get about 400 complaints about the animals each year, according to authorities.

Cougars can be killed by landowners or law enforcement officials when they pose a threat to human safety or cause damage to livestock or agricultural crops. They can also be hunted.

Over the past decade, about 20 cougars have been killed each year in the wildlife management area where Bober's body was found.

In May, a mountain biker in Washington state was killed by a cougar on a trail east of Seattle, the first fatal attack in that state in 94 years.

Additional reporting by AP