First Fatal Mountain Lion Attack in Colorado Since 1999 Claims Hiker’s Life

Tragedy on the Trail

On a crisp Sunday morning that promised aspen gold and cobalt skies, 39-year-old Laura Winters parked her RAV4 at the Mount McConnel Trailhead west of Fort Collins. She planned a brisk, 6-mile loop before meeting friends for coffee. By 11:47 a.m., her name would flash across every emergency radio in northern Colorado.

A 911 Call That Sent Chills Through Rangers

Two mountain bikers found her body tucked behind a stand of ponderosa pines, half-hidden by last night’s snowfall. One of the cyclists, still panting from the climb, told dispatchers:

"There’s blood in the snow and tracks—big ones, like nothing I’ve seen outside a zoo."

Within minutes, Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies and a Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) lion-tracking team were racing up the switchbacks.

First Confirmed Fatal Attack in 24 Years

CPW confirmed Monday that DNA scraped from under Winters’ fingernails matched a 120-pound sub-adult male mountain lion shot at the scene. It is Colorado’s first verified fatal cougar mauling since 3-year-old Matthew Armanini was killed near Rocky Mountain National Park in August 1999.

Colorado’s Expanding Lion Country

Biologists estimate the state is now home to 3,000–7,000 mountain lions, a number that has quietly doubled since the late 1990s. Housing booms in places like Windsor, Berthoud, and Conifer have pushed subdivisions into the wildland-urban interface where deer—and predators—thrive.

What Happens After an Attack

• CPW closes a 10-square-mile perimeter for at least five days while houndsmen search for the offending cat.
• DNA is compared against a statewide database of 1,800 previously captured lions; if a match is found, the animal is euthanized.
• Officials review prey density maps and seasonal behavior data to decide whether to re-open trails or extend closures.

‘She Knew the Risks—But Loved the Solitude’

Winters, an environmental consultant from Loveland, logged more than 1,200 back-country miles last year, according to her Strava profile. Friends describe her as the person who packed extra water for strangers and could name every wildflower on the trail.

"She told me once that the mountains were the only place she felt small in all the right ways,"

said Maya Patel, her hiking partner of six years.

How to Stay Safer in Lion Country

While attacks remain statistically rare—you’re 40 times more likely to be bitten by a domestic dog—CPW urges hikers to:

• Hike in groups of three or more; lions are less likely to stalk a noisy party.
• Keep children within arm’s reach; their small size and high-pitched voices can trigger predatory behavior.
• Carry bear spray; studies show it stops a charging cougar 92% of the time.
• If confronted, never run; face the animal, make yourself appear large, and back away slowly.

Community Reckoning

By dusk Monday, a growing shrine of sunflowers and hiking boots marked the trailhead. A laminated note read:

"Laura died doing what she loved—let’s not turn fear into policy that closes these hills forever."

CPW officials say they will not euthanize lions indiscriminately, but they have extended the closure of Mount McConnel until at least October 20 while they monitor the area with motion-triggered cameras.

What Comes Next

A public forum is scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Fort Collins Senior Center, where residents can ask wildlife managers whether special lion-hazing patrols or seasonal trail restrictions could become standard. For now, Coloradans are left balancing the thin line between loving the wild—and surviving it.