How black bear nicknamed 'Big B*****d' stalked elderly California woman for months before cops uncovered blood-soaked scene at her home - as shocked locals give stark warning: 'It's easy pickins for them'

A black bear named 'Big B*****d' stalked a 71-year-old California woman for months before she was found mauled to death - as shocked locals give stark warning: 'It's easy pickins for them.'

Patrice Miller lived in the remote mountain town of Downieville. After the fatal attack she was found on the kitchen floor savaged with bite wounds and claw marks, and was partially eaten, according to the Sierra County deputy sheriff's office.

Neighbor Cassie Koch, 55, who helped Miller with errands had not heard from her friend and asked deputies to do a welfare check before the grim discovery was made.

Miller, who lived alone with her two cats, had frequent run-ins with the bear - so often - that she gave the animal a nickname. Koch said, two weeks before her death, the bear tried to enter her home, but Miller was able to scare the bear off.

In September, Miller turned down a depredation permit from the State Department of Fish & Wildlife - considered a last-resort option that allows the animal to be shot before it causes serious harm, as per the department.

Koch described Miller, as a 'kind person who wanted the bear trying to break into her house to be removed but not hurt,' she told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Patrice Miller, 71, from the remote mountain town of Downieville was found dead from the fatal bear attack November 2023. She was found on the  kitchen floor savaged with bite wounds and claw marks, and partially eaten, officials said

A black bear is pictured on surveillance camera on November 2023

Miller's death is the first documented human fatality caused by a black bear in California's state's history, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed.

'It’s a big deal,' said Steve Gonzalez, a department spokesperson. 'That doesn’t happen in California. Normally a bear is going to stay away from you, a bear that hasn’t been normalized to human behavior.' 

Downieville, where that attack occurred, has a population of 105 according to a 2022 U.S. census.

The small town is located in Sierra County, on the North Fork of the Yuba River, and is approximately two hours from the state's capital Sacramento.

When Miller's body was found, her front door had been broken off, the inside had been ransacked,, cabinets were torn off, garbage strewn about, and there was bear scat on the porch. 

Koch, 55, a longtime resident told the news outlet: 'When I was a kid, you never saw a bear in town. Now, they're all over, making their rounds. 

She added: 'It's easy pickins for them.'

Koch said that before Miller died, she would often talk up the bear that was trying to enter her home, and was fearful.

'Seemed like every other night the bear was trying to break into her house,' Koch recalled.

'At first, it was like, 'Oh, this pesky bear.' But then she seemed scared about it.'

Miller lived in a rental home in Downieville with her two cats. After her death officials used screws and plywood to secure the home and prevent the bear from re-enetering

A state depredation permit was issued and a bear was trapped on the property and euthanized

After Miller's death, the bear kept returning to the property and citizens were concerned. 

County officials installed plywood over the front door and secured it with dozens of screws. 

A state depredation permit was issued, and a trap on the property. It took two days after the trap was placed before the bear was caught, and later euthanized,, as reported by The Mountain Messenger. 

An autopsy then revealed Miller passed away 'due to a bear mauling or a swipe and a bite to the neck area.'

DNA tests confirmed that the first bear euthanized was responsible for killing Miller. 

Officials explained that the bear that bothered Miller is known by officials as a 'public safety bear,' due to its repeatedly aggressive behavior.

For further protection, Miller had installed steel black bars across her windows. 

Investigators learned from Miller’s daughter that her mother had a constant problem with bears trying to get into her home, and that she had physically hit one.

Another bear then became a problem in Downieville and was euthanized after trying to break into a school gym, resulting in a significant decrease in bear activity, the sheriff said.

Bears breaking into homes or trash cans in search of food have become a problem in California — from Lake Tahoe in the Sierra down to the foothill suburbs of Los Angeles, where some have been known to raid refrigerators and take dips in backyard pools and hot tubs.

After Miller's body was found, a local 'Downieville Crittercam' caught significant evidence of bears in the surrounding area the same week.

Downieville is located along Highway 49 in the Lost Sierra region of the Tahoe National Forest

Downieville is in the remote Sierra high country in California

According to officials, California's black bear population has grown from approximately  10,000 bears to 15,000 since 1982 and up to a staggering 65,000 as of last year.

About 40% of the bears are believed to live in the Sierra Nevada, where there is an an excess amount of food that is accessible to them - and has invaded their natural ecosystem.

Experts believe that bears have learned to feel more comfortable in areas where humans are - making encounters more common but also more dangerous.