Authorities suspect a solo hiker, who tragically perished on New Year’s Day on a secluded Colorado trail, fell victim to a mountain lion attack. This incident is not the first of its kind in the area, as recent weeks have seen other encounters with these large cats.

In November, Gary Messina had a chilling encounter while running on the same trail during the early morning hours. His headlamp revealed the unmistakable gleam of two eyes lurking in the brush. Acting quickly, Messina snapped a photo on his phone just before a mountain lion charged at him.

Messina described how he threw his phone at the big cat, kicked up dirt, and shouted in an attempt to ward it off as it circled him. In a tense standoff, he managed to break off a stick from a fallen log and struck the lion on the head, prompting the animal to flee.

The body of a woman, discovered Thursday on Crosier Mountain trail, showed injuries that align with a mountain lion attack, according to Kara Van Hoose from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. An autopsy is planned for next week, as confirmed by Rafael Moreno of the Larimer County Coroner’s Office.

Prior warnings and the hunt for a culprit

In response to the incident, wildlife officials on Thursday tracked down and euthanized two mountain lions found in the vicinity—one at the scene and another nearby. A necropsy will be conducted to determine if these lions were involved in the attack and to check for any neurological conditions such as rabies or avian flu.

A search for a third mountain lion reported in the area was ongoing Friday, Van Hoose said. Nearby trails remained closed while the hunt continued. Van Hoose said circumstances would dictate whether that lion also is killed.

Based on the aggressiveness of the animal that attacked him on Nov. 11, Messina suspects it could be the same one that killed the woman on New Year’s Day.

The 32-year-old man from nearby Glen Haven, Colorado, reported his encounter to wildlife officials days later who posted signs to warn people about the animal along trails in the Crosier Mountain area northeast of Estes Park, Van Hoose said. The signs were later removed, she said.

Mountain lions don’t often attack humans

Mountain lion sightings in that area east of Rocky Mountain National Park are common, Van Hoose said, because it offers good habitat for the big cats: It’s remote with thick forests, rocky outcroppings and lots of elevation changes.

Yet attacks on humans by the animals are rare, and the last suspected fatal encounter in Colorado was in 1999, when a 3-year-old boy disappeared in the wilderness and his tattered clothes were found more than three years later. In 1997, a 10-year-old boy was killed by a lion and dragged away while hiking with family members in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Two hikers on Thursday saw the victim’s body on the trail at around noon from about 100 yards away, Van Hoose said. A mountain lion was nearby and they threw rocks to scare it away. One of the hikers, a physician, attended to the victim but did not find a pulse, Van Hoose said.

The victim will be publicly identified following the autopsy by the coroner, who is also expected to provide a cause of death.

Mountain lions — also known as cougars, pumas or catamounts — can weigh 130 pounds (60 kilograms) and grow to more than six feet (1.8 meters) long. They primarily eat deer.

Colorado has an estimated 3,800-4,400 of the animals, which are classified as a big game species in the state and can be hunted.

Back away slowly. Do not run

Thursday’s killing would be the fourth fatal mountain lion attack in North America over the past decade, and the 30th since 1868, according to information from the California-based Mountain Lion Foundation. Not all of those deaths have been confirmed as mountain lion attacks.

Most attacks occur during the day and when humans are active in lion territories, indicating the animals are not seeking out the victims, according to the advocacy group. About 15% of attacks are fatal.

“As more people live, work, and recreate in areas that overlap wildlife habitat, interactions can increase, not because mountain lions are becoming more aggressive, but because overlap is growing,” said Byron Weckworth, chief conservation officer for the foundation.

To reduce the risk travel in groups, keep children close and avoid dawn and dusk when lions are most active, Weckworth said. During an encounter, maintain eye contact with the lion, make yourself appear larger and back away slowly; don’t run, he said.

Last year in Northern California, two brothers were stalked and attacked by a lion that they tried to fight off. One of the brothers was killed.