Diana Bober: Cougar Killed At Attack Site

GRESHAM, OR – The killer of Diana Bober may have been found. A cougar was shot and killed Friday afternoon not far from where Bober was killed by a cougar last week.

Bober was a 55-year-old avid hiker who was killed by a cougar as she hiked Hunchback Mountain Trail last week.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said that around 3:15 p.m., Friday, they shot and killed a female cougar in the same area. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

"We don't know if this is the cougar responsible, but we do know that this cougar was at the attack site today," said Brian Wolfer, the ODFW watershed manager leading the effort.

"We are doing all we can to confirm as quickly as possible whether this is the animal responsible."

While officials were quickly able to determine the cougar had not been lactating and caring for cubs, they won't know for about three days if this was the cougar that killed Bober.

It will be taken by Oregon State Police to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland.

There, scientists will compare the DNA to evidence recovered from where Bober's body had been recovered.

Until it's known for sure the slain cougar is the one that killed Bober, officials from ODFW will remain in Zigzag and continue their search. If they have to, they will kill another cougar to be tested for evidence, officials said.

Officials say the goal is to increase the likelihood they'll get the killer cougar.

Photos from Gresham Police.