Wildlife officers found the adult and juvenile near garbage two days after the woman was seriously injured outside her Index home.
INDEX, Wash. — Washington wildlife officers killed an adult black bear and a juvenile bear after a woman was seriously injured in an attack outside her rural Snohomish County home, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The bears were killed Tuesday, Oct. 27, two days after the woman was attacked while walking her leashed dog in her backyard along Index-Galena Road near U.S. Route 2. Wildlife officials said officers later found an adult and juvenile bear in a tree behind an Index business after receiving reports that bears had been digging through garbage nearby. The animals were removed and were expected to undergo disease testing.
The attack happened shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Fish and Wildlife officials said the woman was walking her dog when a black bear approached from behind, knocked her to the ground and continued attacking her while she was down. She was able to reach her home and call for help. Medics took her to a hospital with injuries described by wildlife officials as serious but not life-threatening.
The woman remained hospitalized for treatment before being released Tuesday, according to later reports citing Fish and Wildlife. Her name has not been publicly released. Officials said she had not provoked the bear. Investigators initially said two bears had been seen in the area, including a large adult and a younger animal that could have been a female bear and her cub.
Wildlife officers and Snohomish County deputies searched the area after the attack. Officers used dogs but did not find the animal during the initial search, and a trap was placed near the scene. Fish and Wildlife increased patrols while authorities warned residents not to approach or disturb bears spotted in the area.
Early accounts of the encounter differed. The Sultan Police Department initially reported that a resident had been taking out trash when a mother bear and cub were encountered and described the injuries as minor. Fish and Wildlife later provided a different account, saying the woman was walking her leashed dog in her backyard when a bear attacked her from behind and caused serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The state wildlife agency’s account was repeated in subsequent local reporting.
On Tuesday, wildlife officers received a report of an adult and juvenile bear in a tree behind a business in Index. Officials said another report about 20 minutes earlier described bears getting into garbage cans at a nearby residence. Officers found trash beneath the tree where the two bears were located and killed both animals.
Fish and Wildlife has said its policy calls for lethal removal of bears involved in attacks on people. The agency also says relocation is often unsuccessful when bears have repeatedly obtained garbage or other human food because the animals can lose their natural wariness of people and return to developed areas. Publicly available accounts did not establish through testing or other evidence that either animal killed Tuesday had been conclusively identified as the bear that attacked the woman.
Residents told local news organizations that bears had been appearing around homes in the Index area before the attack, including animals getting into garbage and approaching residential property. Wildlife officials say black bears commonly search intensively for food in the fall as they prepare for winter, and unsecured garbage, pet food, livestock feed, fruit, bird feeders and outdoor grills can attract them to homes.
The two bears have been removed from the area and were expected to undergo disease testing. The woman was released from the hospital Tuesday, and officials had not publicly identified her as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.