Police in Lillooet, B.C., are investigating the suspicious death of a woman that could be linked to a black bear.

Conservation officials say it appears a black bear was involved in a Lillooet, B.C., woman's death. ((Roy Musitelli/Associated Press))

Acting Sgt. Cheryl Simpkin-Works with the Stl'atl'imx Tribal Service said officers found the woman's remains on a remote property on Thursday while investigating a missing person's complaint.

"There was some evidence of some blood, and some articles of clothing were located on the east side of the residence down an embankment," Simpkin-Works said of their initial search.

She said dogs were brought to the scene and found the body about 45 metres from the home. The body was emaciated, she said, and appeared to have been eaten by animals.

"It was advised at that point that this possibly was an animal attack," Simpkin-Works said.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service "called in their specialized team, who came to the location and took over the scene at that point."

Conservation officer Rod Olsen said tracks, scat and hair found near the body are believed to be that of a black bear.

"It appears there was significant feeding on the remains by wildlife, most likely a bear," he said. "All we can say is contact was made by a bear, but that's as far as we can go at this point."

Cause of death not determined

The woman's body has been taken to Ashcroft, B.C., where an autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

"Until autopsy confirms the cause of death is not suspicious, it's still deemed a suspicious death at this point," Simpkin-Works said.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service "is doing their best to locate bears in the area, as there's been a number of complaints that they locate the suspected bear and have it destroyed for the safety of the community," she said.

Simpkin-Works said police believe they know the woman's identity, but are awaiting autopsy results for confirmation.

Four bears have already been caught and killed in the area. Officials are awaiting the results of necropsies to determine whether the animals were involved.

Simpkin-Works said the incident has been hard on the community.

"The community has banded together, and there's been some spiritual ceremonies in the area as well to try to calm everyone and bring some peace to this situation."

Olsen said black bear attacks are extremely rare — since 2000, there have been two fatal incidents involving black bears in B.C.

"Bear attacks are usually broken into two issues: a defensive attack of their young or their food or their territory, or it's a predatory attack. So that's what we're trying to determine,… if that's what caused this," he said.