'Bear Lady' of North Carolina may have been killed by bear she was famous for feeding as authorities find her savaged remains in the woods

NORTH CAROLINA -- A woman known as North Carolina's 'Bear Lady' may have been killed by a bear.

The remains of Kay Grayson, 67, were found in a well-known bear path just 100 yards from her isolated home in Tyrrell County on Monday.

 

 Authorities could only find bones, hair and ripped clothing, which had likely been there for two weeks after she was reported missing.

Awaiting the results of a post mortem examination, Sheriff Darryl Liverman told FoxNews.com he believe it is likely she was attacked by a bear.

'Based on what we saw, we do believe that she was dragged into the woods by bears or multiple bears,' he said. 'The remains were on a path that was used by bears. Her clothing had been ripped by what appeared to be bears.'

'She fed the bears a lot,' Liverman added, 'But we do not know if bears actually killed her.'

Grayson, who lived alone in the home she dubbed 'Bearsong' without a phone, electricity, or running water, had spent 20 years feeding the local animals with peanuts and dog food.

However, last year she stopped feeding black bears after Sgt Mark Cagle, of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, warned her of the dangers.

 

Black bears have killed 61 Americans since 1900, including six in the past five years, far outnumbering brown bear attacks.

Humans are warned not to approach the species with food as black bears are not used to contact with people.

Nonetheless, Cagle explains, Grayson 'loved all of nature, especially bears'.
(Daily Mail - Jan 30, 2015)