A 5-year-old boy last seen riding his tricycle near his home in rural western Montana was apparently killed by a mountain lion that was later tracked down and shot, authorities said.
The body of Jake Gardipe was found Sunday night just 30 yards from his home, said Missoula County Sheriff's Lt. Greg Hintz.Rick Schoening, a game warden for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said tracking dogs later treed a female mountain lion that was then shot. The animal had blood on its mouth and claws, he said.
Gardipe was last seen at 3 p.m. Sunday, playing near his rural home two miles north of the tiny community of Evaro in mountainous western Montana.
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Hintz said his body was found about 8:15 p.m. in a wooded and brushy area.