British Columbia

A woman killed while picking blueberries on a farm east of Vancouver was initially thought to have died in a bear attack in August 2021, but a newly released coroner's report says she was mauled by dogs from another property.

The report says the dogs responsible for the death of 54-year-old Ping (Amy) Guo at a Pitt Meadows farm were only identified after their DNA was tested when another person died 17 months later at the neighbouring home.

"Guo died of multiple blunt and sharp force injuries sustained in an unwitnessed canid attack," says the report completed last June.

Police initially treated her death as suspicious due to the "traumatic injuries," which were particularly concentrated on her arms and legs, it says.

But the report says authorities also "strongly suspected" her death was the result of an animal attack, and a post-mortem examination provided confirmation.

The owner of the farm had called 911 after a visitor reported finding Guo's body among the blueberry bushes, it says.

A social media post from the Conservation Officer Service around the time of Guo's death says authorities were investigating whether a black bear was to blame.