Photo/Illutration A black bear sighted in Toyama Prefecture in a previous incident (Provided by the prefecture)

TOYAMA—An elderly woman was found dead in the garden of a home here on Oct. 17 after being mauled in a suspected bear attack.

Police received an emergency call from a man reporting that his wife in her 70s had been missing since around 6 p.m. that day.

Upon searching the area, police found a woman, believed to be the man’s wife, face-down in the garden of his home around 9:40 p.m. She had suffered multiple injuries to her face and was confirmed dead.

Municipal officials said a bear was sighted wandering around the neighborhood around 5:30 p.m. that day, leading them to believe that the woman was attacked by this bear.

“I’m shocked that this happened here, so far away from the mountains,” said a 77-year old neighbor. “I’m worried that the bear is still on the loose.”

The attack occurred in a rural area with houses dotting the rice fields about 4.5 kilometers southeast of the Toyama Interchange of the Hokuriku Expressway.

Authorities are patrolling the area and urging residents to stay vigilant, especially school children.

The incident appears to be the latest of a string of bear attacks on humans in recent months in northern parts of the country.

According to the Environment Ministry, more than 100 people were attacked by bears nationwide between April and September, resulting in two fatalities.

In Toyama, another woman, 79, was attacked and clawed across the face by a bear on Oct. 9.

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