Family And Law Enforcement Details Fatal Mountain Lion Attack
Georgetown, CA — The family of Taylen and Wyatt Brooks, along with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, have put out a statement detailing what led to a mountain lion attacking the two brothers.
21-year-old Taylen was killed in the incident and 18-year-old Wyatt survived and is expected to recover after multiple surgeries.
Wyatt is an avid baseball player and ardent bow-hunting enthusiast. He has been with the Mt. Adams Fire Academy since last September and aspires to work for CAL Fire.
Taylen worked with his father to paint houses and loved being outdoors. He enjoyed fishing and was an extremely talented guitar player.
The family reports that the brothers were walking along Skid Road in Georgetown (El Dorado County) in search of deer antler sheds on Saturday afternoon, noting that they hunt and fish almost daily. They observed a mountain lion walk up onto the road so they put their arms into the air (to appear larger) and yelled at the lion. Wyatt threw his backpack at the animal in an effort to scare it away.
Instead of retreating, the cougar charged at Wyatt, bit him, and took him to the ground.
The statement from the family, and law enforcement, is graphic.
It reads, “While Taylen beat on and yelled at the lion, Wyatt was able to wrestle the lion to the ground with him on top of the lion. The lion began clawing at Wyatt’s midsection causing Wyatt to release his grip. At that point, the lion released Wyatt, got up and charged Taylen, biting Taylen in the throat and taking Taylen to the ground.
Wyatt, with severe lacerations to his face, beat on and grabbed the lion in an attempt to get him to release Taylen. After some time trying to get the lion off Taylen, Wyatt tried to call 911 for help. With limited cell service in the area, Wyatt ran back toward where they had parked his vehicle where he eventually obtained cell service and called 911.
After calling 911, Wyatt quickly got into his vehicle and drove to where he had left Taylen and the lion in hopes the presence of his vehicle would scare the lion off, but when he arrived, Taylen and the lion were gone.”
Wyatt was later helped by arriving medical personnel and Taylen was located deceased nearby, away from the roadway, by officials. The mountain lion was later euthanized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife along with the El Dorado County trapper. The CDFW reports that it was the first fatal encounter with a mountain lion reported in California in two decades.
The El Dorado Community Foundation has set up a “Brooks Brothers Support Fund” to help the family. More information can be found here.
