Taylor Mitchell, a 19-year-old Canadian folk singer, was fatally mauled by coyotes while hiking alone on the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on October 27, 2009. The case not only cut short a promising young artist’s life but also left her, to date, as the only person confirmed to have been killed by coyotes in Canada.
Mitchell had been touring eastern Canada to promote her debut album when the fatality happened. Witnesses later reported seeing two unusually bold eastern coyotes (often called coywolves, or a coyote/wolf-hybrid in that region) on the access road minutes before the animals attacked.
Hikers discovered Mitchell and attempted to drive the animals off; forensic testing later tied several coyotes involved and wildlife officers removed and euthanized animals believed to be involved as part of the official investigation. Responders airlifted Mitchell to a nearby hospital where she later died.
The rarity of fatal coyote attacks
#otd 28 Oct 2008
— Florian Völker (@Bocksbruder) October 28, 2024
Taylor Mitchell (Taylor Josephine Stephanie Luciow, *1990)
Canadian country folk singer and songwriter
~ fatal coyote attack (only known on a human ever confirmed in Canada)https://t.co/hpT0nyhQxO pic.twitter.com/TCLSsV1UcD
Mitchell’s tragic death aside, why this attack was so notable is that fatal coyote assaults on humans are extraordinarily rare. Comprehensive compilations of coyote–human incidents in the U.S. and Canada show hundreds of reported attacks (many non-fatal) over recent decades, but fatalities remain the exception.
Researchers and trackers of urban-wildlife encounters note that most coyote incidents involve bites or threats rather than killings; documented fatal attacks in North America are minimal, with Mitchell’s case among the very few recorded, and the only confirmed case in Canada. The only other known human North American fatality was 3-year-old Kelly Keen in Glendale, California, in 1981.
Mitchell’s family established the Taylor Mitchell Legacy Trust in her memory, advocating for music education and responsible wildlife stewardship. hikers and park visitors should follow park safety guidance—stay in groups, keep small children and pets close, avoid feeding wildlife — and report unusually aggressive animals to park authorities.
