Woman Found In Zoo Had Mental Troubles

A woman found dead inside the lion’s pen at the National Zoo over the weekend was identified Monday as an Arkansas resident with a history of mental health problems.

Police said the woman, whose mauled body was discovered early Saturday morning by a zookeeper, was Margaret Davis King, 36, of Little Rock, Ark.

Records show that the woman was charged in 1988 with making threats and assault, but was found innocent “by reason of mental defects or disease” and committed to the Arkansas State Hospital in Little Rock.

Police had not determined how the woman got into the lion’s enclosure or why she was there.

Washington’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Joye Carter, said the cause of death had not been determined.