Death In Lions’ Den Ruled Suicide

Authorities have concluded that a woman fatally mauled in the lions’ den at the National Zoo crossed several barriers and entered the exhibit on purpose in what the District of Columbia’s chief medical examiner has ruled a suicide.

“We’re still wrapping up some loose ends in our investigation, but everything indicates it was a suicide,” Sgt. Joe Gentile, a D.C. police spokesman, said Tuesday. “There’s no reason to suspect foul play.”

The mutilated remains of the woman, Margaret Davis King, 36, a transient from Arkansas with a history of mental illness and religious delusions, was discovered by a zoo worker about 7 a.m. Saturday in the lions’ well-protected, outdoor habitat, according to authorities.