The coyote that attacked and bit five people in Contra Costa County since last summer has now been captured and put down.
State fish and wildlife officials said wildlife management and local law enforcement caught the animal and were able to confirm Thursday that its DNA matched DNA recovered from its victims.
The coyote is first known to have attacked a small child in July before attacking two men in December, a young girl in February and another man just a few days later. Wildlife officials have been working to locate the "unusually aggressive" animal for months.
All of the attacks occurred within two miles of each other in Lafayette and Moraga.
Fish and wildlife officials said that the animal will be tested for rabies, which is standard procedure after in investigating animal attacks, although there is no evidence at the moment to suggest it was rabid.
"It is the sincere hope of the agencies that locals can recreate outdoors in the area again with significantly reduced anxiety and that the community knows that outdoor recreation is still very safe," fish and wildlife officials said in a statement.
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