I roto i te ata wawe o Hakihea 27, 1985, i kitea Fossey kohurutia i roto i te ruma o tona whare kei te pito tawhiti o te puni i roto i te Virunga Mountains, Rwanda. I kitea tona tinana kanohi-ake tata nga moenga e rua i moe ia, tata 7 waewae (2 m) atu i te poka i tona assailants (((s) i te āhua i tapahia i roto i te taiepa o te whare. I karangatia Wayne Richard McGuire, rangahau whakamutunga kaiawhina o Fossey i Karisoke, ki te scene i te whare o Fossey o te pononga, ka kitea ia bludgeoned ki te mate, pūrongo e "ka tae ahau ki raro ki te tirohia ona tohu faufaa, i wehea ahau tona mata, diagonally, ki te whiu kotahi. "Kia pakaru te whare ki te karaihe, a ka kite i te reira hurihia, ki te taonga 9-mm, me te amumutiona i runga i tona ringa i runga i te uruwhenua. I kitea te poka i roto i te papa o te whare, tae noa ki te whare o Fossey.
tata ki te 7 waewae