A farkon safiyar ranar 27 ga Disamba, 1985, an gano Fossey da aka kashe a cikin ɗakin kwanciya na ɗakinta wanda ke gefen gefen sansanin a cikin tsaunukan Virunga, Ruwanda. An gano jikinta a kusa da gadaje biyu inda ta yi barci, kimanin 7 feet (2 m) daga wani rami wanda masu kai mata hari suka yi a fili a cikin bangon ɗakin. Wayne Richard McGuire, mataimakin bincike na karshe na Fossey a Karisoke, an kira shi zuwa gidan gidan Fossey kuma ya same ta da aka kashe ta, yana ba da rahoton cewa "lokacin da na kai don duba alamun da ke da muhimmanci, na raba fuskarta, a cikin layi, tare da bugun jini daya".
kimanin 7 feet