A necropsy including DNA testing will be performed on a mountain lion struck and killed by a car Saturday on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, about 30 miles from the first reported sightings of a mountain lion at a private school in Greenwich on June 5.

State Department of Environmental Protection officials said today they continue to believe the mountain lion sighted in Greenwich and the one killed Saturday are the same animal, despite reports of new sightings in Greenwich on Sunday. Paw prints that were found near the area of the reported new sightings were unclear, the officials said.

They also said the investigation into the possible origins of the mountain lion are continuing, and that New York state authorities are pursing a possible lead there. The laboratory work on the carcass of the mountain lion should help state wildlife officials determine whether the animal is a South or North American mountain lion and possibly whether it was being kept as a pet, which is illegal in Connecticut.

"We are investigating a possible violation of Connecticut wildlife laws and we will seek criminal charges" if it is determined a state resident was keeping a mountain lion illegally, said Col. Kyle Overturf of the environmental conservation police.

The closest population of native mountain lions is in Florida and the far Midwest, he said, including North and South Dakota.

The mountain lion killed on Saturday was a 140-pound male that was not neutered or declawed and looked to be about six years old, Paul Rego, state wildlife biologist, said.

Susan Frechette, deputy DEP commissioner, urged the public to take common-sense safety precautions such as not leaving dog and cat food outside, keeping trash cans secured and watching dogs, cats and children when they are outdoors.