Mother and daughter killed in suspected grizzly bear attack in British Columbia

A Canadian woman and her daughter were killed in a suspected grizzly bear attack while hiking on the Snooka West Trail near Bella Coola, British Columbia, according to authorities.

The victims and the search

Jennifer Balcarras, 48, an art therapist, and her daughter, Selah Reed, 20, went missing Saturday after going for a walk on the trail, minutes from their home in Bella Coola.

Family members asked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for a welfare check on Sunday morning after they could not reach the pair. Authorities discovered Balcarras' vehicle parked at the trailhead. Her body was recovered Monday, and search teams found Reed's body on Tuesday.

Investigation and response

"There was evidence to suggest a bear may have been involved," Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service, said in a video update posted to social media.

Tyre noted that officers were actively working to "locate and capture any bears involved" and said it was not immediately clear if more than one animal was responsible. "Any captured bear will be assessed," conservation officials added in a statement. "If it is determined to have been involved in the attack, it will be dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety."

Officials have set new traps in the hopes of catching the bear involved in last weekend's attack and to learn whether it was the same bear from a year ago. The killings happened only 3 to 4 kilometers (1.8 to 2.4 miles) from where a grizzly attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers last year as they walked on a trail. Eleven were injured, two of them critically, in the Nov. 20, 2025, attack. Jeff Tyre said that aggressive bear was never captured, but officials were able to collect its DNA.

Community impact

Terry Webber, chief administrative officer for the Nuxalk Nation, said the killings were triggering for the families who were traumatized by last year's attack. "Our community is still healing," he said, adding that they've imposed a curfew and are providing mental health services for the community. "Our priority is to ensure they're safe and ensure our community is supported."

Matt Balcarras, Jennifer Balcarras' brother, said his sister and niece were experienced in the region. "They were not naive city folks," he said. "They were strong women living the life."

Searchers found Reed's remains in a bear cache. By the time officials located his niece, she could only be identified by her clothing, he said. His sister was in a similar condition, but they knew who she was thanks to several tiny tattoos, he said. "There's no obvious body to identify," he said. "The coroner's investigation will include DNA and dental work. But there is no doubt that the remains that were found are theirs."

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Sources

• foxnews.com: Conservation officers hunt bear after mother and daughter killed hiking | Fox News
• cbsnews.com: Grim details emerge after apparent grizzly bear attack kills woman and daughter in Canada - CBS News

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