Mother and daughter die in suspected grizzly attack in British Columbia

A mother and daughter who failed to return from a short afternoon walk near Bella Coola, British Columbia, have been found dead in what authorities are investigating as a possible grizzly bear attack.

The women were Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20. Their family reported them missing on Nov. 1. Searchers found Balcarras’ remains in the Snooka West Trail area on Monday and Reed’s on Tuesday, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.

Evidence at the scene “suggested an animal may have been involved,” the service said. Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the agency, said investigators do not yet know how many bears may have been involved. Conservation officers are working to locate and capture any bears connected to the deaths, and Tyre urged the public to avoid the trail area while that work continues.

Any captured bear will be assessed, Tyre said. If investigators determine it was involved in the attack, “it will be dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety.” The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and local search and rescue authorities also took part in the investigation, CBS News reported.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the victims during this tragic time,” Tyre said in a video cited by CBS News. “We are in contact with the family to offer any support we can as we continue to investigate this incident.”

For the family, the search began with hours of silence. “That turns into a day, and then a night … then a second night comes and it becomes a real thing,” Balcarras’ brother, Josh Balcarras, told CBC News in an interview reported by CBS News.

He described his sister and niece as “two peas in a pod” who “got along really, really well” and shared many hobbies. “When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her,” he said.

The family has started an online fundraiser for funeral costs. According to the fundraiser, Balcarras had recently moved to Bella Coola to pursue a new career and a fresh start. CBS News reported that her family said she had no savings after the move and leaves behind three young adult children and a grandchild. Reed “was only beginning her journey into adulthood,” the family wrote.

An estimated 10,000 to 13,000 grizzly bears live in British Columbia, according to the province’s Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. The ministry classifies the species as vulnerable and says conflicts with people are “relatively rare” unless bears are startled or protecting cubs or food. The BBC reported that grizzlies are also listed as a species of “special concern” under federal legislation.

Other attacks have occurred in the province. In October 2025, a grizzly injured two hikers in the McGregor Mountain area; one later died. The following month, a bear attacked a school group in the Bella Coola area, injuring 11 people, according to the BBC.

The BC Wildlife Federation has said reports of grizzly-human conflicts have risen since British Columbia banned sport hunting of grizzlies in 2017, the BBC reported. Its executive director, Jesse Zeman, said at the time: “With no hunting pressure, grizzlies and humans will increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences.”