A mother and daughter died in a suspected grizzly bear attack near Bella Coola, British Columbia, according to BBC World, and officers are investigating whether several bears were involved. The Bella Coola grizzly attack killed Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20.
The women were reported missing on 1 November after they did not return from what was supposed to be a short afternoon walk, the family said, according to BBC World. Balcarras’s remains were found on Monday and Reed’s on Tuesday, during a search by conservation officers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, BBC World reported.
The two women’s vehicle was found at a trailhead near Bella Coola. The suspected attack happened at the Snooka West trail area, about 8 kilometres east of the town, according to the Guardian World.
The Conservation Officer Service said it is "not yet clear if more than one bear was involved" and that any bears captured will be assessed, according to SCMP (Hong Kong). That outlet’s report is a short excerpt, so its details come from a partial article.
Balcarras, an art therapist, had recently moved to Bella Coola, a community of roughly 2,100 people, for a new job, according to her family, the Guardian World reported. The family’s statements reach the public through quotes in the BBC and Guardian reports; no direct family interview has been published.
The area has seen earlier bear attacks. BBC World reports that a grizzly bear injured two hikers in the McGregor Mountain area in October 2025, and that one of them died later. The bear was later found dead, according to the same report.
The sources disagree on the timing of a second incident. BBC World says a bear attacked a school group in the Bella Coola area the month after the McGregor Mountain attack, injuring 11 people. The Guardian World says the school attack happened "earlier in the year" and also describes it as happening "last November," and that it was never solved and the bear was never located. The two accounts do not agree on when it happened.
BC’s Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks estimates that 10,000 to 13,000 grizzly bears live in British Columbia, according to BBC World.
Conservation officers are tracking any bears involved. Any bear captured will be assessed and, if found to be involved, put down under provincial guidelines, the outline of the report states. The public has been told to stay out of the area while the investigation continues.
Several key points rely on only one or two outlets. No second source confirms how many bears were involved, and officials have said only that it is not yet clear. No bear has been captured or linked to the deaths in the reports, and the RCMP has not been quoted on its role or findings.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.