DNA evidence has linked a female grizzly bear and her three cubs to the deaths of a Canadian mother and daughter on a nature trail.
Forensic testing definitively identified the four bears in the deaths of Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter, Selah Reed, the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said Tuesday.
The pair were discovered about 490 feet apart near a trail outside Bella Coola, roughly 620 miles north of Vancouver, last week.
After reviewing the evidence, conservation officers killed all four bears, citing the need to protect public safety.
The service said the investigation pointed to a “rare” fatal encounter that likely involved predatory behavior, although officials did not release further details.
Balcarras was reported missing after visiting the Snooka West Trail area on Saturday, October 31, and failing to make her usual nighttime call to her sister.
Her remains were discovered on November 2. Reed’s remains were found the following day inside a bear cache, where bears store food.
DNA testing also showed that the four bears were not responsible for a separate grizzly attack on approximately 20 elementary school students and teachers in the area last November. Eleven people were injured in that incident, including two critically.
Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her daughter, Selah Reed, 20, were found dead near a trail outside Bella Coola after a “rare” fatal encounter with four bears
The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said Tuesday that a female grizzly and her three cubs killed Balcarras and Reed
Josh Balcarras, Jenny’s brother, said the mother and daughter were familiar with the trail and had gone out for a “casual walk.”
“It’s surreal,” he told CBC News. “It doesn’t seem real. It feels like a dream.”
Inspector Jeff Tyre said the fatal attack, and the predatory behavior believed to be involved, was “very rare.”
“We don’t know how it started, but we know how it ended,” Tyre told reporters during an online briefing Tuesday.
Tyre said more than a dozen conservation officers were needed to investigate what he called a “heartbreaking event.”
He said the officers worked through difficult terrain and weather while managing continuing risks to both the public and their own safety.
All trapping equipment used during the response has been removed, and the investigation is now complete.
Authorities stressed that fatal grizzly attacks involving predatory behavior are uncommon. They said people can reduce the risk by keeping pets leashed and traveling in groups.
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Balcarras was reported missing after missing her usual nighttime call with her sister; her remains were found on November 2
Balcarras disappeared after visiting the Snooka West Trail and failing to make contact afterward
DNA evidence showed that the bears involved were not responsible for a separate grizzly attack that injured 11 people in the area last November
A GoFundMe campaign organized by relative Mary Melissa Smith said Balcarras had recently moved to Bella Coola “to pursue a new career and begin a new chapter in her life.”
Smith said the move also meant Balcarras had not yet built up savings or set aside money for unexpected expenses.
According to the fundraiser, Balcarras is survived by three young adult children—a son and two daughters—as well as a grandchild.
Reed, who was killed alongside her mother, was remembered as a young woman with “her whole life ahead of her.”
“She was only beginning her journey into adulthood, making this loss even more heartbreaking,” Smith wrote.
The fundraiser said donations would help pay funeral costs and other related expenses. The funeral is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
By Wednesday evening, the campaign had collected approximately $81,200 CAD, or $57,000 USD, toward its $90,000 CAD, or $63,166 USD, target.
Balcarras’s brother said the mother and daughter knew the trail and had taken a “casual walk” before they were killed
A GoFundMe campaign said Balcarras was survived by three young adult children and a grandchild
The Indigenous Nuxalk Nation, based in Bella Coola, said the deaths had revived painful memories of last year’s bear attack.
“This attack has been deeply re-triggering for our community members as we continue to recover from last year’s attack,” Tlhmtimut Samuel Schooner, the Nuxalk Nation’s elected chief councilor, said Tuesday.
Following the deaths, the Nuxalk Nation recommended that residents observe an 8 p.m. curfew.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has also sent officers to the area. They will escort students from school buses, conduct additional nighttime patrols and offer voluntary late-night rides.
Residents were also urged to remove fruit from trees and keep dogs indoors or on a leash.
Our News Outlet has contacted the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service for further comment.
