A Canadian mother and her daughter were killed on a nature trail by a female grizzly bear and her three cubs, according to DNA evidence.
Forensic testing definitively connected the four bears to the deaths of Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter, Selah Reed, the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said Tuesday.
The bodies of Balcarras and Reed were discovered about 490 feet apart near a trail outside Bella Coola, approximately 620 miles north of Vancouver, last week.
After reviewing the evidence, conservation officers euthanized all four bears, citing the need to protect public safety.
The service said its investigation indicated the “rare” fatal encounter likely involved predatory behavior, but officials did not release further details.
Balcarras was reported missing by her family after she went to the Snooka West Trail area on Saturday, October 31, and failed to make her usual evening call to her sister.
Her remains were located on November 2. Reed’s remains were found the following day inside a bear cache, a place where bears store food.
DNA analysis also showed that the four bears were not responsible for a separate grizzly attack on about 20 elementary school students and teachers in the area last November. Eleven people were injured in that incident, including two who suffered critical injuries.
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 Balcarras and Reed were killed by a female grizzly bear and her three cubs
Balcarras’s brother, Josh Balcarras, said the mother and daughter were familiar with the trail and had gone out for what he described as a “casual walk.”
“It’s surreal,” he told CBC News. “It doesn’t seem real. It feels like a dream.”
Inspector Jeff Tyre called the fatal attack, and the apparent predatory behavior involved, “very rare.”
“We don’t know how it started, but we know how it ended,” Tyre said during an online briefing Tuesday.
Tyre said more than a dozen conservation officers took part in the complex investigation into what he called a “heartbreaking event.”
The officers worked through difficult terrain and weather while managing continuing risks to both the public and their own safety, he said.
All trapping equipment used during the response has been removed, and the investigation is now complete.
Officials stressed that fatal grizzly attacks involving predatory behavior are rare. They said people can lower the risk by keeping pets leashed and traveling in groups.
Balcarras was reported missing after failing to make her usual nighttime call to her sister; her remains were found on November 2
Balcarras disappeared after visiting the Snooka West Trail and did not make contact with her family
DNA testing showed that the bears involved in the deaths 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 someone who had “her whole life ahead of her.”
“She was only beginning her journey into adulthood, making this loss even more heartbreaking,” Smith wrote.
The fundraiser will help cover funeral expenses and other related costs. The funeral is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
By Wednesday evening, the campaign had collected approximately $81,200 CAD, or $57,000 USD, toward its goal of $90,000 CAD, equivalent to $63,166 USD.
Balcarras’s brother said the mother and daughter knew the trail and had gone for a “casual walk” before they were killed
A GoFundMe campaign said Balcarras is survived by three young adult children and a grandchild
The Indigenous Nuxalk Nation, based in Bella Coola, said the deaths had reopened 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.
In response to the latest incident, the Nuxalk Nation has advised residents to observe an 8 p.m. curfew.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has also sent officers into the area. They will escort students from school buses, conduct additional nighttime patrols and offer voluntary late-night rides.
Residents have also been urged to remove fruit from trees and keep dogs indoors or secured on leashes.
Our News Outlet has contacted the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service for further comment.
