A mother and her 20-year-old daughter who set out on a short walk near Bella Coola, British Columbia, were killed in a suspected attack by one or more grizzly bears, wildlife officers say.
Story Highlights
- Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, did not come home from an afternoon walk near Bella Coola.
- Searchers found the mother’s body on the Snooka West Trail on Monday, November 2, and her daughter’s remains on Tuesday, November 3.
- Wildlife officers say evidence at the scene points to a bear attack, and more than one grizzly may have been involved.
- Officers have set traps and will use DNA to find the bear or bears; the public has been told to stay off the trail.
- The grizzly that attacked a school group in the same valley last November was never caught.
A Short Walk That Ended On The Trail
The search ended on Tuesday, November 3, when crews found the remains of Selah Reed, 20, near the Snooka West Trail outside Bella Coola, a small town on British Columbia’s central coast. Her mother, Jennifer Balcarras, 48, had been found dead on the same trail the afternoon before. Officials say the two women were found about 150 meters (about 490 feet) apart. Wildlife officers suspect a grizzly attack killed them, and they say more than one bear may have been part of it.
The family first knew something was wrong when Reed missed a regular phone call with her sister on the night of Saturday, October 31. By the morning of Sunday, November 1, no one had heard from either woman, and the family asked police to check their home. Balcarras’s car was gone. It was later found at a trailhead up the road. Police and search-and-rescue volunteers then began combing the trail system.
What Conservation Officers Said
Jeff Tyre is an inspector with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, the provincial agency that handles dangerous wildlife. He said evidence at the scene where the remains were found suggested a bear was involved. “Our thoughts are with the family of the victims during this tragic time,” he said.
Tyre said many grizzlies live in the area, and officers do not know whether one bear or several took part. Officers have set traps and will test any bear they catch. They will compare its DNA with samples gathered at the scene. A bear found to be involved will be “dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety,” he said, meaning it will be killed. Officials have not reported catching the bear or bears involved. The public has been asked to stay away from the Snooka West Trail area while the work goes on.
A Valley Hit Twice In One Year
This is the second grizzly attack in the Bella Coola valley in a year. On November 20, 2025, a grizzly attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers about 2 miles from where the mother and daughter died, and two people were critically hurt. That bear was never caught, but officials collected its DNA. The new traps will also show whether the same bear was involved this time.
The Nuxalk Nation, the First Nation whose people have long lived in the Bella Coola valley, has set a curfew and is offering mental health support. “Our community is still healing,” said Terry Webber, the Nuxalk Nation’s chief administrative officer. Deadly bear attacks are rare in Canada. One study counted 39 deaths from bear encounters across the whole country from 1990 to 2023.
A Family Remembers “Two Peas In A Pod”
Family members described the mother and daughter as “two peas in a pod.” Balcarras’s brother said the two shared many hobbies, and Selah was always at her mother’s side when she went hiking. Balcarras had moved to Bella Coola to start a new career. Her family says she leaves three adult children and a grandchild. The family wrote that Selah had her whole life ahead of her.
Sources:
cbc.ca, cbc.ca, nbcnews.com, nytimes.com, winknews.com, castanet.net, upi.com, cbc.ca
