British Columbia authorities search for grizzly after killing mother and daughter in Bella Coola

Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, died in Bella Coola, British Columbia, after being attacked by a grizzly bear. The women had moved to the central coast community in the summer. Balcarras worked as an art therapist and had previously lived in Alaska. Her brother Matt Balcarras described her as a strong single mother who was comfortable living in the wilderness.

Family members became concerned when Reed did not make her routine Saturday night call to her sister. The next morning, relatives contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to check on the women's home. Officers found the house locked with Balcarras's car missing. The vehicle was later located at the start of a hiking trail higher up the road, but the two women were not nearby.

Relatives from across Canada and the United States mobilized for the search. Matt Balcarras drove north from Vancouver Island while his brother traveled from Calgary. They met and drove through the night. On Monday night, authorities notified the family that Balcarras had died, likely from a grizzly attack. The following morning, search teams found the remains of Selah Reed at the trailhead. The operation shifted from a search to a recovery effort.

The incident occurred three or four kilometers from a site where a grizzly attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on November 20, 2025. That attack left eleven people injured, two of them seriously. Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the Conservation Officer Service, stated that the aggressive bear from the previous year was never captured. However, authorities collected its DNA. New traps have been placed to catch the animal involved in the weekend attack and compare its genetic profile.

Terry Webber, the administrative director of the Nuxalk Nation, said the new deaths have reactivated trauma in families affected by the previous incident. The community has imposed a curfew and is providing mental health services. Webber stated, "Our priority is to make sure that they are safe and that our community gets support."

Search teams faced difficult terrain and the bear's behavior during the recovery. They used a cadaver-detection dog to locate the remains. Matt Balcarras noted that finding remains in a bear cache, where animals store food under branches and vegetation, is difficult even when the distance is only about 100 meters. The teams found Balcarras first, followed by her daughter. Identification was made through clothing and small tattoos because the remains were not immediately recognizable. A forensic investigation will include DNA and dental records.

Conservation officials reported that grizzlies are common in the area surrounding Bella Coola. They maintain a direct phone line for reporting problematic bears, but Tyre said no recent calls had been received before the attack. The family said the women were not naive or reckless. Matt Balcarras noted that they had lived in these areas for decades and were surrounded by various animals. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to trap the bear and confirm if it matches the one from last year.