DNA tests have confirmed that a female grizzly bear and her three cubs were responsible for killing a 48-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter in British Columbia, Canada, wildlife officials have said.
The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said the four bears were linked to the deaths of Jenny Balcarras and her daughter, Selah Reed, following investigations into the incident near Bella Coola, a remote community about 1,000 kilometres north of Vancouver.
The bears were subsequently killed by wildlife authorities to protect public safety.
Inspector Jeff Tyre said investigators believed the attack involved predatory behaviour, describing such incidents as extremely rare.
“Our investigation also found that this attack likely involved predatory behavior, which I can tell you is very rare,” Tyre said during an online briefing.
He added: “That is to say, we don’t know how it started, but we know how it ended.”
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👉 JOIN GISTSMATE WHATSAPP CHANNELThe women’s remains were discovered approximately 150 metres apart near a trail outside Bella Coola.
Their family members raised the alarm after Reed failed to make a routine Saturday night phone call to her sister.
Search teams initially found Balcarras’ remains before locating her daughter’s remains inside a bear cache, a place where bears store food.
The deaths have deeply affected the Nuxalk Nation community, which is still recovering from a separate grizzly bear attack in the area in November 2025.
That earlier incident involved a group of about 20 elementary school pupils and teachers, with 11 people injured, including two who sustained critical injuries.
Tyre said the bears responsible for the latest deaths were not involved in the previous attack.
Following the latest incident, local authorities introduced a voluntary curfew, while police officers escorted children to school.
Tlhmtimut Samuel Schooner, the elected chief councillor of the Nuxalk Nation, said the deaths had reopened painful memories for residents.
“This attack has been deeply re-triggering for our community members as we continue to recover from last year’s attack,” he said.
Schooner added that support services would remain available to community members for as long as necessary.
Authorities Explain Decision To Kill Bears
Tyre said bears involved in fatal attacks could not be rehabilitated or relocated because they posed an extreme danger to public safety.
He expressed sympathy for the affected families and the wider community.
“This was a heartbreaking event for the families, the Nuxalk Nation and the Bella Coola community. We hope the efforts of everyone who responded, along with these findings, bring some measure of closure,” he said.
Other Grizzly Bear Attacks In British Columbia
British Columbia is estimated to have between 10,000 and 13,000 grizzly bears, according to the provincial Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks.
The species is classified as vulnerable, although the ministry describes conflicts between grizzly bears and humans as relatively rare.
However, several attacks have been recorded in the province in recent years.
In October 2025, a grizzly bear attacked two hikers in the McGregor Mountain area, northeast of Prince George. One of the hikers was critically injured and later died from complications.
In May 2024, a hunter sustained serious injuries, including broken bones and lacerations, after encountering a grizzly bear in the Elkford region. He shot the animal in self-defence.
A 21-year-old woman was also seriously injured in a grizzly bear attack near Tumbler Ridge in July 2023. Authorities described that incident as a defensive attack.
Wildlife officials have continued to warn that encounters can be dangerous, particularly when bears are startled or protecting their cubs or food.
(CBS News)
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