Suspected grizzly bear attack in British Columbia leaves mother, daughter dead

Investigators believe multiple grizzly bears were responsible for the deaths of a mother and daughter in British Columbia, according to the Conservation Officer Service.

Grizzly bear attack

Dig deeper:

On Tuesday, a second body was found by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and conservation officers. This comes one day after the discovery of the first set of remains, Inspector Jeff Tyre shared in a video message on Facebook.

He said it’s "not yet clear if more than one bear was involved," and any bears captured in the area will be assessed.

The victims went missing Saturday after going for a walk on the Snooka West Trail, which is just minutes from their home in Bella Coola, British Columbia.

Family became concerned about their whereabouts after they failed to show up for a scheduled online meet-up on Saturday, a family member told The Vancouver Sun.

What's next:

Tyre said efforts to capture the bear or bears involved in the attack continue, and any animals captured by the service will be killed in accordance with provincial guidelines to make sure the public is safe.

The victims

The backstory:

The victims in the gruesome attack were identified as Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her daughter, 20-year-old Selah Reed.

Balcarras recently moved to Bella Coola to pursue a new career to start a new chapter in her life, according to a post shared by Mary Melissa Smith, who was related to the victims.

Balcarras is survived by a son, two daughters and a grandson.

Previous grizzly attacks

Local perspective:

This latest deadly encounter came less than a year after a grizzly bear injured 11 people, including fourth- and fifth-grade students, during a school field trip near Bella Coola.

The Source: Information for this article was taken from reporting by The Associated Press, FOX News and video shared by the Conservation Officer Service on Nov. 3, 2026. This story was reported from San Jose.