A mother and her daughter were killed in a suspected grizzly bear attack while on what was described as a "casual walk" on a popular trail near their home in Bella Coola, British Columbia.
Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter Selah Reed, were reported missing on Saturday after Balcarras failed to attend a scheduled online meeting. Her brother, Matt Balcarras, told the Vancouver Sun that the alarm was raised when she didn't show up.
Searchers found Balcarras's body on Monday, followed by Reed's on Tuesday. Officials from the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service stated that there was evidence to suggest a grizzly bear was involved in the attack.
"It is not yet clear whether more than one bear was involved," conservation officials said in a statement. "Any captured bear will be assessed. If it is determined to have been involved in the attack, it will be dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety."
The Snooka West Trail, where the attack occurred, is reportedly only a five-minute drive from the victims' home. Balcarras's brother described the area as not remote and noted that the two women were experienced and lived an outdoor lifestyle.
Balcarras, a mother of four and grandmother, had recently moved to Bella Coola, an unincorporated community of about 2,000 people located approximately 268 miles from Vancouver. Friends have set up a GoFundMe to support her three surviving adult children, noting that she had not yet had time to establish savings in her new life.
Her daughter, Reed, was described as being at the beginning of her adult life. Her other brother, Josh Balcarras, told CBC that the mother and daughter were very close, often hiking together.
The fatal encounter occurred less than a year after another bear attack in the Bella Coola area in November 2025, which left three children in critical condition. That bear was believed to have been with its cubs.