Mother and daughter die after suspected grizzly bear attack in Canada

A mother and daughter have died after a suspected grizzly bear attack in the Canadian province of British Columbia, their family has announced.

The women - identified as Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20 - were reported missing on 1 November when they did not return from what was supposed to be a short afternoon walk, the family said.

Their remains were found in a trail area in Bella Coola, according to the BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS), which said evidence at the scene "suggested an animal may have been involved".

Conservation officers are working to track down any bears involved.

Balcarras' remains were found on Monday and Reed's on Tuesday during search efforts by conservation officers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the BCCOS, said it was not yet clear if more than one was potentially involved in the women's deaths.

He added that any captured bear would be assessed and if it is found to have been involved in the attack "it will be dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety".

Balcarras and Reed were "two peas in a pod" who "got along really, really well" and shared many hobbies, Balcarras' brother, Josh Balcarras, told CBC.

"When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her," he said.

Balcarras had recently moved to Bella Coola to pursue a new career and begin a new chapter in her life, according to an online fundraiser to help the family with funeral costs.

Grizzly bears are listed as a species of "special concern" under federal legislation, and are an important part of the British Columbia landscape, according to Environmental Reporting BC, external.

Between 10,000 and 13,000 grizzly bears are estimated to live in the province, according to the province's Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, which has classified them as vulnerable.

According to the ministry, conflicts between bears and humans are "relatively rare" unless the animals are startled or protecting their cubs and food.

But there have been a number of attacks in British Columbia in recent years.

A grizzly bear injured two hikers in the McGregor Mountain area in October 2025, one of whom died later due to critical injuries. The bear was later found dead.

The following month, a bear attacked a school group - also in the Bella Coola area - injuring 11 people.

The BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) has said that reports of grizzly-human conflicts have risen since the province introduced a ban on hunting grizzly bears for sport in 2017.

"With no hunting pressure, grizzlies and humans will increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences," the BCWF's executive director Jesse Zeman said at the time.