DNA links grizzly sow and three cubs to deaths of mother and daughter in Bella Coola
DNA testing confirmed that a female grizzly bear and her three yearling cubs killed Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, near Bella Coola in British Columbia, Canada. The women's remains were found about 150 meters apart near a trail after Reed missed a routine Saturday night call. All four bears were killed to protect the public. Officials said the attack likely involved rare predatory behavior and ruled out the bears' involvement in a separate November 2025 attack on a school group that injured 11 people.
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Four grizzly bears killed in Canada after fatal attack on mother and daughter
Four grizzly bears have been killed in British Columbia, Canada, after a fatal attack on a mother and daughter earlier this month. Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20, died after going for an afternoon walk on a trail area in Bella Coola. The British Columbia Conservation Office Service investigated, and forensic testing and animal DNA confirmed that a sow and her three cubs were responsible. Inspector Jeff Tyre said all four bears were destroyed in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect the public, and that the attack likely involved predatory behaviour, which he described as very rare. DNA testing also confirmed the four bears were not involved in a 2025 attack on a school group in the same area that injured 11 people. Samuel Schooner, Elected Chief of the Nuxalk Nation, thanked conservation officers and said the attack was deeply re-triggering for the community.
Read sourceDNA Confirms Mother Grizzly and Three Cubs Killed Woman and Daughter in Canada
Wildlife officials in British Columbia said DNA tests conclusively linked a female grizzly bear and her three yearling cubs to the deaths of Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter Selah Reed near Bella Coola, a remote community about 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver. All four bears were killed to protect the public. Inspector Jeff Tyre of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said the attack likely involved predatory behavior, which he described as very rare, adding that investigators do not know how it started but know how it ended. The women's remains were found about 150 meters apart near a trail; Reed's remains were discovered in a bear cache. Family members raised the alarm after Reed missed a routine Saturday night call with her sister. Tyre said the bears were not involved in a separate November 2025 grizzly attack on a group of elementary school students and teachers in the same area that injured 11 people. The Nuxalk Nation community, still recovering from last year's attack, imposed a voluntary curfew and police escorted children to school.
Read sourceFour grizzly bears blamed for deaths of mother and daughter in Canada
DNA tests indicate that a mother grizzly and her three cubs were involved in the killing of a 48-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter in western Canada, the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said Tuesday. The four captured bears were killed to protect public safety. Investigator Jeff Tyre said in an online briefing that the attack likely involved predatory behavior, which he described as very rare, adding that it is unknown how the attack began but known how it ended. The two women had been reported missing by family in early November; their bodies were found about 150 meters apart near a hiking trail close to the remote community of Bella Coola, roughly 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver. Officers first found the mother's remains and later discovered the daughter's body in a bear food cache. Tyre said bears involved in fatal attacks on humans cannot be left alive because they pose an extreme danger to public safety.
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Canada kills four grizzly bears linked by DNA to deaths of mother and daughter
Four grizzly bears were killed in western Canada after DNA testing confirmed that a female grizzly and her three yearling cubs were responsible for the deaths of Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter, Selah Reed, the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service said. The two women had gone for a walk near their home close to Bella Coola, a remote community about 1,000 kilometers north of Vancouver, and their remains were found roughly 150 meters apart near a walking trail. The family alerted authorities when Reed missed her usual Saturday night call with her sister. Inspector Jeff Tyre told an online briefing that the investigation found the attack likely involved predatory behavior, which he described as very rare. Investigators also ruled out the bears' involvement in a separate grizzly attack last November in the same area, in which a bear charged a group of about 20 elementary school students and teachers from Acwsalcta School, run by the Indigenous Nuxalk Nation, injuring four. Nuxalk elected chief councilor Tlhmtimut Samuel Schooner said the latest attack has been deeply re-triggering for community members still recovering from last year's incident.
Read sourceFour Grizzly Bears Killed After Deadly Attack on Mother and Daughter in Canada
Wildlife officials in British Columbia, Canada, confirmed that four grizzly bears—a mother and her three yearling cubs—were responsible for the deaths of Jenny Balcarras, 48, and her 20-year-old daughter, Selah Reed. DNA tests linked the bears to the remains, which were found nearly 500 feet apart near a trail outside Bella Coola, a remote community about 620 miles north of Vancouver. The bears were captured and killed to protect the public, as officials stated that bears involved in fatal attacks cannot be rehabilitated or relocated. The attack, described as rare predatory behavior, has shaken the Nuxalk Nation community, which is still recovering from a separate grizzly attack last November that injured 11 people. Authorities imposed a voluntary curfew and police escorted children to school.
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